Told over an hour and a half, the documentary retells the events that led up to a fatal collision that took the lives of two young passengers in Ohio in 2022.

© COURTESY OF NETFLIX
Dom and Mackenzie in The Crash

The driver, 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla, was taking her boyfriend, Dom, and their friend, Davion, home from a gathering when the crash occurred. As detectives combed through the wreckage, what first appeared to be a tragic accident began to look like the scene of a calculated crime.

Since landing on Netflix on 15 May, The Crash quickly began trending and is currently the most-watched movie on the streamer, leaving many viewers taking to social media to discuss the true events behind what happened on the fateful night. Intrigued? Keep reading for everything you need to know about The Crash…

What is The Crash about?

Directed by Gareth Johnson and produced by Angharad Scott, The Crash explores the 2022 investigation into a collision that killed Dominic ‘Dom’ Russo and Davion Flanagan. The driver, Mackenzie Shirilla, was left as the sole survivor.

The synopsis reads: “Through bodycam and surveillance video, cell phone recordings, courtroom footage, and interviews with the families of all three people involved, the film reconstructs the events of that night.

© COURTESY OF NETFLIX
The documentary follows real-life events

“It follows the months-long investigation that transformed a presumed accident into a double-murder case.”

What have the crew said about The Crash?

While the case has previously been covered in mainstream media, creators Gareth Johnson and Angharad Scott wanted to revisit it to provide a voice to all those involved.

“Whilst elements of this story had been told before in various bits of media, quite a lot of these people’s voices hadn’t been [heard], and they felt like they still needed to say something,” said Angharad.

Have you tuned in yet?

“It was our job, in making this film, to present everybody’s viewpoint as fairly and accurately as we could,” added Gareth. “We’ve given the audience everything they need to come to their own conclusions about what happened.”

What have viewers said about The Crash?

Viewers soon took to social media to share their thoughts and theories on the documentary.

“I went into this story not knowing anything about the real case beforehand, so I was engaged watching it,” said one viewer. “Overall, it’s a documentary that presents the information well and gives some insights into the case, and it stays chilling and uncomfortable until the end.”

© COURTESY OF NETFLIX
Dom, Mackenzie, Natalie Shirilla and Steve Shirilla in The Crash

Meanwhile, another wrote: “Just finished watching Netflix’s ‘The Crash’ and my mind is numb. I’ve watched some disturbing documentaries, but few have left me as unsettled as the story of Mackenzie Shirilla.”

A third added: “Regardless of where one lands on the legal debate, The Crash succeeds in provoking exactly the kind of discomfort and moral scrutiny that true crime documentaries so often promise but rarely deliver.”

The Crash is available to watch on Netflix now.