Trial by Fire, starring Big Little Lies favourite Laura Dern and Jack O’Connell, who first gained recognition in Skins, was dropped onto Netflix in February.
The streaming platform is known for producing its own popular content, but it is also known to acquire hidden gems from other distributors too.
Trial by Fire’s tear-jerking synopsis reads, as per Tudum: “After a fire destroyed a home in Texas and killed three children, their father was convicted of their murders and put on death row. But was he actually to blame?
“The 2018 film Trial by Fire, from director Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond), explores the true story of Cameron Todd Willingham’s alleged wrongful conviction, and the woman who fought against the Texas justice system to save his life.”
In light of the film’s recent foray into streaming platforms, viewers took to LADbible’s Facebook page Netflix Bangers to rave about it.
One person labelled the film as “gut-wrenching”.
Another hailed it a ‘must-watch’, as someone else said: “It was very good. Not at all what I expected.”
As Trial by Fire is based on a true story, it pulls on the heart strings even further.
The film follows a 1991 arson case and trial involving Cameron Todd Willingham (played by O’Connell in the film).
Willingham was ultimately convicted of killing his three kids and was handed a capital murder charge.
While serving time in prison, Willingham becomes penpals with playwright Elizabeth Gilbert (Dern) who goes on to campaign for her newfound friend’s freedom from death row, believing he is innocent.
The film has a solid audience score of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes.
One reviewer wrote on the site: “A well told tear-jerker by an American filmmaker, Edward Zwick, who rarely gets the praise he deserves.”
With another stating it was a good movie but dubbed it “hard to watch” due to its themes.