Netflix’s newest true crime offering has been labelled so startling that devotees of the genre must add it to their watch list without delay.
The feature-length production A Toxic Love Story began streaming on the platform today (July 23) and is anticipated to rapidly climb the ranks of most-viewed films.
It represents the latest addition to an expanding catalogue of true crime content on the service, joining the likes of Worst Neighbor Ever, Maternal Instinct and Shipwrecked: Nightmare At Sea. Yet initial reactions indicate it may prove to be amongst the most jaw-dropping releases of them all.
The synopsis reveals the film centres on a case unfolding in an affluent Californian suburb. Within American media circles, it gained notoriety as the ‘Anaheim Craigslist case’.
A young woman faces arrest following reports she orchestrated a violent fantasy scheme targeting her former boyfriend’s new spouse. The matter swiftly evolves into a sensation that grips public attention, reports OK!
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Fans should go in knowing little of the case(Image: Netflix)
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Yet the complete truth lies buried beneath an intricate network of lies. As investigators unpick successive layers of treachery, the lines blur between genuine victim and perpetrator in a scenario where all parties appear to be performing a role.
Further details regarding the case won’t be revealed here, as those who’ve already viewed it appear unanimous that approaching it with minimal prior knowledge significantly enriches the experience. While insufficient reviews have accumulated online for a Rotten Tomatoes rating thus far, considerable acclaim is already emerging.
A Guardian critic, who confesses to being amongst the minority left underwhelmed by Worst Neighbor Ever, proclaimed that this latest film is an “astonishing real-life saga will leave you goggle-eyed and barely breathing”.
They indicated it represents one of Netflix’s finest true crime offerings in recent times, noting: “A Toxic Love Story is a welcome, if doubtless temporary, return to form. It is a rigorous, 88-minute recounting of an astonishing story that became notorious about 10 years ago in the US and was known as the Anaheim Craigslist case.”
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Viewers have said the film is one of the most shocking(Image: Netflix)
Another concurred: “A Toxic Love Story is far better than Netflix’s recent true‐crime offerings. From afar, it may seem like your average toxic relationship tale bottled in a flabbergasting and insane love triangle, but it’s truly a story of a woman’s infuriating, triumphant story of getting her justice and resilience to obtain the happily ever after she always deserved. “.
Meanwhile, one reviewer admitted: “A Toxic Love Story genuinely shocked me. It both flips the usual crime story on its head and touches on subversive themes.
“As the story uncoils, this is anything but predictable territory. Unless you’re well-versed in the particulars of the case (and I was not), there will be multiple moments when you’ll find yourself thinking: Wait, WHAT?”.
“This is the kind of sofa-viewing experience that will have you texting your fellow true-crime friends to ask if they’ve seen A Toxic Love Story, and if they haven’t, they need to get to it.”
A Toxic Love Story is streaming on Netflix.
