Rainy in Glenageary

Rainy in Glenageary directed by Graham Jones feels as though it is an impressionist painting of a crime story rather than a straight ahead true crime documentary. 

It’s a classy way to do true crime. It constantly forces you to ask why do you want to see the gore in the true crime genre? Why do you need the lurid details?  

This crime most likely took place inside of a close circle of young people. Young people we never see, except as a painting. The film tells the story of the unsolved murder of teenager Raonaid Murray in 1999 in Ireland. It feels more honest in this day and age of true crime podcasting precisely because it doesn’t really come out and explicitly offer a theory of the crime.

However the fact that it doesn’t feel sensational does detract. Jones has made a choice to not make the crime more lurid than it already was. Because Jones decided to treat both Raonaid and her circle of friends as the children they were in 1999, there is something missing. But, I keep asking, why did I want it? Murder shouldn't be a past-time, and Jones's effort makes that point over and over.