Amazon Prime’s ‘Lorena’ Recontextualizes the Infamous Bobbit Story
Lorena Bobbitt.
In 1993, her name became a headline and punchline after she attacked then-husband John Wayne Bobbitt with a knife, cutting off his, um, manhood. (She tossed it out her car window, but it was found and surgically reattached.)
The ex-couple’s history, plus the media frenzy and trials — Lorena claimed she snapped after years of abuse — are reexamined in this four-part documentary directed by Joshua Rofé and executive produced by Oscar winner Jordan Peele (Get Out).
“We uncovered things never previously reported and found people no one would think to look for to recontextualize Lorena’s story,” teases Rofé, who interviewed lawyers, neighbors, police and even the Bobbitts themselves.
The docuseries also doubles as a critique of how media outlets cover scandals. “What is it about these stories that we’re so quick to jump on?” Rofé asks. “And why do we dismiss things that beg further investigation?”
Lorena, Docuseries Premiere, Friday, Feb. 15, Amazon Prime Video