It often leaves me feeling a little uneasy when I’m looking forward to a true-crime documentary. After the light-hearted joy that was Clarkson’s Farm, the next big thing coming to streaming is the Netflix documentary series, Sophie: A Murder In West Cork. It leaves me uneasy simply because Netflix is damn good at these types of documentaries and in Ireland, everyone knows everyone. It’s real life, but you know it’s going to be an incredible piece of telly too.
What Is A Murder In West Cork About?
To use the full title, Sophie: A Murder In West Cork is about the unsolved murder of French documentary producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier, in West Cork in 1996. My “uneasy feeling” does make way when I hear that the series, filmed in West Cork, Ireland and in France, includes new contributions from members of Sophie’s family. Their involvement is key to this landing right. The series includes interviews with residents from Schull and the local press, who are all close to the story.
The Sophie Toscan du Plantier is Ireland’s most infamous murder case but there is still likely a large younger cohort in the country who do not know about it given its effectively modern history. Personally, I vaguely remember the case in the news when I was eight. But it was not until the podcast West Cork, considered to be the best crime podcast since Serial, arrived that I became interested in this remarkable case.
Are There Suspects In The Sophie Toscan du Plantier Murder Case
There is a suspect. A prime suspect. Ian Bailey.
I say suspect, but Bailey has actually been convicted of the murder by French courts in absentia in 2019. He was, however, never charged in Ireland and instead believes Gardaí sought to frame him for the murder.
You can already see why this series has potential to land up there with the likes of Making a Murderer.
When Is Murder In West Cork Coming Out?
You don’t have much longer to wait. Sophie: Murder In West Cork will start streaming on Netflix from 30th June.
Will It Be Worth Watching?
Netflix has a real bad habit of dragging these kind of stories out, unnecessarily, over a series when it could have just been an hour long feature. However, as one person in the trailer highlights, “one thing I’ve learned from this story is that every time you think it has played out, it never fails to surprise you”. So this is the one series that might justify many episodes to get everything covered. Don’t be surprised if something happens in the real world alongside this release and there’s a follow up in a year or two.
Sophie: A Murder In West Cork – Trailer
And today is a special treat. We get a trailer drop too.