Depp v Heard
Year: 2023
Created by: Emma Cooper
Starring: Johnny Depp & Amber Heard
Episodes: 3
BBFC: 15
Published: 21/09/23
Created by: Emma Cooper
Starring: Johnny Depp & Amber Heard
Episodes: 3
BBFC: 15
Published: 21/09/23
During the spring of 2022 only one thing was on the minds of millions across the globe. The defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard brought forward by her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. Whilst most celebrity lawsuits go by without much comment or interest from mainstream media, this trial was inescapable.
Whilst there was plenty of commentary and speculation at the time, there was a huge amount of anticipation built around the idea of a documentary consolidating everything into something much more digestible. It would have been stupid not to make one really, so it should come as no surprise that Netflix cashed in and just over a year later Depp v Heard has hit the service. Is it as entertaining as the case was to follow, or has the moment well and truly passed?
Following a messy divorce wherein actress Amber Heard accused her actor ex-husband, Johnny Depp, of domestic abuse. Following a 2018 op-ed written by Heard where she proclaims herself as a ‘survivor’ of domestic abuse by an unnamed party, Depp filed a defamation suit for the value of $50 million. Unwilling to stay silent, Heard countersued for $10 million. With the court agreeing to have the trial broadcast online, the internet became judge, jury, and executioner in the most heavily analysed court case since O.J Simpson.
This documentary collects testimonies from Depp, Heard, and a number of other high-profile speakers in a streamlined and more digestible format, whilst also providing insight from a number of social media commentators who were prominent during the trial.
Whilst there was plenty of commentary and speculation at the time, there was a huge amount of anticipation built around the idea of a documentary consolidating everything into something much more digestible. It would have been stupid not to make one really, so it should come as no surprise that Netflix cashed in and just over a year later Depp v Heard has hit the service. Is it as entertaining as the case was to follow, or has the moment well and truly passed?
Following a messy divorce wherein actress Amber Heard accused her actor ex-husband, Johnny Depp, of domestic abuse. Following a 2018 op-ed written by Heard where she proclaims herself as a ‘survivor’ of domestic abuse by an unnamed party, Depp filed a defamation suit for the value of $50 million. Unwilling to stay silent, Heard countersued for $10 million. With the court agreeing to have the trial broadcast online, the internet became judge, jury, and executioner in the most heavily analysed court case since O.J Simpson.
This documentary collects testimonies from Depp, Heard, and a number of other high-profile speakers in a streamlined and more digestible format, whilst also providing insight from a number of social media commentators who were prominent during the trial.
What this documentary was going to struggle with the most was capturing just how crazy and hilarious this trial was. Because a lot of what made it so funny was the world’s collective befuddlement at Heard’s rather incompetent legal team, and the way in which both Depp and Heard seemed to struggle getting through any of their testimonies without becoming a meme.
Whilst that is definitely the case, the miniseries does manage to retain an element of this because of the heavy emphasis on the social media fallout of each hearing. However, that’s also one of the biggest drawbacks as the focus does begin to shift from coverage of the trial into a commentary on the influence of social media, which I don’t feel it does in a particularly interesting way.
The series also has a habit of leaving some pretty big blank spots. It covers all the basics, but it leaves out some pretty major parts of the trial, and I know that in order to consolidate all the information bits will be missed, but there are some major moments from throughout the trial that have been missed out here.
I don’t think Depp v Heard is as good as it could have been. Part of that is because the extraordinary amount of coverage the trial got online is infinitely more entertaining, but also because it doesn’t really present a complete picture, and it abruptly shifts focus from the trial to the dangers of social media halfway through the last episode. You’re better off seeking out some Youtuber’s take on the whole thing.
Whilst that is definitely the case, the miniseries does manage to retain an element of this because of the heavy emphasis on the social media fallout of each hearing. However, that’s also one of the biggest drawbacks as the focus does begin to shift from coverage of the trial into a commentary on the influence of social media, which I don’t feel it does in a particularly interesting way.
The series also has a habit of leaving some pretty big blank spots. It covers all the basics, but it leaves out some pretty major parts of the trial, and I know that in order to consolidate all the information bits will be missed, but there are some major moments from throughout the trial that have been missed out here.
I don’t think Depp v Heard is as good as it could have been. Part of that is because the extraordinary amount of coverage the trial got online is infinitely more entertaining, but also because it doesn’t really present a complete picture, and it abruptly shifts focus from the trial to the dangers of social media halfway through the last episode. You’re better off seeking out some Youtuber’s take on the whole thing.