Reviewing the Gabby Petito Documentary: A Digital Age Tragedy

By: Ishita Chopra & Anushree Samsi

American Murder: The Gabby Petito Story follows the heartbreaking case of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old woman who went missing while on a cross-country road trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. The documentary chronicles her disappearance, the investigation that followed, and the eventual discovery of her body. Yet, the documentary doesn’t just focus on the crime; it critiques how the digital age affects the way we process real-life tragedies, turning them into viral moments for mass consumption. 

The Power and Dark Side of Social Media

The documentary opens with Gabby’s seemingly perfect life—sunsets, wide landscapes, and endless smiles on Instagram. These images mask the tension and struggles in her relationship with Brian Laundrie, illustrating how social media often distorts reality. It powerfully highlights the subtle, escalating signs of domestic violence that can be easily overlooked or dismissed, revealing how control and manipulation often go unnoticed until it’s too late. This contrast is especially striking when we consider the viral nature of Gabby’s case. The #VanLife movement, which once glamorized an Instagram-worthy adventure, now serves as a stark reminder of the emotional abuse and manipulation Gabby endured—hidden behind the glossy facade. Social media, while connecting us, often reduces complex lives into oversimplified profiles and hashtags. 

However, despite the complexities and flaws of social media, it played a crucial role in keeping Gabby’s case in the public eye. As her disappearance captured national attention, hashtags like #FindGabbyPetito mobilized people to demand justice, fueling a viral movement that might not have gained momentum without the internet’s reach. The documentary shows how the digital age, for all its downsides, helped raise awareness and pressure authorities to act. By amplifying Gabby’s story and shedding this light on the reality of domestic violence, it draws attention to an issue that affects too many but is often hidden. Thus, despite the sensationalized format, we believe it ultimately offers a powerful perspective and serves as a crucial warning to viewers.

The Ethics of Grief and Privacy

This leads into another meta aspect of the documentary: in a world where turning personal tragedies into spectacles often garners attention, it’s compelling to see how the Petitos used this strategy to not only raise awareness but also to work toward preventing similar tragedies. The Petito family’s decision to share private materials—photos, videos, and intimate moments from Gabby’s life—reflects the difficult choice families face in today’s digital age: whether to keep their grief private or use it to seek justice. For the Petitos, sharing these materials seemed to be a way to amplify Gabby’s story and further their fight for justice, particularly through the Gabby Petito Foundation. 

This approach has certainly had an impact, as seen by the significant recognition the documentary has gained on Netflix. Gabby’s mother encapsulated this sentiment perfectly when she said, “When you’re watching a documentary like this, remember that it’s not just a story. It’s not just entertainment for you; it’s not just ‘true crime.’ Remember that there are always real lives involved and that these things can happen to anyone. So choose empathy and kindness every day, because everybody’s going through something. That’s how Gabby lived her life.”

A Sobering Contrast: Missing Indigenous and POC Communities

The documentary ends by highlighting the stark contrast between the media attention Gabby’s case received and the often-lacking coverage of Indigenous and POC individuals who go missing. This comparison is one of the most striking moments, as it reveals a painful reality: while Gabby’s case sparked national outrage, marginalized communities frequently don’t receive the same urgency or attention. It emphasizes the racial and societal disparities in how missing person cases are handled and calls for more proactive efforts to ensure that all individuals, not just white ones, receive the same level of public outcry and attention when they disappear. We found this to be a thoughtful and necessary inclusion as it challenges viewers to reflect on these disparities and consider the change still needed despite the progress that has been made. 

Final Thoughts

American Murder: The Gabby Petito Story is more than a true crime documentary; it critiques the role social media plays in shaping our perceptions of tragedy and privacy. Gabby’s story challenges us to consider how much of our lives, especially in grief, should be shared online and how viral stories impact justice and public perception. It prompts us to reflect on how we view relationships, recognize signs of abuse, and process trauma in the digital world.

By exposing the complexities of domestic violence and critiquing the commodification of tragedy, the documentary encourages us to engage thoughtfully with these stories, reminding us that behind every hashtag is a real person and family. Ultimately, American Murder asks: How do we balance justice, privacy, and the ethics of storytelling? While it can be watched for entertainment, we believe its deeper purpose is to inspire viewers to critically reflect on how we engage with tragedy in today’s digital world.

Rating: 4.25/5

(Image Credit: Netflix)