The Problem With The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox

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In a widely-shared video, 20-year-old Amanda Knox, an exchange student, is seen kissing her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. Initially, it appears as if it’s ordinary, carefree footage from their Italian holiday – an American girl finds herself smitten with an Italian boy in Perugia. However, the situation was far from ordinary as they had just discovered that police had found Meredith Kercher, Knox’s roommate, brutally murdered in her bedroom after a strange morning at their shared apartment. The kiss was later used as a crucial tool by prosecutors in a campaign of misinformation, fueled by sensationalist media headlines, which portrayed Knox as a callous, calculating murderer. Upon closer inspection, one can see the anguish and bewilderment on her face, suggesting that she was not celebrating but rather dealing with the shocking news.

In the series titled “The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox“, the dramatic retelling of Amanda Knox’s true crime saga is presented, a woman who was falsely accused and subsequently exonerated in an Italian court for being part of a psycho sex group that allegedly murdered Meredith Kercher. Interestingly, despite Knox, her husband Chris Robinson, and Monica Lewinsky serving as executive producers for the show, the kiss scene appears to be more ambiguous than its original portrayal. Grace Van Patten, who plays Amanda Knox, offers a bewildering and enigmatic expression when she looks directly into the camera. Overall, the series is generally supportive of its protagonist, with Van Patten (known from shows like “Nine Perfect Strangers” and “Tell Me Lies“) delivering a commendable performance given the limited script. However, the uncertainty surrounding this particular scene mirrors the main issue with the show – despite accurately portraying the complex facts of one of the century’s most notorious murder cases, it fails to offer the unique perspective that scripted drama could have provided about who Amanda Knox truly is behind her viciously caricatured and widely misrepresented image.

As a devoted film enthusiast, I find myself engrossed in “Twisted,” the eight-part series masterfully crafted by K.J. Steinberg (known for his work on “This Is Us”). It often unfolds like an elongated reenactment common in crime documentaries. Given the intricate nature of the story, this style seems fitting. The narrative unwinds from November 2, 2007, the day Amanda Knox’s body was discovered, to as recently as this year, with many aspects still unresolved. Compared to its American counterpart, Italy’s justice system operates quite differently. Prosecutors take the lead in investigations, criminal and civil trials can occur concurrently, and even in high-profile cases, juries remain unsecluded. The tale is richly illustrated through paparazzi snaps, on-site footage by forensic teams, news broadcasts, Knox’s interviews, and various other media-much of which was previously showcased in the 2016 Netflix documentary “Amanda Knox” before being recreated scene by scene in “Twisted.

The story then transitions to Amanda’s journey back to Italy in 2022, where she finds herself hiding from eager media in a car ride filled with tension. As we progress, the narrative largely unfolds in a timeline that follows events closely. We see an innocent Amanda frolicking around Perugia in October 2007, enjoying her study-abroad adventure with her boyfriend Raffaele (Giuseppe De Domenico, touching) and three female roommates, including Meredith (Rhianne Barreto), a British student. Around the 10-minute mark of the premiere, the idyllic setting takes a turn for the worse. Upon returning to her charming apartment after a night with Raffaele, Amanda discovers unsettling signs: there are bloody stains in the bathroom and a foul mess in the toilet. Meredith’s door remains locked, and there’s no response when Amanda calls out.

Following the discovery of the body, the young couple become vital witnesses in the police investigation, held at the station for several days of questioning. The language barrier significantly complicated Knox’s situation, as she wasn’t fluent in Italian and frequently lacked a suitable translator. It is evident from the beginning that Amanda had antagonized the investigators. They disliked her behavior, including her public displays of affection, candid sexual conversations, and a vibrator found among her personal items; their biases were further fueled when Meredith’s British friends expressed their disapproval of Amanda. A series of grueling, both physically and mentally taxing interrogations ensued, resulting in Raffaele being pressured into undermining his own alibi and a bewildered Amanda accusing Patrick Lumumba (Souleymane Seye Ndiaye), the owner of the bar where she worked, of the murder. Although she quickly retracted this accusation, Lumumba was arrested, then later exonerated, and a charge of slander was added to the list of crimes for which she would stand trial.

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In simpler and more conversational terms:

The heart of the series shows Amanda and Raffaele facing years of legal battles and imprisonment, as they’re initially convicted but later have their convictions overturned due to lack of strong evidence. The arrival of Amanda’s supportive mother, Edda Mellas (Sharon Horgan, trying her best with an American accent), adds emotional depth, although many conversations between the characters are filled with heavy explanations rather than engaging dialogue. A more nuanced and meaningful relationship is depicted between Amanda, who doesn’t believe in God, and Don Saulo Scarabattoli, the understanding priest within the prison. His words of encouragement during her lowest moments-“You can help humanity even if it doesn’t help you”-influence her journey ahead.

