Bob Bechtel, a loving, caring family man and a lecturer at the University of Arizona, shot and killed a fellow college student 50 years ago. Director, Macky Alston, documents Bechtel's journey as he, after 50 years of secrecy, reveals this to his daughters, family, colleagues and students. Bechtel's motivation in doing so is to warn others about the ramifications of extreme bullying, something that Bechtel was afflicted to throughout his youth. The Killer Within is a compelling film. Alston doesn't judge Bechtel, instead he makes a careful effort to portray the conflicting opinions of those he has affected by his actions both 50 years ago and revealing his secret this decade. Bechtel's daughters are particularly shocked and distraught by his revelation prompting them to delve deeper into the specifics of the killing. This is a complex moral issue - Alston is clearly interested in the notion that we, as humans, are all the result of contingency. The resulting discussions are often profound. Some black-and-white dramatisations are unnecessary and distracting, the film is, at times, a little sluggish, and Bechtel's daughters emerge as pretty earnest, but this is still a fascinating portrait of a man who has made an incredible life for himself thanks to forgiveness and a second chance.
8 on the DaveScale.
(dir. Macky Alston, USA, 77 mins)
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