Murder in Big Horn Reviews: What Are the Critics Saying?

On February 3, 2023, Showtime premiered the docu-series Murder in Big Horn. It sheds light on the missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW) epidemic that has been rampant since colonization. Directed by Razelle Benally And Matthew Galkin, the three-part documentary explores the circumstances of many of these cases. Check out the trailer below.

The documentaries, narrated solely from the perspective of those involved: Aboriginal families, Aboriginal journalists and local law enforcement officials, currently have an 82% timeliness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Read our review summary below.

Courtney Klein from This shelf writes, “In places like Big Horn County, Montana, the target was on the backs of Native American women from birth…Because of its unique location off Interstate 90, Big Horn County is an area where members of the Northern Cheyenne and Crow living nations mingle with non-natives and transients. It has also become something of a hunting ground for predators trying to pounce on unsuspecting tribal women – who often leave their communities to pick up the pieces after another devastating loss. That open wound is salted by the fact that neither local nor state law enforcement agencies seem interested in searching for these missing women or questioning the circumstances surrounding their deaths.” Understanding these “tense racial dynamics and historical injustices” is one quite a blow. Small concludes, “To stop the abductions and murders of Indigenous women in Big Horn and across North America, society must finally begin to address the systemic problems that have allowed it to persist for so long. At the beginning of the series, one character explains that these women are “the silent population that is disappearing”. Murder in Big Horn makes it clear that it is time for both the disappearances and the silence to end.”

Brian Tallerico from RogerEbert.com notes that the trend for docuseries to deal with difficult issues is a trend that is widespread. “How can you consider the dynamics that led to such a tragedy when you’re swept to the next docuseries before you’ve really had time to digest it?” He hopes this particular documentary doesn’t fade into oblivion anytime soon . “In the last decade alone, dozens of Indigenous girls have disappeared in the Crow and Northern Cheyenne nations, many found dead days or weeks later, their deaths attributed to the cold elements they may have succumbed to. Murder in Big Horn asks detailed questions about the very specific cases that are profiled, particularly the deaths Selena is not afraid And Kaysera stops pretty places, but that’s not really a thriller. Rather, it is a commentary on a deeply broken system that not only fails to provide safety nets for the women of Indigenous communities, but does little to act when they disappear. Authorities seem almost eager to sweep these cases under the rug, with one even suggesting he doesn’t believe the MMIW (Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women) movement isn’t real and blames the community itself for it admits that it does not regulate its population. By interviewing those directly involved in the cases, the docuseries adds a depth that allows it to really shine. Tallerico concludes, “The truth is, Indigenous young women are one of the most vulnerable populations in the country and too few people are doing enough to protect them. Why? What are we doing about it? How do we keep journalists, law enforcement and the communities themselves on a higher level for this to stop? Stop and ask yourself these questions before you play the next docuseries. Selena Not Afraid and hundreds of girls like her deserve it.”

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Amber Dowling from diversity begins by stating, “Across the United States and Canada, there are thousands of murdered and missing Indigenous women (MMIWs), and Montana has particularly high numbers.” These cases most often remain unsolved, and authorities quickly jump to the next case. She adds, “Filmmakers Razelle Benally (Oglala Lakota/Diné) and Matthew Galkin go deep into the community to interview family members, law enforcement, attorneys, local journalists and community leaders to paint a complete and harrowing picture of what is going on Life as a young Indigenous woman is like refining three particularly angry cases from the last four years. Involving those closely associated with the cases allows the documentaries to stand out and potentially make a difference. “Frustratingly, the document fails to provide possible solutions to this crisis or what happens next, possibly because all of the solutions are too nuanced and complex to address in the timeframe envisaged. Delving into this bureaucracy might also do the subjects themselves a disservice by using their opportunity to tell their side of the story or highlight why they remain.” Dowling concludes: “By bringing this frustrating truth into the conversation for the filmmakers and allowing Indigenous Peoples to speak up for themselves in these interviews, they have opened the door to the broader, national debate about the need for real and lasting change.”

Ned Booth from The playlist explains the premise of the docuseries before adding, “Showtime’s new documentary series ‘Murder In Big Horn’ covers four recent cases of missing NA teenagers: Henry Scott14 years, in 2018; Shacaiah Harding, 20, also 2018; Kaysera stops pretty places, 18, in 2019; and Selena Not Afraid, 16, in 2020.” He continues, “Why aren’t more of these cases being solved? Jurisdictional issues play an important role in the low success rate. Who leads an investigation depends on four factors: the victim, their ethnicity, the perpetrator and the location of a body found. If it’s a Native victim on a reservation, it’s a job for the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). But with a body on county land, like Kaysera Sits Pretty Places, the local sheriff’s department takes the case.” Booth adds, “However, the NAs understand all too well the truth about ‘this garbage system that we inherited ‘ and the ‘internalized availability’ it generates. Lucy Simpson of the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center attributes her community’s illnesses to “federal policy.” [that worked] toward ending Indian nations, like Indian boarding schools.” The critic concludes, “But make no mistake: ‘Murder In Big Horn’ is about as harrowing as shows like this can get. This series unabashedly tells the latest chapter in America’s colonial history and deserves all the credit it gets. These young women and their ancestors do not deserve their fate and no one should silence their stories.”

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