Current:Home > FinanceWhat to know about Netflix's 'Tell Them You Love Me' documentary -Prime Capital Blueprint
What to know about Netflix's 'Tell Them You Love Me' documentary
View
Date:2025-04-11 20:09:06
Netflix is no stranger to complicated documentaries but this month it released one of its most twisted yet.
True crime film "Tell Them You Love Me" joined the streaming giant's roster, telling of the controversial events between white ethics professor Anna Stubblefield and Black nonverbal man Derrick Johnson, whom she was later convicted of sexually assaulting in New Jersey.
Throughout the documentary, Director Nick August-Perna and executive producer Louis Theroux explore the roles that race, disability and power played within their dynamics and the events that unfolded. The project features interviews with Stubblefield and Johnson, as well as several of their family members with fervent opposing views on their relationship.
"It’s a film where each dramatic reveal unlocks new questions, and we wanted that unlocking to play out until the very last images," August-Perna said in a Netflix news release. "More than anything, I knew I had to get the balance and the integrity of the storylines just right, to reveal things at just the right times."
Netflix:New Netflix House locations in Texas, Pennsylvania will give fans 'immersive experiences'
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
What is 'Tell Them You Love Me' about?
"Tell Them You Love Me" chronicles the case against former Rutgers University-Newark ethics professor Anna Stubblefield, who was convicted in 2015 of sexually assaulting Derrick Johnson.
Stubblefield met Johnson, who has cerebral palsy and is nonverbal, in 2009 through his brother John Johnson. As one of Stubblefield's students, John asked her to help with Johnson's communications skills. Stubblefield was 39 and Johnson was 28 when she began helping him take a university class through the use of an LED screen to type.
The professor, who was married at the time, said the two developed a consensual sexual relationship after falling in love. But Johnson’s mother, Daisy Johnson, said his condition prevented her son from being able to engage in physical or emotional intimacy and accused Stubblefield of manipulating his hands through the keyboard.
Where is Anna Stubblefield now?
Stubblefield was convicted on two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault in 2015 and sentenced to 12 years in prison. By 2017, her conviction was overturned after a judge found that her trial was unfair.
After accepting a plea deal for a lesser charger, Stubblefield was released from prison, serving only two years of her initial sentence.
When she was released she worked as a restaurant server but then was let go because of the publicity surrounding her plea bargain. She now does "unspecified part-time work from home," according to the documentary.
The documentary concludes by revealing Derrick Johnson lives with his mother at their Irvington, New Jersey, home. The film portrays him as healthy, safe and loved.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra's Cutest Family Pics With Daughter Malti
- Sharna Burgess Deserves a 10 for Her Birthday Tribute to Fine AF Brian Austin Green
- Nina Dobrev Jokes Her New Bangs Were a Mistake While Showing Off Her Bedhead
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- With Revenue Flowing Into Its Coffers, a German Village Broadens Its Embrace of Wind Power
- Determined to Forge Ahead With Canal Expansion, Army Corps Unveils Testing Plan for Contaminants in Matagorda Bay in Texas
- Revisit Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello's Steamy Romance Before Their Break Up
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Inexpensive Solar Panels Are Essential for the Energy Transition. Here’s What’s Happening With Prices Right Now
Ranking
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- With Revenue Flowing Into Its Coffers, a German Village Broadens Its Embrace of Wind Power
- An Ohio College Town Wants to Lead on Fighting Climate Change. It Also Has a 1940s-Era, Diesel-Burning Power Plant
- Massage Must-Haves From Miko That Take the Stress Out of Your Summer
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- DeSantis Promised in 2018 That if Elected Governor, He Would Clean Up Florida’s Toxic Algae. The Algae Are Still Blooming
- Harry Styles’ 7 New Wax Figures Will Have You Doing a Double Take
- Why Julie Bowen Is Praising Single Modern Family Co-Star Sofia Vergara After Joe Manganiello Split
Recommendation
DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
Australian Sailor Tim Shaddock and Dog Bella Rescued After 2 Months Stranded at Sea
Shell Sued Over Air Emissions at Pennsylvania’s New Petrochemical Plant
An Agricultural Drought In East Africa Was Caused by Climate Change, Scientists Find
All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
Wildfire Haze Adds To New York’s Climate Change Planning Needs
Wildfire Haze Adds To New York’s Climate Change Planning Needs
North Texas Suburb Approves New Fracking Zone Near Homes and Schools