There’s no doubt that this documentary on Jolly Joseph ought to be more interesting to those who are closer to the actual events of the case; it definitely has enough mystery and intrigue to be a good story. But the way it’s been presented here is just too tedious for its own good, sticking to the same-old true crime devices and eventually devolving into discussion that sounds more like gossip. It’s understandable that the primary suspect isn’t in this film to be able to provide some sort of counter perspective, but the interviewees who do get to say their piece don’t add particularly memorable insight into the circumstances surrounding these details, which can just be read up online.
This true-crime documentary investigates six shocking deaths in the same family and the woman at the center of the unbelievable case: Jolly Joseph.
A review of the case of Joliyamma Joseph, who was arrested in 2019 after the deaths of six of her family members by cyanide over the course of a decade.
For all of the documentary's faults, it does carry a strong (though not necessarily novel) focus on family. This helps situate the events of the case a little bit more within a collectivist culture, where the search for justice is anchored strongly to one's obligations towards one's relatives and seniors. But again, while this gives Curry & Cyanide more of a community feel, this isn't particularly new. At the end of the day, this can't help but blur together with all the other true-crime docs that seem to exist as white noise on Netflix, instead of as serious, tragic accounts that should aim for something more constructive.
This documentary could've been an email.
