Depp v Heard Review: Johnny Depp-Amber Heard docuseries lacks depth

Actor Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were part of perhaps the biggest trial of the 21st century. The six-week-long court case in Fairfax, Virginia was a culmination of everything that had driven the socio-cultural narrative in the last decade. Most importantly, it was about the #MeToo movement, and how it failed to become the great neutraliser against abusers. 

More than a year later after the ruling in the Depp vs Heard case, Emma Cooper’s three-part documentary series revisits how the court of public opinion shaped the case. The absurdity of how the trial proceeded and how it was obsessively covered by not only mainstream media but online content creators and spectators – is fascinating, to say the least. 

While most documentaries are made with the intention of finding a solution to complex and long-standing problems, Depp v Heard blankly marvels at the enigmatic and tragic dystopian landscape it is exploring. 

3 things you need to know: 

• John C. Depp, II v Amber Laura Heard trial took place between April 11 and June 1, 2022 in Fairfax, Virginia.
• The defamation trial was based on Depp’s claims that Heard had irrevocably damaged his reputation with an op-ed in The Washington Post. 
• The trial concluded with Depp being awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages.

Hot Take 

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s legal trial, as thought by many, was going to be a watershed moment in the history of #MeToo Movement. This forms the backdrop of the documentary, as it goes back and forth between the public sentiment on the issue. However, this is the only thing that the documentary does.

There is only one redeeming quality in the docu-series and that too comes at the far end. It is revealed that during the pre-trial sessions, a lot of evidence was shelved after being deemed inadmissible. This is something that those watching the trial are less likely to be aware of. That is all that this 2 hours 30-minute-long documentary has to offer. Rest all is already in the public domain. 

(Johnny Depp and Amber Heard from their televised Fairfax, Virginia trial | Image: netflix/Twitter)

Does Depp v Heard live up to the hype?

The trailer of the documentary teased that there will be insights into what turned out to be the world’s first 'Trial by TikTok'. There are critical junctures in the documentary where viral memes, social media commentary and newsroom debates about the proceedings of the trial are shown with context. Instead of providing a complete overview of the forces at play, as documentaries often do, this one ends up being a compilation video. 

In Depp v Heard, statements from both Heard and Depp are shown side-by-side to imply objectivity. However, the treatment boils it down to, as the documentary also notes in the end, a “he said, she said” narrative.  

(Johnny Depp during his defamation trial hearing | Image: Associated Press News)

There are no experts, lawyers or jurors who can provide an in-depth view of the situation at play. Everything in the show has been force-fed to the audience. With nothing new to offer, the docuseries feels like an exercise in futility.

Skip it or stream it?

For the docuseries to have come out almost a year after the trial is rather uncanny. The case was high-profile, but its developments and verdict are already lost on most of those who followed it closely. Johnny Depp's tarnished image has not been fully restored but he did return to the Cannes Film Festival with his film Jeanne du Barry. Heard, on the other hand, is out of public sight and living a quiet life in Spain. 

(Amber Heard during her defamation trial hearing | Image: Associated Press News)

The only way the series could have had any weight was if it was removed from the trial. The opinion-bombing by short-form content creators and public figures when something larger than them is ongoing is a manipulation of the narrative with either a benevolent or sinister intent. It’s something that is extensively featured in the show but isn’t its heart. With its most poignant commentary feeling like a byproduct, its impact is significantly less. 

Bottomline 

This revisitation of the not-so-long-ago past should come as a warning to content consumers – what if the thing they are obsessed with ends up becoming the centre of a mediocre documentary? Apart from repackaging of the trial, Emma Cooper's docuseries Depp v Heard fails to provide an outsider's perspective on the case. 

Rating: 1/5