Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
When Jennifer Pan calls 911 to report that her parents have been shot, she becomes the primary focus of a captivating criminal case.
What Jennifer Did is a Netflix true-crime documentary covering the Jennifer Pan case in Canada, where a young woman orchestrated a hit on her parents. The plot is genuinely gripping — the unraveling of Jennifer's double life and the police investigation make for compelling viewing, earning an above-average mark. The 'acting' here refers to interview subjects and reconstructions, which are serviceable but unremarkable, with some awkward dramatic recreations pulling things down. Cinematography is standard Netflix documentary fare — competent talking-head setups and archival footage without much visual ambition. Novelty is modest — it follows a well-worn true-crime formula, though the specific case details (the elaborate deception, the family dynamics) give it some distinctiveness. The ending, covering the trial outcome and aftermath, is satisfying in terms of resolution but formulaic in its presentation.