A good litmus test of whether a movie is good is to ask, if it didn't have stars, would this have been a TV movie? Evidence of Blood is a TV movie where one asks, if this film had big stars, would this have made a good feature? Yes, it would.
Filmed in Canada, "Evidence of Blood" is the story of writer Jason Kinley (David Strathairn) returning to his home town in Georgia and becoming involved in a 40-year murder case. The case is the murder of a young girl, Ellie Dinker, whose body was never found. Jackson's recently deceased childhood friend Ray had been looking into it, and left him a clue - what looks like a twig or small tree branch.
Dora Overton (McDonnell), who owns a bar, was Ray's girlfriend. Her father was convicted of the murder and executed, but she doesn't believe he did it and wanted the truth. She still wants it. Jackson, drawn to her, says he'll find it.
As Jackson talks to people who were involved in the case or who remember the people, a picture emerges, and it's a strange one. There is a lot more to the case than meets the eye. And Jackson begins to realize that there's a lot more to him too, as he has a recurring dream that he can't shake.
Moody, atmospheric, well acted drama with a few twists that make for a fascinating story. The film goes back and forth from the trial or events leading up to the murder and back to the present day, with Jackson sometimes getting flashes of memory.
This was streaming on Netflix, then it left and came back. I'm not sure what the story is, but this film apparently isn't on DVD. I hope that it is soon and that others have an opportunity to see it.
