Documentary
United States of America
Tabloid is a 2010 documentary film directed by Errol Morris that tells the true story of Joyce McKinney, a former Miss Wyoming who became a tabloid sensation in the late 1970s after she was charged with abducting and imprisoning a young Mormon missionary named Kirk Anderson.
The film starts by introducing McKinney, who, at the age of 25, fell in love with Anderson while he was serving as a missionary in England. McKinney then traveled to England and allegedly kidnapped Anderson, taking him to a cottage in Devon where she kept him against his will for three days.
The story made headlines around the world, with McKinney being portrayed as both a seductress and a crazy woman. After being arrested and released on bail, McKinney jumped bail and fled back to the United States, where she eventually ended up in California, where she worked as a dog groomer and tried to maintain a low profile.
The story of McKinney and Anderson faded from the headlines, but Morris's film brings it back to the forefront, using interviews with McKinney, Anderson, and others involved in the story, as well as archive footage and reenactments, to piece together the events that led to McKinney's arrest and eventual flight from justice.
Throughout the film, Morris presents a complex and often contradictory portrait of McKinney, who is portrayed both as a victim and a perpetrator, a naive young woman in love and a manipulative criminal. Ultimately, Tabloid is a fascinating and disturbing look at the power of fame and the dark side of the tabloid media.
