Directed by Emmy nominee Ryan White, with a runtime of 40 minutes, State of Alabama vs Brittany Smith, the latest Netflix documentary film presents the traumatic story of the titular woman who stood her ground and fought against her abuser/ former partner. However, society isn’t always forgiving when it comes to women doing so whether their sanity, safety, or lives are at stake or not.
Brittany Smith’s case relays a similar issue wherein she may have risen as a survivor of her circumstances but was eventually taken in as a victim by a justice system that failed to accord justice to her. This story isn’t a singular piece existing in a vacuum, rather it’s become a universal tale of subjecting women and other minorities to a harsh and harrowing reality they just can’t seem to overcome.
Netflix describes the documentary film:
Brittany Smith says she acted in self-defense when she shot a man after a brutal attack in her Alabama home. Charged with murder, she faces a court battle for her freedom.
–State of Alabama vs Brittany Smith Review Contains Spoilers-
In a brief runtime, White attempts to thread the various bits of Brittany Smith’s life in Jackson County where she went from being a straight-A honor student to a single mom with four kids while meddling with a distressing on-and-off relationship with her then-partner Todd Smith. Depression hit her hard in her early years as reported by her mother because the locality they lived in never provided a solid ground for single moms to fall back on.
Eventually, she got entrapped in the supposed consolation sought through addiction after facing some tragedies. Nevertheless, she picked herself up from the ground and was firm on staying clean for her kids. However, January 15, 2018, turned it all around for her as got pulled back into the mess with her old partner. She had to endure a ferocious attack initiated by Todd Smith in her own home, who later went on to choke her brother as well. That’s when she decided to pull the trigger on Smith in order to save him.
A lot of technicalities followed, ones that Brittany wasn’t prepared for, and her case of PTSD went on to put her in an even more arduous spot. When she finally felt like she could rely on a legal law as per the Alabama Code Title 13 A which states that “A person is justified in using physical force upon another person in order to defend himself or herself from what he or she reasonably believes to be the use of unlawful physical force”, she returned defeated.
Various studies and surveys have proved that this ‘self-defense law’ has barely been availed by women. Brittany was yet another victim of the same law as she was put through a rather strenuous series of interrogations after the attack, making it humanely impossible or her to weave a linear story in her favor.
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The same question is raised repeatedly throughout the film about why there’s a divide that comes into play when the same ‘Stand Your Ground’ law has to be placed in favor of white cis men as opposed to women and other minorities. It points out how savvy twentieth-century society is in building up women’s hopes about fighting for their rights but as soon as the fight is actually executed, they’re instantly put down in the name of law, as was what Brittany experienced in this case as well.
Brittany’s story is one such reality of the entire Jackson County that again becomes a microcosmic representation of a bigger game of gender politics at play in our overall society.
As is also pointed out by one of the advocates in the film itself, this isn’t merely a legal issue but rather a societal and gender issue. There’s no denying the pressure and burdens of the onus put on women, which are not only emotionally and mentally disturbing but also have physical implications. The film tries its all in threading the factual reality of the case as well as the prevailing image of society together but in doing so it ends up rushing through almost everything.
The major bit lacking in the film is the severity of her case of addiction. Other than the theme of women receiving the “short end of the stick”, the film should’ve also focused on the aforementioned aspect of her life, not to reduce her image but to portray her life as it was. Her story starts off with her picking up fossils or old stones as a means to recuperate from her former strain of addiction but as soon as everything else takes shape, this particular part of her life is instantly brushed aside even when it clearly had its impact on PTSD severity as well.
State of Alabama vs Brittany Smith: Final Thoughts
If only the film had delved into the issue with more patience and scope, it could’ve been a hard-hitting and mirroring reflection of the actual truth of our society. However, the repetitive focus on some aspects takes away from others. The presentation of the film itself is enough to stir a strong reaction from the audience, but we must ask ourselves is it enough to present a case like Brittany’s even when it seeks to paint a larger picture for many?
Her case’s representation makes way for an opportunity to raise questions against the prevailing prejudice in society that still seeks to silence women despite the “modern” settings we live in. It also hopes to highlight the lack of sensitivity with which such cases and their survivors are dealt with.
Legality comes with its jargon that can’t be erased but humanity should also step forth with the essence of what the word actually means. Only then can we strive to achieve a humbled ground to deal with issues like this and express a bit more sensitivity in ‘interrogating’ someone who’s still learning to assess and comprehend the unprompted dastardly events that have drastically changed their outlook on life.
State of Alabama vs Brittany Smith is now streaming on Netflix
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