‘The Truth About Jim’ Review – ‘Abducted in Plain Sight’ Director’s New True Crime Docuseries for Max

Skye Borgman’s deep dive into an unsolved serial killer’s crimes unearths a whole family tree of pain, pathos, and progress.

“A cold case is no substitute for a warm life.”

True crime documentaries and serial killer investigations have become the latest cash cow for streaming services. Dozens of these slickly-packaged products flood streamers as they elicit shock and awe through sensationalized storytelling. That’s not to say that all of these serial killer docu-series are disposable, but there’s definitely a right and wrong way to engage in these investigative narratives. The Truth About Jim benefits from its accomplished director, Skye Borgman, who’s responsible for the gripping true crime documentary, Abducted in Plain Sight, which unpacks the complicated tale of the Broberg family, as well as Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries revival. The Truth About Jim tells a story that’s comfortably in Borgman’s wheelhouse that attempts to do something new with the true crime genre by mixing a serial killer investigation with a Who Do You Think You Are?-esque family tree journey of self-discovery. The end result, while fascinating, is a mixed bag of presumptions and emotions that’s more about the fragile survivors than the poisonous perpetrators.

What differentiates The Truth About Jim from its countless peers is that the lead investigator and guiding voice through this disturbing journey is not some hardened detective or criminal expert, but rather a fractured family member. Sierra Barter is the step-granddaughter of Jim Mordecai, a man who may-or-may-not be the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Killer — one of California’s most prolific serial killers. Barter’s drive to relitigate her past provides a powerful emotional core to this four-episode docu-series, yet her closeness to this case and her need for answers becomes a double-edged sword for this investigation. The Truth About Jim provides many details on Mordecai’s sordid past, and even more speculation on what these acts might have led to, but in the end it’s really a study of a fractured family, through retrospect.

Barter leads the charge as The Truth About Jim’s primary interviewer, which is a distinct, crucial detail that contributes to the docu-series’ original flavor and how it coalesces true crime with a family tree where each branch is more painful than the last. However, it still feels produced in many ways, because it is. A central question for any true crime docu-series of this nature is whether it’s exciting or simply exploitative. The Truth About Jim toes the line here, but never gets too gratuitous in this regard. Additionally, many modern true crime series are much longer than they need to be and suffer from egregious padding and insufficient content to flesh out each episode. Each of The Truth About Jim’s four episodes make unique arguments that contribute to a greater whole and Borgman doesn’t struggle in this regard. That being said, her past works are much stronger and one can’t help but feel that this story would work better as a feature film or two installments rather than four, which naturally prolongs this story rather than forcing Borgman to be more decisive with what’s important.

The Truth About Jim’s longer length leads to extra interviews from more ancillary figures, but it also allows the docu-series to build up the “family in repair” angle and let that breathe more. This helps showcase just how odd Mordecai was and the inappropriate nature of his relationships to better convey his character, energy, and life. The Truth About Jim takes the time to really just explain all of Mordecai’s flawed, manipulative relationships with friends and family, and how much harm he’s caused. The docu-series puts a lot of focus on the copious sorrow that he’s caused between the grooming, sexual assault, manipulation, and violence, even before there’s the possibility of murders being in the mix. Jim Mordecai is a bad person regardless, so does the rest matter? He still ruined his family’s life.

The Truth About Jim establishes an endless cycle of abuse and how Mordecai was a victim before he became a perpetrator. This pattern is sadly all-too common and the docu-series breaks down the symptoms and psychology of it all, whether it’s with Mordecai or his victims, and really creates this complex quilt of abuse. In lieu of answers, The Truth About Jim asks if closure is possible for Barter and if this family can find some semblance of peace and put all of this behind them. The docu-series is practically more interested in the victims and how they can help each other heal. The Truth About Jim shows them share hugs and hear each other instead of just capitalizing on this man’s evil. This angle makes sense since Jim Mordecai is dead, no longer out there, and was never caught for his crimes. Therefore, the logical focus is on the victims, who are around, and what they’re going through now that he’s out of the picture.

The docu-series’ first episode is pretty standard, but it’s the murder angle in the rest that really elevates The Truth About Jim into something more dangerous. Most importantly, Borgman’s filmmaking entertains both sides of Barter’s dilemma. The docu-series does seed some doubt on whether the questions being asked are inherently flawed and if the “Truth about Jim” is that he was bad, but not a killer. It’s appreciated that it considers this side of the argument rather than just blindly feeding into one perspective and ignoring anything that supports the contrary.

On some level, it’s almost as if Barter needs her investigation to bear fruit because it would explain and justify this awful man in her family and why he made things as horrible as they were. Instead, a more plausible truth is that Mordecai was just a bad person who didn’t respect women, but he also wasn’t some supervillain who held California captive with the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders. The Truth About Jim even briefly entertains the idea that Mordecai could have been the Zodiac Killer, which is by far the most outrageous and unfounded element of the docu-series. It at least addresses the incredulity of this claim.

The Truth About Jim has good intentions and charts curious ground through its possible familial connection to a notorious serial killer. Not everything in this curious case study works and it sometimes feels as if it gets lost in the weeds. However, when it connects, it’s powerful storytelling that proves that there’s so much more to an investigation than simply results and proof. This process helps Sierra Barter and her extended family heal and reclaim hope. It’s an optimistic conclusion for a story that’s so full of hate and abuse. The truth about Jim Mordecai may ultimately be inconclusive, but at least Barter and those left behind find closure and catharsis.

The Truth About Jim premieres on February 15 on Max, with all four episodes dropping at once.

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