Helen Archer | On 20, Feb 2024

Director: Sam Hobkinson
Certificate: 15

Occasionally, a Netflix true crime documentary comes along whose story is so sensational that it becomes a must-watch, regardless of its quality. Lover, Stalker, Killer is one such. The 90-minute film tells the tangled tale of the nightmare which ensued when an unassuming Nebraska man signed up to an internet dating site, its twists and turns catnip to a captive audience, shooting it straight to the platform’s 10 most-watched films. Brought to us by veteran director Sam Hobkinson (who has previously been at the helm of Misha and the Wolves, The Kleptocrats and many others), it details one man’s ordeal at the hands of a stalker.

When Dave Kroupa relocated to Omaha, Nebraska, to be close to the two young children he shared with his ex-wife, Amy, he embraced the bachelor lifestyle he was unexpectedly thrust into as a thirty-something singleton. Securing himself a new apartment and a new job, he also joined Plenty of Fish, in the hope not of finding love, but some good times and casual hook-ups. It didn’t take him long before he met a woman named Liz Golyar, who seemed to share his outlook, and they started seeing each other. Not long after, an attractive stranger, Cari Farver, walked into the garage he worked at, then, coincidentally, he noticed her profile on the dating site. They met up, had fun, and continued seeing each other. But one fateful night the two women came, momentarily, face to face with each other outside Dave’s apartment.

It is after this that Dave’s ordeal begins. Via a combination of interviews and dramatic re-enactments – starring present-day Dave as his younger self – the film examines the impact the years-long campaign of stalking has on Dave’s life. While first it begins with constant, and alarmingly belligerent, text messages, soon it is apparent that the stalker is following Dave’s – and his family’s – every physical move. The paranoia and the fear that incurs infects every part of his life, to the point he has to move and stay away from his kids, in the hope it would draw attention away from them. Meanwhile, Liz was the recipient of the same threatening texts as Dave, and Cari has disappeared entirely.

Cari’s disappearance was apparently not investigated in any meaningful way – and the Omaha police department was apparently equally unconcerned about finding the stalking culprit, despite numerous threats to Dave and his family. Despite a private investigator also looking into the case, it seems that Dave’s relocation had the benefit of introducing him to some law enforcement who would initiate action. The heroes of the hour here are those police, including one computer expert, who not only took the case seriously, but had the expertise to track down the IP address the texts and emails were coming from. Around halfway through the film, the mystery is uncovered – though seasoned true crime viewers will doubtless have had their suspicions from much earlier.

And this is the film’s main weakness. Relying on a “twist” in such a traumatic experience manages to sensationalise an already sensational story. But it does, too, mean that certain facts are concealed from the viewer in order for the structure to work, ultimately leaving us with more questions than answers. Perhaps points could have been raised about how unseriously law enforcement take the crime of stalking – or the way in which a person’s mental health problems can affect attitudes if they go missing. Neither is there any real insight into the stalker’s frame of mind, background or potential motives. Instead, the viewer is left to come to their own conclusions. But Lover, Stalker, Killer is – as the title suggests – more of a spectacle than a teaching moment. While it makes for propulsive viewing, it is let down by a surfeit of superficiality.

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