People ‘horrified’ by ‘most frightening true crime ever’ Girl in the Picture on Netflix

Netflix has recently released a new true crime film, called Girl in the Picture. It’s from the director of Abducted In Plain Sight, and in terms of its reaction, has matched how haunted that documentary left people.

This jaw-dropping true crime explores the story of a search to solve a 30-year old mystery: Who was Sharon Marshall, and why was her real identity unknown to everyone – even her? Here’s what you need to know about Girl in the Picture, and what reviews have said about the Netflix film.

Girl in the Picture on Netflix is all about a 30-year mystery into the identity of a woman

The new film, which has been called “even sadder and stranger” than director Skye Borgman’s previous, looks into the mystery of what began as a hit and run case. A 20-year-old had been found, and days later died in hospital. Her injuries didn’t look like what you’d expect from a car accident, and her notably much older husband, Clarence, was under suspicion. Their two-year-old son was taken into foster care.

The girl was identified as Tonya Hughes, but when her mother was contacted, she said her daughter died when she was a child. From there, the twisted case started to unravel. We learn Tonya was actually Sharon Marshall, who was a top-student, popular and fun. Her hopes of taking up a scholarship offer were suddenly stopped when she got pregnant and, along with her single father Warren, disappeared.

Her death blew open a decades-long mystery about the woman’s true identity, and the murderous federal fugitive at the centre of it all. The case was investigated by journalist Matt Birkbeck – who wrote his international bestseller, A Beautiful Child, and its follow-up, Finding Sharon, all about the heartbreaking story. The woman, known as Sharon Marshall, was caught in a twisted web of the evil man she called her father, and didn’t even know Sharon wasn’t her real name.

The Netflix synopsis reads: “In this documentary, a woman found dying by a road leaves behind a son, a man claiming to be her husband — and a mystery that unfolds like a nightmare.”

In reviews, people are calling Girl in the Picture a ‘true crime masterpiece’ but also the ‘most frightening true crime ever’

In reviews, Girl in the Picture has been backed as a must-see. Stylist calls it a “true crime masterpiece” and “the streaming platform’s most chilling documentary yet”. The review calls the film “one hell of an unmissable watch” and most notably compliments how the film goes about portraying female victims. “Girl in the Picture sets a precedent for how all true crime documentaries should carefully and poignantly handle their female victims – by refusing to shine an unnecessary spotlight on the evil men behind them,” the review reads.

The Guardian calls the revelations in the documentary “utterly staggering” adding it “still treats the victims with a rare sensitivity”. It concludes the film is a “fine and valuable addition” to the true crime genre.

Twitter viewers have been much more candid with their opinions, and are all in solidarity that the story is haunting. They call the documentary “one of the most devastating true crime cases I’ve ever heard”, “one of the most horrific, sickening, frightening things I’ve watched” and add they are “at a loss for words”. More viewers describe it as “messed up” and say they have been left shocked and horrified.

Watch the trailer for Girl in the Picture on Netflix here:

Girl in the Picture is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

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