What The Crash Sets Out to Do
The Crash is a deeply unsettling new documentary from director Gareth Johnson that examines the real-life case of Mackenzie Shirilla, the Ohio teenager convicted to life in prison after a fatal car crash that killed her boyfriend Dom and his friend Davion. A car traveling at 100 miles per hour into a brick building is already horrifying enough. But what initially appeared to be reckless teenage driving slowly transforms into something more disturbing as investigators begin questioning whether this was truly an accident at all.
The documentary dives into the case with an unbiased appeal, building a narrative that puts viewers in the judge's seat. It starts with interviews from friends who recount the days they spent together, then shifts into the investigation — presenting crash analysis, interviews and hard evidence for the audience to make their own judgment.
Mackenzie Shirilla Speaks for the First Time
The documentary features first-class prison interviews with Mackenzie toward the end, after audiences have already formed their conclusions. It is striking that she looks so young, but critics note there is still a lack of accountability to her on camera — whether intentional editing or not — making her difficult to fully sympathise with.
Mackenzie maintained her claim in the documentary that she is innocent of murder. She accepts that it was her fault as she was the driver, but pleads not guilty on the count of intentional murder. She has no recollection of the events leading up to the crash.
The Role of Social Media in the Case
Throughout much of The Crash, viewers are presented with social media evidence of who Mackenzie Shirilla was — countless clips of her smoking cannabis, taking mushrooms, and flipping off the camera. The documentary uses her TikTok content as character evidence. She also dressed up as a corpse for Halloween the year after Dom and Davion died, a detail that is hard to set aside.
This raises one of the documentary's most fascinating debates: is our social media footprint a mask or a motive? For the majority of the runtime, the case for guilt is presented. Then, in the final stretch, a confusing and unexpected twist lands — and the documentary leaves it to viewers to decide.
Davion Flanagan — The Forgotten Victim
One of the most striking critiques raised by reviewers is that Davion Flanagan was essentially "just cargo in the backseat" — not the focus of either the relationship narrative or the legal case, even though his death was just as real and just as permanent.
Dom and Davion sometimes feel overshadowed by the psychological intrigue surrounding Mackenzie and the trial — a difficult line for true crime to walk, and one The Crash does not entirely avoid. Davion's father, however, delivers some of the documentary's most grounded and powerful moments, asking questions that cut through the noise.
What Critics Are Saying
There is very little stylistic excess in The Crash — no dramatic recreations or flashy editing designed for social media clips. Director Johnson keeps the tone grounded, and this choice works in the film's favor because the case is already emotionally loaded enough without artificial embellishment. Police dashcam footage gives the documentary a sense of authenticity, showing real-time moments including officers telling Mackenzie's parents what had happened.
Many viewers will see Mackenzie Shirilla as either a calculated criminal or a victim in her own right. The documentary gives information but not certainty — and that uncomfortable ambiguity is precisely what makes it linger.
The Question The Crash Never Fully Answers
By the end of the documentary, there is still no definitive answer to whether Mackenzie intentionally crashed the car. She still has no recollection of the crash, and is serving a 15-years-to-life sentence. She will not be eligible for parole until 2037. Only Dominic, Davion, and Mackenzie know what truly happened during that ride.
The Crash is streaming now on Netflix worldwide. It runs 93 minutes and is rated for mature audiences.
