A new documentaryentitled I Love You, Now Die takes a long, hard look at the terrifying issue of suicide, and looks set to be the year's most harrowing true crime story. Watch the trailer below:
It tells the story of Michelle Carter and Conrad Roy, who fell in love in 2012. Two years later, he had taken his own life in what appeared to be a tragic suicide.
Advert
But in text exchanges which were discovered by detectives, it was shown that Carter had encouraged her boyfriend to carry out his actions, even when he told her he was 'scared'.
In June 2017, Michelle Carter was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, which stunned people all over the world and raised the important question of how to handle this very modern, moral dilemma - if someone encourages another to take their own life over text message from miles away, should they be held responsible for what happens next?
Well, a Massachusetts trial judge ruled 'yes' in answer to that question and sentenced Carter to serve a 15-month jail term which began in February 2019.
Now, the case is being studied in a HBO documentary, which is fully titled I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter. The trailer shows only a beach overlaid with text messages exchanged between the pair, but it's chilling to remember what happened between them.
Advert
While the pair only met a handful of times, they exchanged 60,000 text messages and many phone calls. The case shows just how intense teenage relationships can be, even in instances where there is little face-to-face contact.
It's also a warning sign that the things we say, even if they're just over text, can have very real implications and consequences.
Conrad Roy's suicide took place in his pickup truck in July 2014 aged 18. It came as a result of messages from Carter, encouraging him to 'do it'.
The texts were, as the trailer shows, extremely harrowing. They show Roy reconsidering his actions, with Carter urging him on - asking if he had 'done it yet'.
Advert
They also had a phone call of 47 minutes, the exact contents of which are not known, but it's been reported that Conrad got out of the truck because he was 'scared' and Carter urged him to 'get back in'.
She was found guilty, with the judge ruling that her actions constituted 'wanton and reckless conduct'.
Speaking to Refinery29, the film's director Erin Lee Carr said she believes the story gained such momentum because of the 'Cara Delevingne-looking girl' it focused on.
She added that she thought 'there was something so dangerous that happened underneath this story', which prompted her to want to cover it in a real way.
Advert
She added that she hopes the case and film generate a sense of awareness about how we treat others, explaining: "When you do text somebody else, or you're tweeting, we need to remember that somebody else is on the other side of that. I just think we have lost our way a bit when it comes to this."
The film as yet has no official release date, but premiered at SXSW and is due to be shown in two parts later in the summer.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: TV and Film, HBO, TV Entertainment, USA