Advance Review: Lifetime’s Conrad & Michelle: If Words Could Kill Is No Sunday Afternoon TV Movie
Lifetime’s Conrad & Michelle: If Words Could Kill arrives Sunday, September 23 and sees the channel take on the daunting task of telling an incredibly messed up true story. This is the story of Conrad Roy, the Massachusetts teen who committed suicide in 2014 and his girlfriend, Michelle Carter, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2017 for text messages that encouraged Roy to commit suicide.
Lifetime has created some over the top, campy films in the past that are so lightly based on true stories they’re enjoyable to watch. This film isn’t that. It’s difficult to watch Conrad & Michelle as this story actually happened; a young man ended his life and through the course of trying to deal with his pain received some very disgusting encouragement from a person claiming to love him. Lifetime is diligent in telling the story as they include court testimonies and text messages from the incident. Knowing that the text messages communicated in the film were communicated in real life is simply terrifying.
Conrad & Michelle kicks off with the teens meeting on vacation and, upon realizing they’re both from Massachusetts, strike up a semi-romantic relationship that’s continued when they return home. Conrad (played by Austin P. Mckenzie) and Michelle (played by Bella Thorne) are each dealing with their own issues and lean on one another for support. It’s not long before Conrad’s desire to end his life becomes the focus of their tumultuous relationship and Michelle offers up encouragement and suggestions on ways to accomplish it.
Mckenzie and Thorne do well with their roles, notably in the expression of the struggles of their characters. Knowing how Conrad’s story ends adds a heartbreaking level to Mckenzie’s portrayal. Thorne is tasked with the deservedly unlikeable Michelle and does what she can to humanize her. Director Stephen Tolkin leads the charge in his telling of the sordid tale. He succeeds in sharing the facts of the case which makes the overall feel of the film chilling.
Fun is nowhere to be found in this flick. This isn’t a lighthearted way to waste an evening, watch if you’re prepared to be saddened and disgusted. It’s honestly difficult to comprehend the level of cruelty Michelle was capable of, tune in only if you’re prepared to be frustrated by this event all over again.