Tales of the Grim Sleeper

For his revealing documentary about the alleged serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr., nicknamed the Grim Sleeper, Nick Broomfield went to South Los Angeles, the neighborhood with the highest murder rate in the city. Here, Franklin was arrested in 2010 for murdering at least 10 women starting back in 1985, mostly black prostitutes. Apparently, the police knew for more than 20 years that it was the work of a serial killer, but they never shared this information with the public – a fact that is very troubling to the victims’ families. More than a study to determine who is to blame, is a sharp social critique of a neighborhood that suffers from decades of municipal neglect and institutional racism. The long history of poverty and drug use in South Central (as the district was called until 2003) appears to be fertile ground for the serial murders. Broomfield, who previously made a documentary about serial killer Aileen Wuornos, also knows how to work on inhospitable terrain. Aided by the colorful former addict Pamela Brooks, who opens all the doors for him, he presents local residents and former sweethearts who describe Franklin as kind and helpful at first, but they soon come up with far more sinister stories.