The Trailer for Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer Puts the Women First

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Five years ago, renowned documentarian Liz Garbus entered the realm of narrative films at the Sundance Film Festival with “Lost Girls“, an adaptation of Robert Kolker’s book by the same name. The film focused on the women whose bodies were discovered on Long Island and the still-unsolved case of the Long Island serial killer. In her conversation with Refinery29 during the Netflix release in March 2020, Garbus emphasized that the movie was about the survivors – not their involvement in sex work, which had unfortunately defined them in death. Instead, it focused on the family members and their relentless pursuit of justice for their loved ones. She highlighted that the enduring memory of these girls was the affection of their families. Now, with a suspect arrested and five years’ hindsight, Garbus is back on Netflix this March with a docuseries revisiting the chilling Long Island coastline.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=eb4qwCfbKrk

In both the movie and the recent documentary, Garbus aims to steer clear from sensationalizing the mystery of missing women, refraining from casting blame or engaging in victim-blaming due to their shared pasts in the sex industry. The narrative at the core of this case revolves around misogyny, police apathy, inefficiency, and ultimately corruption.

In both the film and documentary, Garbus is careful not to sensationalize the disappearance of women, avoiding accusations or victim-blaming due to their shared sex work backgrounds. The main theme running through this case is misogyny, as well as police negligence, incompetence, and eventually corruption.

This documentary series emphasizes the fragmented approach to the investigation and the fact that it was primarily pushed forward by the families of the deceased women, a group of mourning sisters bound together in their advocacy efforts. Garbus, who also directed the docuseries based on Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, noted to Vulture that it was crucial not to grant the perpetrator any perspective. He explained that point of view is vital in filmmaking, as it bestows power. By deliberately excluding the criminal’s perspective, he aimed to strip them of their power, which is often magnified in such stories, potentially objectifying women. Instead, Garbus chose to focus on the stories of these women, exploring who they were beyond this case and how their loved ones tirelessly fought for them over decades, amidst the violence and injustice they endured.

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2025-03-12 20:55