Most recent journalism-based films in English are set in the 60s and 70s. That’s perhaps because the journalism of today is polarising, sure, but also access journalism and PR-centric reporting have taken the sheen out of one of the most revered professions in the world. Disney+ Hotstar’s latest film, Boston Strangler, is a reminder of how things were in the not-so-recent past.
This was a time when sexism was rampant in the workplace when women weren’t given ‘serious’ stories when they were instead tasked with running a home when they were judged for choosing ambition over domestic duties. Oh, wait…
Boston Strangler is about how Boston Record American reporter Loretta Mclaughlin (an effective Keira Knightley) identifies a pattern with the rapes and murders of elderly women in the area. With able support from fellow reporter Jean Cole (Carrie Coon), and a practical boss Jack McLAine (Chris Cooper), Loretta can dig deeper and deeper, until she finds herself at loggerheads with the system, and eventually, her people at home. The film can be proud of getting the details right, but the unwavering focus on the minutiae takes away from the emergency and danger. Barring a couple of scenes involving hundreds of readers reaching out to the journalists and single women trying to be cautious, there is never really a sense of the Boston Strangler in this film.
Understandably, the makers decided to train all their attention on the journalistic side of things, but with the grisly crimes at the centre, the deliberate pacing does create some impatience. And yet, the details about Boston police botching the investigation to ensure panic don’t get fleshed out enough. As for the good ol’ fight between righteous journalists and a corrupt system, it lacks the necessary gravitas.
What Boston Strangler does get right though is the impact of true-blue journalism on interpersonal relationships. Even Loretta’s partner, who is initially supportive of his wife’s ambition, becomes grumpy later. We notice the same thing with Cole’s partner as well, and what really works for the film is how it doesn’t antagonise these people but just sticks to representing flaws as a reflection of society.
As the end credits roll, we understand the extent of the travesty that happened in the case of the Boston Strangler investigation. However, the biggest takeaway is the friendship that developed between Loretta and Cole, who tried their best to move up in a world where the odds were stacked against them. The times have changed, but has the situation for such women really changed?
Boston Strangler
Cast: Keira Knightley, Carrie Coon, Chris Cooper, David Dastmalchian
Director: Matt Ruskin
Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar
Rating: 2.5/5