The new Netflix true-crime documentary What Jennifer Did details a woman’s plan to kill her parents, but the plot moves too slowly.
In 2010, 28-year-old Jennifer Pan made a call to 911 claiming people had broken into her house and shot her parents.
When authorities arrive, they discover her mother, Bich Ha Pan, dead and her father, Huei Hann Pan, unresponsive. Her dad was taken to the hospital, where he was put into a coma in critical condition. He survived.
Police then interview Jennifer Pan, who seems to be an innocent victim of a burglary gone wrong. But they soon learn her story doesn’t seem to add up with the events that took place.
In addition, Pan claimed that her parents had pushed her very hard academically since she was young. She was an average student but it was not enough for her parents, she said. Pan forged a diploma from the University of Toronto because she was lying about attending college.
She thought that the only way out of her lie would be to kill her parents. So she paid a group of men to stage a burglary gone wrong, but it did not go according to plan.
The interview footage from Pan is compelling to watch. It is interesting to see how her lies unfold as authorities get closer to the truth.
On the other hand, the plot moves slowly, and it takes an eternity to get to the final verdict of the case. This can be hard to watch for people who lose interest quickly.
Also, the documentary leaves out important information, such as the fact that she has a younger brother, Felix. If the story had moved at a faster rate and included details about Pan’s brother, this would have been an exceptional documentary.
