A Wilderness of Error

“A Wilderness of Error” is a new kind of true documentary that will keep you on the edge of your seat and eager for more information. It’ll be easy to see people clambering to read Morris’ book as well as “Fatal Vision” after this. If you missed the can’t miss quality of “The Jinx,” this will fill the void.

Truth, it must be said, isn’t easy to pin down in A Wilderness of Error, and that ambiguity—as well as the mounting tension between Morris’ outlook and that of director Marc Smerling (producer of Andrew Jarecki’s Capturing the Friedmans and The Jinx)—makes the docuseries a particularly involving entry in the popular subgenre.

[Director Marc Smerling] has taken something horribly complex and rendered it appropriately complex.

While inconclusive in many ways, A Wilderness Of Error is strangely satisfying.

Smerling’s haunting film-noir visual style succeeds at reinvigorating an old story. His messy conclusion isn’t necessarily a problem. Still, I wish his Error engaged in earnest with the question of why so many great minds have spent so much time on these murders.

“Wilderness” makes copious use of the kind of formally paced, meticulously art-directed recreations Morris pioneered, and viewers’ taste for them will break down along established lines. ... If you come to “A Wilderness of Error” looking for a definitive answer, or for some startling final-episode reveal that puts everything in a new light, you’ll be disappointed. This isn’t that show.

FX's five-part documentary series A Wilderness of Error is a must-watch for true crime devotees. ... The problem with A Wilderness of Error is that some viewers, and probably some critics as well, are going to approach it as a true crime documentary itself and not as a commentary on the form. In that light, it might be seen as a failure. I'd say it fully acknowledges that it's a failure, so it comes down to your appetite for ouroboros.

A Wilderness of Error is a bit more entertaining than browsing the relevant Wiki articles, but it’s a hell of a lot longer and ultimately less satisfying because, unlike that gathering of information, it sacrifices clarity for drama.

Morris' observations serve as a sort-of spine for the series, but it's a squishy point of entry, and the interview with him proves unsatisfying. Couple that with the vaguely sleazy aspects, and "A Wilderness of Error" offers a not-so-illuminating message that it's sometimes difficult to get at the truth that's not worth the five hours it takes to hear it.

The recreations on A Wilderness of Error are irritating, and it doesn’t really feel like it’s going to answer any questions or break new ground in the 50-year old MacDonald case.