The Keepers (Netflix)

True Crime is a very compelling genre for documentaries and Netflix gas found another crowd pleaser with their inside look at the murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik, a 26 year old nun at Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore, MD. In the same crusader-style of Making a Murderer, The Keepers is poised to study possible suspects and ties between the murder and the disappearance of Joyce Malecki, 20. What they stumble upon turned out to be a conspiracy of epic proportions spanning decades of police misconduct, obstruction of justice and unfathomable pain and suffering.

Facing the possible wrath of the Catholic Church and the legal staff of the Baltimore Archdiocese, a group of women set to find out who has information about who killed Sister Cathy. In their quest they uncovered accusations of child sexual abuse and misconduct perpetrated by the priests, and possibly local police and figures of authority. Father A. Joseph Maskell emerges as the ring leader and most likely conspirator of her death but this theory fails to explain how Joyce fits into the picture. With leads growing cold and documents and evidence gone missing, solving this 47 year old cold case doesn’t look promising.

Between the loss of life, the repercussions of the abuse, and the survivor stories, this series is emotionally charged making it highly reactive. The “trigger points” all over the place showcasing a riveting and enthralling story about people coming together to denounce pure evil. The accounts are raw, echoing and validating the findings of the Spotlight exposé: the Catholic Church covered up the allegations by sending priests to rehab or reassigning them to new parishes in the hopes admonishment was enough to curb the urge to seduce and manipulate children and teenagers. By the end of the seven episode run you are left with so many unanswered questions that it will be hard to not feel rage and disgust. Not recommended for the faint of heart or those who have experienced trauma of this nature.

Currently streaming on Netflix, The Keepers is receiving high acclaim and higher ratings. Have tissues on the ready and take breaks. This is real life drama, with real live people.

Enjoy!