Feminista Is Watching This So You Don't Have To: The Menendez Brothers

One of the biggest stories of my Gen X childhood was that of Lyle and Erik Menendez, two brothers who were found guilty of killing their parents, Jose and Kitty, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. The brothers claimed their father had been sexually abusing them both since they were children, that their mother knew it was happening and did nothing, and that the two parents were planning to kill the brothers.

Their story rocked the nation, in large part because Jose was a big-time Hollywood business mogul. Not only did he reach the top of Hertz's leadership (he was responsible for O.J. Simpson becoming the company’s spokesperson), but he was also the Chief Operating Officer of RCA Records. He was a big freaking deal. So when it came out that he was killed because he may have sexually abused his children, his sons at that, the entertainment industry was shooketh.

The Menendez brothers were on trial twice, the first resulting in a mistrial. They were found guilty the second time around and were each sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Their trials raised questions about whether or not the brothers had been abused at all, as their behaviors following their parents’ deaths suggested they might have killed their parents for their inheritances. Jose was born into a wealthy family in Cuba and had amassed a great deal of wealth in his business dealings in the U.S. After their parents’ deaths, the boys blew through millions of dollars, which cast immediate doubt on their initial claims that the murders were a mob hit.

To this day, many people are still confused and have no solid theory about what happened. Was it plausible? Absolutely. Did the jury believe the brothers were reacting in response to years of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse to the point where they could extend them compassion and a not-guilty verdict? Nope, which is why the Menendez brothers remain incarcerated at this moment.

But new attention has been focused on the brothers, especially on TikTok where users have called for a re-opening of their case and a compassionate release. Their extended family members recently held a press conference calling for them to be released from prison, too. 

There are two programs currently streaming on Netflix that revisit the family’s story. One is Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Memnendez Story, a miniseries by Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story) and the other, The Menendez Brothers, is a documentary featuring the brothers themselves calling in from prison.

True crime junkie that I am, I watched both. There’s been a debate over whether or not these kinds of stories should even be produced, but I gotta be honest... that’s a fairly new criticism. Where would film and television be without salacious “based (loosely) on a true story” projects that cater to our curiosity about the stories behind the stories? When Netflix released Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, the miniseries about cannibal serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, there was a lot of pushback about the fictionalized story re-traumatizing victims’ families and depicting Dahmer not as the brutal killer he was but more as a lone wolf who might be “misunderstood.”

Murphy, creator of the Monster series, is known for his unique approach to producing horror stories. The fact that his source material for these series are actual monsters shouldn’t be held against him. Should you watch? It all depends on what you can stomach, honestly.

Since I was barely 10 years old when all of this went down IRL, I didn’t remember many details, just bits and pieces of their story and the public’s reaction to the brothers. People seemed to hate these young men and much of that backlash, as we learn in both Netflix projects, was rooted in queerphobia. Folks were more disgusted by the mere suggestion that Jose would be attracted to men (totally ignoring the reality that sexual assault is about power and not necessarily about sexual orientation). That hatred and ignorance afforded the sons little empathy.

The documentary reveals that the men on the jury were quick to vote for Lyle and Erik to be found guilty of first-degree murder, while the women were more empathetic to the possibility of childhood sexual abuse. Murphy’s version spends more time on the brothers’ backstories, depicting Jose (brilliantly portrayed by Javier Bardem) as a shrewd businessman hellbent on turning his sons into perfect specimens. Murphy’s muse, actress Chloë Sevigny who plays Kitty, makes us pay more attention to the mother’s role in this story, which has all but been erased over time. Menendez lore pushes Kitty to the sidelines when she’s actually essential to the entire thing. The series paints a picture that aligns with the brothers’ claims that they were, in fact, abused and motivated by trauma.

Murphy doesn’t shy away from the gory details and he shouldn’t have—so much came out during the trial, there was no way he could fall back from the minutia. I was captivated and watched the entire series in one day, but I also enjoy Murphy’s work so I may be biased.

When it comes to the documentary, however, I was less captivated. I wasn’t as interested in the true true story coming from the brothers’ mouths and I think it’s because I’d already watched Murphy’s series. It felt repetitive to me, with less flavor. I did appreciate hearing directly from some of the people involved, but it wasn’t enough.

Is it fair to compare the two? Probably not. But since they’re both dominating the Netflix charts, we kinda have to. Do you need to watch both? I don’t think so. If you’re more into documentaries, you might appreciate hearing the brothers tell their own stories with additional context from people who were involved in their trials. If you’re more into fictional renderings that produce outstanding performances by some of our time’s best actors and actresses, I’d go with Murphy’s interpretation of their lives. Have you seen either of these? What did you think?