The subject matter is a must-read for anyone seeking companionship via the Internet.
Forty-seven year-old Tom Montgomery wanted to impress an eighteen-year-old girl online. So he pretended to be an eighteen-year-old only to find the eighteen-year-old girl was middle-aged just like him. But not until he killed a (genuine) twenty-two year-old "love rival". He ended one life and ruined countless others.
What impressed me the most was the dignity and composure of Dan and Deb Barrett, the parents of murder-victim Brian Barrett, when they were interviewed.
What impressed me the least is the style of narration. The voice- over pretends to be the murder victim Brian Barrett and basically sticks words into the words of a dead man. How can we really know if Brian Barrett would ever think and/or say these words?
Another, albeit minor flaw, of this documentary is that it does not provide some context for this tragedy. How common a problem is this? Chat rooms have been described as "theatres of dreams". A place where it can be hard to separate fiction from reality.
That said the message remains clear enough - do not emotionally invest with anonymous strangers online. If you can.
Forty-seven year-old Tom Montgomery wanted to impress an eighteen-year-old girl online. So he pretended to be an eighteen-year-old only to find the eighteen-year-old girl was middle-aged just like him. But not until he killed a (genuine) twenty-two year-old "love rival". He ended one life and ruined countless others.
What impressed me the most was the dignity and composure of Dan and Deb Barrett, the parents of murder-victim Brian Barrett, when they were interviewed.
What impressed me the least is the style of narration. The voice- over pretends to be the murder victim Brian Barrett and basically sticks words into the words of a dead man. How can we really know if Brian Barrett would ever think and/or say these words?
Another, albeit minor flaw, of this documentary is that it does not provide some context for this tragedy. How common a problem is this? Chat rooms have been described as "theatres of dreams". A place where it can be hard to separate fiction from reality.
That said the message remains clear enough - do not emotionally invest with anonymous strangers online. If you can.