Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
On Quartile, There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane scores 6.5/10 across five categories — strongest on Plot (Above Average), weakest on Acting (Below Average).
Filmmaker Liz Garbus investigates the mysterious tragedy of Diane Schuler in an effort to understand what went wrong.
There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane is a gripping true-crime documentary about the 2009 Taconic State Parkway crash in which Diane Schuler killed eight people while driving drunk and high. The plot earns a 4 for its deeply unsettling investigative structure — the mystery of what happened and why is genuinely compelling, layered with family denial and forensic evidence in stark conflict. Acting is rated as a category covering interview subjects and their authenticity; the family dynamics, particularly the husband's denial, are fascinating but uneven in terms of who comes across as credible. Cinematography is functional documentary work — competent but unremarkable. Novelty gets a 3 for Garbus's willingness to probe uncomfortable truths about suburban family life and the limits of what we can know about another person, which elevates it slightly above standard true-crime fare. The ending is haunting but somewhat inconclusive by design, leaving the central mystery unresolved — effective for some viewers, frustrating for others.