Certain films behave as psychoanalytic courses when viewed, as did Bergman's 'Persona' (on my top 10 best films ever made list).
And that's what has happened here once again, a psychoanalytic film (shot on crap video) called, 'The Witness' about the infamous public murder of Kitty Genovese and how that loss of life continues to haunt Kitty's loving brother and family, et al after 50 long years. Her brother was able to forgive the truly despicable criminal (a criminal who still manages to dodge culpability with his 138 IQ score), but not able to let go of the crime. This documentary shows us how debilitating a life-long obsession can be, especially one based on an event that was witnessed by 38 'ear' witnesses (ear because they heard and did not see her screams for help and they did nothing to help her -in social apathy) and not 'eye' witnesses. Her death led to the creation of our 911 calling system. We also learn that her portrait photo that we all know so well is actually her mug shot from when she was arrested before she was killed, for loan sharking at the bar she worked at! But, her murder was unrelated, random and evil.
The film culminates in a very emotional and painful way, as her brother ends the movie by hiring a young actress to re-enact Kitty's dying screams for help at the exact location of her murder, and at the exact time-frame, as he sits in his wheelchair absorbing all of his feelings that he can muster up in a psychodrama-for-hire conjuring moment of his older sister that he cannot let go of, Kitty. And once again, no one opened up a window to help her...
