Girl in the Picture: What a jaw-dropping documentary
I’ve never written a review about a true crime documentary before and it probably won’t become a habit but I couldn’t resist writing about Girl in the Picture, which was released on Netflix earlier this month, because I want to talk to people about it.
I want this to be spoiler-free so I’ll keep the summary brief: this documentary tells the story of Tonya Hughes, who was found on the side of the road in Oklahoma City in 1990 and subsequently died from her injuries. Upon her death, it became clear she was not who she said she was. So what is the true identity of the girl in the picture? What follows is an investigation into her, her husband and their son that spans many years.
I probably wouldn’t have watched Girl in the Picture given that vague summary if it wasn’t for a word-of-mouth recommendation. Netflix is well-known for its shocking true crime documentaries so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed but I had no idea what a crazy, wild, mind-blowing rollercoaster I was about to go on.
The documentary is about 1 hour 40 but I probably spent an extra 30 minutes with it because I kept pausing it to process all the information – especially at the start, it’s info overload – and rewinding it to wrap my head around the latest shocking reveal. This isn’t one to stick on in the background – this requires your full attention (so many names and dates to remember) and you’ll be hooked soon enough and not even thinking about your phone. I was gripped!
There are so many jaw-dropping moments in this, it’s actually insane. I said OMG and WTF constantly. The twists and turns come thick and fast – you’ll never predict what happens in this – and whenever you think the case can’t get any weirder (or sadder) it somehow manages to do it.
I just want to add a warning that it deals with very heavy topics like child abuse and sexual abuse and is a tough, upsetting, hard-hitting watch so make sure you’re in the right headspace for it. It’s a shocking, heartbreaking story that I got so invested in that I ended up crying at the end! I just cannot stop thinking about it.
And if you do watch, please come talk to me about it as that’s the main purpose of this piece!
Streaming on Netflix now