The Witness revisits the mysterious events of March 13, 1964 when Kitty Genovese was murdered and witnesses heard the murder take place but did nothing to help. The story follows Kitty's younger brother Billy searching for the true events of that night that newspapers at the time exaggerated to push a social apathy narrative and to sell papers. The film gives audiences a look into the Genovese family's lives after the murder and more about who Kitty was as a person. The film gives additional information never written in prior studies of the case. Billy talks to some of the alleged witnesses who did call the police to learn that some didn't even hear the murder or know they were listed as one of the 37 witnesses in the infamous 1964 article about the murder. The documentary highlights new truths found by Billy Genovese while still showing the unfortunate mysteries about this case.

Shocking, heart-wrenching and awe-inspiring, "The Witness" explores the secrets behind Kitty Genovese's famous murder case which provokes questions about the truth of journalism and what really happened on the night of March 13th, 1964. Prior to watching this documentary, the only exposure I had to this case was though a high school English teacher who had used it as an example of the bystander effect and nothing more. The popular opinion was that the residents of Queens were apathetic and heartless; I had accepted the original New York Times article as fact and gone on without another thought on the matter. The numerous layers behind the case and the people involved shows that even though a story may seem black and white, there is always more to be discovered.

"The Witness" (2015 release; 88 min.) is a documentary about the life and death of New Yorker Kitty Genovese. As the movie opens, we learn how Kitty was brutally murdered in Kew Gardens, a densely populated area of Queens and, as the New York Times then reported, how 38 witnesses watched and did nothing. Now 50 years later, Kitty's brother Bill is still bothered by many aspects of the whole thing. "The end hasn't been reached yet", he murmurs as he decides to get to the bottom of this. At that moment we're not even 10 min. into the documentary but to tell you more of how it plays out would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to watch it for yourself.Couple of comments: this documentary is directed by James Solomon, but is really driven by Bill Genovese, whose investigation we follow on screen (and who co-produced the movie). The most puzzling aspect of the entire story is how the famed NYT got this story so wrong, I mean, their reporting has holes the size of Manhattan in it! Bill also takes the opportunity to look back at Kitty, not just her death, but also her life, in which we get a couple of interesting surprises as well. All that, plus a look back at the 50s and early 60s era, make for interesting viewing, and then some.I happen to catch this on a recent trans-Atlantic flight, and it certainly helped the time move along. If you like crime documentaries, you could to a lot worse than this.

The Witness The intended audience is people familiar with the "Kitty Genovese" incident from the 1960s. The purpose is to educate the audience with the truth behind what happened to Kitty Genovese, as well as understanding her brother, Bill Genovese's perspective. I remember reading before the documentary "37 Who Saw Murder Didn't Call the Police", depicting the death of Kitty without any aid from her neighbors. I was curious as to what kind of person society lost from the incident. The Witness was filmed throughout many homes of everyone involved in the "Kitty Genovese" incident, including journalists, neighbors, and Bill's home. Bill takes the viewers through every key event of the incident, while giving back story to who exactly Kitty Genovese was to him. The film includes a reenactment of the incident, providing exact viewing angles and depth to all circumstances involved. The documentary uses vivid animations during the case study scenes. The ending narration is truly built up as nerve racking, would recommend watching for yourself.