The Truth About Jim: The Monster in the Closet

On 15 February Max aired The Truth About Jim it is, in a very real sense, about the monster in the closet. Said monster is not the thing many children fear when they are small and full of imagination. This monster was one of grownup manufacture one that haunted the survivors of his abuse; sexual and physical.

Hard watch

This one is hard to watch. Episode one has the survivors reliving their sexual abuse at the hands of a serial predator; Jim Mordecai. Sierra Barter starts looking into the past. She starts with her mother and then moves on to her grandmother. Each step taken brings her closer to a difficult and horrible truth. Her step-grandfather Jim Mordecai was a monster.

The viewer will find this experience upsetting. Mordecai was indeed a monster. He had pursued not just his step-children, but those innocents under his charge as an educator. Jim was a teacher and the head of FFA (Future Farmers of America). This deviant was in the perfect setting to take advantage of those unwilling victims.

The Family

Step grandchild Sierra talks to her family about their experiences. Her mother Shannon and her grandmother Judy both have stories about living with Jim the monster. As Sierra increases her search, she learns of eight cold case murders in Santa Rosa California.

All of Sierra’s step family help her with more anecdotes about Mordecai as father and husband. As mentioned before, this is a hard one to watch. The amount of stress, fear and anxiety must have been staggering. Yet, each of Jim’s wives stayed with him until it could no longer be tolerated.

The Investigation

Barton as investigator threw her loop wide in the search of Mordecai’s victims and potential victims (Cold Cases.). At one point she opines that he could have been the Zodiac killer. This is, perhaps, the only misstep in the documentary. Sierra’s left step out of the logical, comes close to paranoia and fantasy. No real analysis is shown to back up her musings. It could easily been left out of the documentary. Her idea here takes away from the personal abuse suffered by the victims of a familial monster.

The murders of eight young teen girls in Santa Rosa is a credible leap. Firstly, the team provide a staggering amount of circumstantial evidence. This is based on geographical facts and testimony of her extended family. Sierra continues to tie her step grandfather into the deaths of these youngsters in Santa Rosa.

The Conclusion

Skye Borgman as director applies the right amount of supposition to this true crime tale. Broken into four episodes; The Truth about Jim skirts the issue of believability with a skilful touch. One that an award winning documentary director can achieve almost effortlessly. The personal touch here is imperative to the story.

It works.

Sadly, the only real “proven” truth about Jim Mordecai is that he was a monster. One who ruined so many lives in his own family. This was the stepfather who abused his newly acquired children with abandon. The times, early ’70s, allowed this to happen. This was before the internet where the world has a chance to see into our lives with probing eyes.

The four episode journey with Sierra leaves the viewer dangling. There is no real conclusion. Police have said that the investigation about Mordecai’s possible involvement with the murders in Santa Rosa is “ongoing.”

Regardless of the possible connection with these cold cases, Sierra’s brave sojourn into this world of teen sexual abuse is commendable. She manages to piece together many clues.

At the end of it all, though, while Jim Mordecai was not the monster in the closet of our youth he was something much, much worse. The Truth About Jim is streaming on Max.