Charlie Says is the latest true crime drama to hit the big screen. It features The Crown and Doctor Who actor Matt Smith as the notorious serial killer Charles Manson.
After its debut at the 75th Venice International Film Festival last September 2018, Charlie Says is now on a limited release in selected 39 theaters across the United States as of May 10. However, this biographical movie from IFC Films is not yet available for streaming on Netflix.
Instead, Charlie Says will be on Amazon Prime Video beginning May 17, as per Vulture. It will also be on other video-on-demand services like iTunes and platforms where you can buy digital content.
Charlie Says features Karlene Faith (played by Merritt Wever), who interviews three members of Manson's cult from their prison cells. The movie then splices to flashbacks depicting how Manson grew his following in California around the mid-1960s.
Manson was the leader of the Manson Family cult who committed nine murders and the conspiracy to murder at least seven people in Los Angeles. He was imprisoned for leading his group to murder Hollywood actress Sharon Tate and four of her party guests in 1969.
His cult members were also tried in court for crimes like theft, assault and even the attempted murder of President Gerald Ford. They all claimed that they were doing this under the orders of the cult leader.
While Manson is a figurehead in the movie Charlie Says, the story is not focused on his persona alone, as with all other movies or productions about the notorious cult leader. The movie's real subjects are some of the girls who were part of the Manson Family and they were labeled by the public as the Manson Girls.
Director Mary Harron told The Hollywood Reporter that she Manson Girls are now in their 70s today. Incidentally, the screenplay is also written by Guinevere Turner. Charlie Says also stars Hannah Murray, Sosie Bacon, Suki Waterhouse, Annabeth Gish, and Marianne Rendon.
"In some ways, this film was about domestic abuse. That dynamic of the family is the dynamic of an abusive family with an abusive patriarch. It's the father that you love, you want to please, but can't," Harron said.
Smith said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that he agreed to play the role of the cult leader because he was intrigued by his story. He was able to talk to Manson in the flesh in prison for his research on Charlie Says, but Smith said he still could not figure out who the cult leader is and why the people who followed him stayed.
