Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
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.