Life Without Family

RECTIFY is a Netflix series that scheduled to last 4 seasons or 26 episodes in order to completely tell the story of this 18 year old boy who without the benefit of legal counsel was put into prison for 20 years and subsequently released because DNA evidence proved that he was not involved in the raped and therefore not the one who murdered a 16 year of female.  The boy in question was high on an hallucinogenic drug at the time and had been convinced by law enforcement that he was the murderer finally confessed after 18 hours on interrogations.

The small Georgia town to which he returned was not convinced of his innocence and wanted to try him again as it set about collecting evidence.  And, the story unwinds as the people in the town take sides forming their opinions of innocence or guilt and taking action.  The new sheriff is collecting evidence but the old prosecuted convinces the released prisoner to take a plea deal in lieu of a new trial that includes another confession and banishment from the State.  He agrees and moves to Tennessee where he tries to begin a new life WITHOUT his family and friends...  which I suppose was the whole point of the deal and series...  living without family and friends for the rest of one's life.

The movie also gradually revealed what life was like in prison for this 18 year old boy/man and how he withdrew inside himself to hide from the reality of his new life and the barbaric conditions he had to endure from other inmates as well as from the prison guards.  There was very little left of him when his family tried to reclaim him and help him return to becoming whole and have a proper future at which to look forward...  that process was difficult and finally happened in the last scene as he lay dreaming on his bed.

BUT...  how many of us today...  not being just released from prison are living without family and friends because something was said that offended the other person and the sibling relationship ended or that because there was a decade difference in age between siblings there was no need to have any kind of a relationship at all.

PERHAPS...  some families just were not meant to be families at all once both parents died and the reason to come together died with the parents.

Does this make life SAD...  or, just predictable?