It was the case that gripped the world. At just 17-years-old Michelle Carter encouraged her boyfriend Conrad Roy Jr. to kill himself via text messages and phone calls. In July 2014, Roy would take his own life at a Kmart carpark in Massachusetts in his truck, succumbing to carbon monoxide poisoning. Carter was later found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in 2017, leading to a worldwide debate – can someone cause another person to take their own life using only words?
HBO’s new documentary I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth vs. Michelle Carter, directed by Erin Lee Carr (Mommy Dead And Dearest) explores the complicated relationship between Carter and Roy, drawing on some of the thousands of texts they exchanged over a two-year period to chronicle their courtship and its tragic consequences.
Watch the trailer below:
The two-part documentary offers unprecedented access to the families, friends and communities that were forever changed by the tragic case, while also exploring the changing nature of the justice system. The film presents a well-rounded look at a bizarre tale that was a deadly convergence of mental illness, loneliness, pop culture and technology.
In July 2017, Michelle Carter was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the suicide of Roy after their texting was reviewed by a jury. In August 2017, she began her 15-month prison sentence in February 2019, following a failed appeal. The HBO documentary includes footage from Carter’s trial, where the filmmakers had the only camera allowed in court and supplied the pool camera for this historic case. It also features interviews with key individuals in the story, including, Conrad Roy’s immediate family, Joseph Cataldo, Michelle Carter’s defence attorney, Dr Peter Breggin, an expert witness for the defence, police detectives, and journalists who covered the case extensively.
I Love You, Now Die is produced by Andrew Rossi, co-produced by Alison Byrne and features original music by Ian Hultquist.
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