There’s over five hours and 40 minutes of this documentary series, and no quicker is the name of the murder victim, Reeva Steenkamp, mentioned is it brushed under the carpet with a ton of idolising compliments for her killer.
On February 14 2013, aged only 29, Reeva Steenkamp was shot and killed by her boyfriend in his home. Her boyfriend, world-famous athlete Oscar Pistorius, claimed it as an accident, but it wasn’t long before concerning details emerged from the woodwork that would place their picture-perfect relationship into question. Now, seven years after her death and Pistorius a convicted murder behind bars, the BBC has decided to release an insight – a loosely applied term – into the case.
No less than 20 minutes into the opening episode of The Trials of Oscar Pistorius is the eponymic blade runner already established as a figure to be admired, with interviewees noting him as an “inspiration” and a “hero”.
With continuous words of respect and commendation, backed up with what felt like the mentioning of the paraplegic’s sob story at any given chance by director Daniel Gordon, the condescending tone proves hard to ignore, and, much to my surprise, persisted throughout. A heavy focused was paid to the Olympic gold medalist’s troubling upbringing in South Africa, a time which is offered to us as nothing more than a time of brutal civil unrest, the death of his mother in his teen years and the trauma that followed, and the extensive medical history of fibular hemimelia and amputation, in what I can only view as a desperate attempt to justify his actions.
Over 2,700 women were killed last year in South Africa as a result of gender-based violence (GBV), and despite the recent murder of pregnant 28 year-old Tshegofatso Pule, the BBC promoted a two-minute trailer for the four-part series and did not once let the name of the law graduate-turned-model, Reeva Steenkamp, fall on the ears of its viewers.
We have removed the trail for 'The Trials of Oscar Pistorius' that was posted on social media earlier today: https://t.co/LL9pRCjvEc pic.twitter.com/pZIMjXpVqE
— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) October 27, 2020
At a press interview for the series, Daniel Gordon stated he was “still flip-flopping” on the matter of Pistorius’s guilt, though it appears he has already made up his mind, with a large proportion of interviewee time wasted on Oscar’s family, including his brother Carl, uncle Arnold, and cousin Maria. The three rarely advanced the plot, but instead posed as reminders of Oscar’s tears, something that they seem to believe equals innocence. In one confession, Pistorius’ former girlfriend Samantha Taylor described how she had to hide his gun during an argument, but with no mention of the other forms of abuse she endured in their relationship, it begs the question, was this an editorial move?
The cramming of the court trial, testimonies, verdicts and sentencing into the last half hour of the final episode diminishes the justice Reeva deserved, and misses an opportunity to spread awareness about gender-based violence to millions of the BBC’s viewers. Her name was Reeva Steenkamp. Say it. Shout it. Scream it.
Words by Paul McAuley
Psychologist Reports that Oscar Pistorius 4-Part Documentary Completely Misses Sleep Disorder (Parasomnia)
Millions continue to argue whether Oscar killed Reeva Steenkamp in a fit of rage, or whether he truly believed a dangerous criminal had entered his home. This otherwise fine documentary completely failed to emphasize that Judge Masipa underscored that the South African Court could make no sense of several glaring anomalies in the Olympian’s narrative. A compelling explanation of these profound enigmas is provided in a fascinating book by prominent Canadian psychologist Dr. Brent Willock. Oscar would have realized his girlfriend was not in their bed, and therefore that it was her who made the noise in the bathroom and, furthermore, he would have heard her yelling at him that he should not shoot–if he had not been in a state in which parts of his brain were wide awake while other parts were still asleep (parasomnia). Sleep disorders are far too little known and understood in legal and mental health circles, and by the general public. They are, nonetheless, of great interest to all. Dr. Willock’s illuminating book has been endorsed by the world’s foremost experts in sleep disorders. It provides the basis not only for understanding and forgiveness but also for launching a judicial appeal that would remove Oscar’s criminal record, restore his reputation as an inspiration to the world, and permit him to resume his humanitarian work for victims of landmines, especially children. This compelling addition to Oscar’s story–so strikingly absent in the recent documentary–would be of enormous interest and help to readersaround the world. The book by Dr. Brent Willock is entitled The Wrongful Conviction of Oscar Pistorius: Science Transforms our Comprehension of Reeva Steenkamp’s Shocking Death.