WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles De Menezes.
The mother of Brazilian electrician, Jean Charles De Menezes, who was killed two decades ago, has openly talked about the Disney+ drama that explores the events before and after her son’s death.
On July 7, 2005, Jihadi suicide bombings killing 52 people in London , with another round of bombings thwarted just weeks later.
In a frantic attempt to catch the culprits, police tragically misidentified Jean Charles De Menezes and shot him dead at Stockwell tube station.
The Disney+ series, Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles De Menezes, examines not just the events preceding the failed attacks but also the death of Menezes and how the police mishap was subsequently handled.
As the true-to-life tale is set to premiere, Maria De Menezes, Jean’s grieving mother, expressed her thoughts on the emotionally charged show which graphically depicts her son’s fatal shooting.
At the Suspect screening, Maria stated: “In my opinion, I think everyone should watch it.”
Reflecting upon the shattering moment she learned of her son’s demise all those years ago, she conveyed: “I was not expecting that moment. It was terrible and then I started to shake. I sort of died then too.”
Writer and executive director Jeff Pope commented: “I genuinely believe from being in the room that day with her, they’ve been waiting 20 years for this. I honestly think that. It’s just eaten away at them.”
He further expressed his belief that “lessons have already been learned” but stressed the necessity of such realisations back in 2005.
“His [Menezes’] family needed that 20 years ago. There’s such an appetite for audiences in the UK for this type of piece.”
Pope also reflected on the British audience’s temperament, saying, “I just think we like to get angry. We don’t like being told something that we know or sense doesn’t seem right.”
Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles De Menezes premieres on Wednesday, April 30, on Disney+.
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