LOVER, STALKER, KILLER
(director: Sam Hobkinson; cinematographer: Tim Cragg; editor: Simon Mason; music: Nick Foster; cast: Dave Kroupa (Stalking Victim), Cari Farver (Self), Nancy Raney (Cari’s Mother), Amy Flora (Dave’s ex), Liz Golyar (Self, archive footage), Detective Chris LeGrow (Omaha Police Department), Investigator Ryan Avis (Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office), Tony Kava (Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office), Sgt. Jim Doty (Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office), Deputy Todd Butterbaugh (Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office); Runtime: 90; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Sophie Clayton-Payne; Netflix; 2024)
“Despite its flaws in execution it at least has an
entertaining fast pace.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Sam Hobkinson (“Misha and the Wolves”/”The Kleptocrats”) directs this twisty murder love triangle documentary, that despite its flaws in execution it at least has an entertaining fast pace.
The friendly 35-year-old Dave Kroupa, an auto mechanic, in 2012 moves from his hometown to Omaha, Nebraska, after his divorce, where he can be near his two children he had with his ex wife Amy Flora. He then finds a dating service online, and asks for only casual relationship dates. He meets online the local gal Liz Golyar, a motorcycle lover like him, and they have casual sex and date for 6 months. She also has children.
A little later he meets online the single mom Cari Farver. When Dave refuses to live with her after being with her for only 2 weeks, she gets pissed off, curses him out, harasses him through phone calls and emails, and threatens to harm him. One day she suddenly vanishes. Meanwhile Liz has her property vandalized and her house destroyed by a suspicious fire. This comes after meeting Cari one night while visiting Dave’s place. At this time Amy and Dave’s young kids are stalked.
A trio of investigators in Pottawattamie County — tech- expert Special Deputy Tony Kava, Sgt. Jim Doty and investigator Ryan Avis — take on the case a year later from the Omaha police and the puzzled investigating Detective Chris LeGrow. The Omaha police investigated after Dave reported how Cari was threatening him. After a twist in the case is discovered they will three years later find the guilty party.
It worked well having the cool Dave calmly provide the personal narration. What didn’t work that well were its cheesy re-enactments and hints were delivered early on who the guilty party was.
Spoiler alert:
Kava will discover in 2016 one of his deputies, Todd Butterbaugh, is seeing Liz, who masqueraded as Cari and sent Dave the vicious emails in Cari’s name–and is someone who most likely killed her, but her body was never found.
REVIEWED ON 3/3/2024 GRADE: B-