Netflix’s #1 Movie Is a True-Crime Doc That Has Audiences Arguing Over What’s True

Once rescued, Nathan shared a dramatic survival story and expressed shock over his mother’s disappearance but investigators and family members quickly flagged inconsistencies.

They questioned skipped safety steps, his choice to go unusually far offshore and his sometimes detached demeanor during interviews. Nathan, who was diagnosed with autism as a child, often gave fragmented or overly calculated responses that only fueled doubts.

And then there was the family’s complicated past: three years earlier, Linda’s father, millionaire developer John Chakalos, had been murdered in his bed and Nathan was the last known person to see him alive.

The Carman Family Deaths unpacks how what began as a mysterious disappearance at sea spiraled into a sweeping, years-long investigation.

If it sounds like a wild ride, that’s because it is. And while the documentary does deliver a concrete ending to the case (don’t worry, no spoilers here), viewers still can’t agree on whether or not Nathan was actually the killer.

“The Carman Family Deaths is a terrifying but ultimately heartbreaking watch that makes us question the truth,” one critic wrote on Rotten Tomatoes.