The Fear of 13
A death-row survivor recounts decades of confinement in a stark, intimate indictment of incarceration and legal injustice.
Overview
A gripping exploration of life on Death Row through the eyes of a convicted murderer.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- harrowing
- intimate
- reflective
- serious documentary night
- social justice film discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the documentary as a powerful, horrifying, and deeply affecting first-person account of death-row incarceration and systemic injustice.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Nick Yarris narrates his story after spending 23 years on death row.
The film uses reenactment, including Sammy Silverwatch as Young Nick Yarris, to render the subject's past.
The account foregrounds federal prison conditions and the dehumanizing effects of incarceration.
Yarris's life story centers on a convicted murderer held on death row and concerns about legal-system injustice.
Films like The Fear of 13, and why
Life of David Gale
first-person prison testimony, wrongful conviction concerns, and institutional injustice
A Short Film About Killing
documentary examination of capital punishment, death row, and the human cost of the legal system
West of Memphis
emotionally intense true-crime documentary focused on incarceration and systemic injustice
Dead Man Walking
death-row subject, intimate testimony, and critique of capital punishment
Movie Details
- Director
- David Sington
- Release Date
- 2015-10-15
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (146)
Cast
- Sammy Silverwatch
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Fear of 13 about?
- A death-row survivor recounts decades of confinement in a stark, intimate indictment of incarceration and legal injustice.
- What is The Fear of 13 like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Fear of 13 as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Fear of 13 violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Fear of 13 as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Fear of 13?
- Critics broadly regard the documentary as a powerful, horrifying, and deeply affecting first-person account of death-row incarceration and systemic injustice.
- Which films are like The Fear of 13?
- Films with a similar feel include Life of David Gale, A Short Film About Killing, West of Memphis, and Dead Man Walking.
- How long is The Fear of 13?
- The Fear of 13 runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Fear of 13?
- In United States, The Fear of 13 is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store.