Knox and Lewinsky discussed their decision to conclude the series “Twisted” not at the time of Amanda and Raffaele’s initial acquittal in 2011, but rather by exploring the case’s subsequent developments: the rocky readjustment to freedom, the lasting damage to their reputations, the struggle to find meaning after a disrupted life, ongoing legal issues, and continued media attention. The desire to deviate from the typical true crime narrative format, avoiding a contrived happy ending, seems commendable. However, the second-to-last episode comes across as merely plodding through a chronology of events that are already well-known. In this episode, Amanda undergoes a demanding interview with Chris Cuomo (portrayed by Josh Burdett), checks off another box. Amanda also connects with other exonerees, completing yet another checklist item.

In the final episode, penned by Knox himself (regrettably the sole one he co-wrote), the narrative delves deeper. We find Amanda, now an author, married, and a mother, crossing swords with Raffaele and squaring off against prosecutor Giuliano Mignini (portrayed by Francesco Acquaroli). Despite clear forensic evidence implicating another individual in Kercher’s murder, Mignini is shown to have orchestrated a character smear that led to Amanda’s imprisonment. This climactic part of the series finally gives the impression that it’s about more than just the apparent miscarriage of justice suffered by Knox. It is here that we uncover layers in both Amanda and Mignini, revealing that they are not the one-dimensional figures as portrayed by tabloids – Amanda, not the monster Mignini constructed, and Mignini, not the bloodthirsty misogynist Amanda’s allies envisioned; rather, complex individuals grappling with their personal demons. Knox himself recently expanded on this theme in an Atlantic essay, suggesting that labeling Bryan Kohberger, the University of Idaho killer, as merely ‘evil’ is a convenient excuse to stop analyzing evidence, to dislike and punish someone law enforcement may not fully comprehend.

This perspective provides a more balanced view compared to a previous incident, starting with a brief account of Mignini’s life that transitionally covers his upbringing influenced by the Madonna-whore complex, his father’s unexpected demise, and his involvement in the infamous Monster of Florence serial killer case. The portrayal leans heavily on Italian stereotypes, as does another episode’s depiction of Raffaele. To preserve the privacy of actual individuals or their families, we mainly focus less on Meredith, Patrick, and another victim – Patrick, a Black Congolese immigrant whose story seems overlooked given the emphasis on Amanda’s gender-based shaming. However, Raffa, a naive romantic yearning for another chance at love with his beloved, emerges quite distinctly.

In the series, I ended up understanding the main character more deeply than I did Amanda, despite her receiving the most screen time and Van Patten’s narration being prevalent throughout. The narratives can sometimes be overly dramatic: “Relating my story is a messy, complex task, given that I was initially unfamiliar with its true beginning.” This isn’t because there’s less discussion about Amanda’s personality. She is portrayed as odd, indifferent, naive, crass, and cheerful. At one point, she says, “They say I’m like Amélie because I’m a weirdo,” referring to the title character from the movie she and Raffaele watched the night of Meredith’s murder. Edda describes her as “sunny despite everything.” One of Meredith’s friends testifies that the defendant seemed “cold,” “unfeeling,” and “open about her sexual life.” It doesn’t matter that these conflicting characterizations don’t match the Amanda we see. This is, in essence, a story about a woman who was misunderstood by a large portion of humanity.

The series, “The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox,” should present an engaging counter-narrative about Amanda Knox beyond what she is not. Instead of merely reiterating her innocence, the creators had the opportunity to delve deeper into Amanda’s thoughts during the sensitive and seemingly inappropriate moments of her media trial. Unfortunately, the show frequently rehashes these mishaps without offering fresh insights. The portrayal of Amanda’s peculiarities is emphasized more than it’s analyzed; a more thorough exploration could have provided valuable insight into her character. A flashback episode focusing on Amanda before Meredith’s death might have offered a deeper understanding, and perhaps the rushed scene depicting her time-traveler themed wedding could have been expanded to achieve this goal.

Some outstanding crime documentaries such as Hulu’s ‘The Dropout’ and ‘The Girl From Plainville’ are compelling due to their detailed and authentic depictions of real women who have been unfairly portrayed as villains in mass media, like ‘Foxy Knoxy.’ With no exclusive knowledge from the producer of ‘Twisted,’ whose insights are derived from her own experiences (as evidenced in two memoirs, numerous podcasts, and a Netflix documentary), it’s challenging to support the renewed examination of events that transpired 18 years ago.

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2025-08-20 18:06