Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart

This documentary examines the murder of a man in a small American town and the subsequent trial of his wife, Pamela Smart. Smart was accused of conspiring with her teenage lover and his friends to kill her husband. The film focuses on how the case became a massive media event, noting that the proceedings were the first trial to be televised. It analyzes how the intense public and media coverage shaped the perception of the case and influenced the outcome.

The film was directed by Jeremiah Zagar, marking the first of two listed directing credits before his 2022 project, Hustle. It features archive footage of performances by Helen Hunt, Matt Dillon, Nicole Kidman, and Joaquin Phoenix, alongside an appearance by Joyce Maynard as herself. The production was a collaboration between Passion Pictures, Hard Working Movies, Sky Atlantic, and Public Record.

Audiences have given the film generally positive but moderate scores, with a rating of 6.4/10 on IMDb based on 1,100 votes and a 6/10 on TMDB from 30 votes.