The Fear of 13

The Fear of 13 is a 2015 British documentary film by David Sington.[1] It tells the story of Nick Yarris, who was convicted and sentenced to capital punishment for a 1981 kidnapping, rape and murder, and spent 22 years on death row in Pennsylvania. Yarris was released in 2004 when DNA evidence established his innocence.[2]

For the phobia, see triskaidekaphobia.

The Fear of 13
Film poster
Directed byDavid Sington
Produced by
StarringNick Yarris
CinematographyClive North, Nickolas Rossi
Edited byRobert Sternberg
Music byPhilip Sheppard
Distributed byDogwoof
Release date
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

Nick Yarris tells his life story, in the style of a one-man show. In a non-linear structure provided by Sington's editing, Yarris reveals his early life, youthful transgressions, arrest, and time on death row, with several twists and turns. No one else appears on screen. Supplementary archival footage, some original animation, and sound effects are occasionally included as Yarris describes events.

Reception

The Fear of 13 premiered at the 2015 London Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Documentary Film.[3] On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 94% based on reviews from 16 critics, with an average rating of 7.38/10.[4][5]

Time Out ranked it with four stars out of five, with the summary "This death row documentary sets up an intriguing mystery that'll keep you gripped until the final moments".[6] The Times also gave it four stars, and praised Yarris's storytelling skills: "The Fear of 13 is riveting and that’s mainly due to its extraordinary subject".[7] Mark Kermode awarded the film three stars, and summarised its themes by writing "Yarris leads us on a labyrinthine journey that has as much to say about the art of storytelling as it does about the iniquities of crime and punishment."[8][9]

References
  1. "The Fear of 13 (2015)". Watchdocumentaries. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  2. "Nicholas Yarris". National Registry of Exonerations. University of Michigan. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  3. "59th BFI London Film Festival announces 2015 juries for First Feature Competition, Documentary Competition and Short Film Award". British Film Institute. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  4. "The Fear of 13". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  5. "The Fear of 13". Metacritic.
  6. "The Fear of 13". Time Out.
  7. Potton, Ed. "The Fear of 13". The Times.
  8. Kermode, Mark (15 November 2015). "The Fear of 13 review – gripping first-person account from death row". The Guardian.
  9. Tobias, Scott (29 March 2016). "Film Review: 'The Fear of 13'". Variety.
  1. "Selected projects". David Sington: documentary filmmaker. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  2. "The Fear of 13". WatchDoumentaries. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
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