“The Investigation of Lucy Letby” tells us the story of one of the most controversial criminal cases in UK history. The documentary follows the investigation, arrest, trial, and outcome of nurse Lucy Letby. Letby worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital in England, where an unusually high number of baby deaths were recorded between 2015 and 2016 during her duty hours. This could not be kept under wraps for a long time, and soon enough, there was a prolonged police investigation in which many things came out against Lucy Letby, thereby letting the whole United Kingdom, as well as the world, know her truth. In the year 2020, Letby was held accountable for seven murders and fifteen attempted murders in relation to the seventeen babies admitted to the hospital. By the year 2023, she was found guilty of seven counts of murder.
Overall, for those who are into the genre of murder mystery, “The Investigation of Lucy Letby” is a good watch. Based on a true story, with the help of footage and archived videos, it provides great detail of the story of Lucy. It makes you angry and also makes you feel for the parents who lost their infants. There are many legal and ethical questions that are raised in the documentary. At the same time, there are questions about warning signs ignored by the Countess of Chester Hospital in England, where the incidents took place during Lucy’s tenure. And mind you, all these questions have been raised by the makers throughout the documentary. This is an important quality as it helps us to put on our thinking caps and critically analyze the situation.
Coming to pacing, since the documentary was made in such a gripping way, one forgets about the entire ordeal of pacing, as you are focused more on the overall plot. Everything happens so fast, one after the other, that there is no time to sit and feel bored. There are interviews and pictures supported by footage that create this sort of urgency, which transports us back to the time this whole issue was taking place.
A crucial factor seen here was the arrest footage shown at the start. That sets the tone of the whole documentary, telling us that something ominous is about to happen. But the main question is, why did Lucy Letby do such a horrendous thing? What did she get doing what she did? While many theories have come out answering why she did it, none of them appeared satisfactory to me. It felt that there was something more to what meets the eye. While we are forced to accept the versions that have come out, I still feel there was some ulterior motive because no prudent person would do such a thing.
Anyway, if you are someone who gets uncomfortable watching such plots or gets triggered, avoid this one at all costs. It is always better to watch things that make one feel better. However, as mentioned earlier, if you are into such a genre, this can make a good watch since you will also get a chance to analyze Lucy Letby’s doings.
Final Score- [8/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Ch
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times