4 x 1 hour episodes.
Political. Investigative. Respectful.
This series consists of four hour-long episodes covering the story of Jeffrey Epstein’s years of trafficking and abusing young girls. Whilst told from the perspective of the survivors and the police who tried for years to build a strong case against him, it does also include a few voices from the other side. Alan Dershowitz, whom some survivors also accused of sexual assault in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation, and does include statements from parties that did not wish to be in the film. Whilst it is compelling in the story of such abuse of power from a public and celebrated figure and the emotion and determination of the survivors, it lacks slightly in engagement. It would have benefited from more filmmaker involvement and transparency. The series was based on a book of the same name by author James Patterson. Patterson is interviewed several times within the series, but there is little indication of his involvement in bringing the Epstein scandal to light or the production of the documentary. Once aware of this, his interviews come across as a strange facade of non-involvement. Patterson is simply subtitled “Author”, rather than “Author of Filthy Rich”. Whilst it doesn’t act in any way against the content or message of the series, it was an interesting choice not to disclaim more about this. Unlike some Netflix true-crime series, 'Filthy Rich' is succinct but also sufficiently detailed and theatrical; there is little “filler” content, making the series much more respectable and intriguing.
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