Documentaries have a situation that is very unique in film. Since they are portrayals of real life, they provide a look into someone's private life. The audience gets to see all the personal, and often messy, details of what the person is experiencing. The filmmakers will often implant themselves into their subject's life, following them around with a camera to document their every move. But once the documentary is over, the subject is often forgotten. What happens to them after the cameras stop rolling is often left a mystery. This wasn't the case though with the quarantine-fueled phenomena of "The Tiger King."

"The Tiger King" has something that can be seen as quite unique for documentaries. After becoming one of the biggest shows in the entire world, Netflix decided to add an extra episode that looked at the effects the show had on its subjects. Many of the key characters were interviewed over video call to get their thoughts on what has happened since the show aired, and how they were portrayed. Not all of it was good. In fact, some of it was pretty bad.

Jeff Lowe and his wife Lauren, the couple who took over Joe Exotic's zoo right before he was arrested, down right hated their portrayal in the show. One of the first things Jeff says is that the directors "tried to sensationalize the story a little bit to give it a villain." He feels that his role in the show was exaggerated to make him seem like one of the main bad guys. He goes on to say that most of the people he works with only come to him for help, and then stab him in the back whenever they can't use him anymore.

This was a sentiment that was shared by none other than Carol Baskin herself. In an article by the Tampa Bay Times, Baskin says she "fears leaving home because of the death threats that flooded in after the series aired." She goes on to say that she initially only agreed to be a part of the project because she believed the filmmakers were trying to expose the injustice that big cats were facing. Instead, the series focused on her rivalry with Joe Exotic and how she was accused of killing her second husband. The resulting backlash against her has only caused problems for her and her current husband, Howard Baskin. People have filmed her driving while cursing at her, and some have even flown drones over her home.

This is a perfect example of what can happen with a documentary, although this is a bit on the extreme side. Lots of people forget that although documentaries are meant to be truthful accounts of real life, they're still movies. A documentary is supposed to be entertainment that is educational, but it's still entertainment. Despite having honorable intentions, movies are still going to go for the sensational story that's going to pull in the biggest audience. That's just good TV, after all.

Then there's the factor of editing. It's true that a documentary subject can say whatever they want to the filmmakers, but these filmmakers will eventually edit all of the footage they have. This means that you are seeing the story the filmmaker wants you to see. Most documentarians will obviously try to adhere to the story as closely as possible, but they're not required to. The New York Film Academy states in an article that some filmmakers "admit to rearranging facts and sequences of events in order to tell a more effective story." If a filmmaker feels that changing the details around tells the story in a more truthful manner, they are free to do so. This may seem counterintuitive, but it can sometimes be an effective way to tell a story. At other times, it can enrage the subjects and make them feel cheated out of the truth.

"The Tiger King" is a perfect way to shine light on this subject. Many people might not be aware of it, and just assume that whatever they're watching is the truth. But there's a complicated relationship playing out in the background between fact and fiction. Most documentaries try to tell a story in the most truthful way possible, but often venture into a factual grey area. This leads the key characters of the documentary to either be flattered by their portrayal, or downright hateful of it. Either way, the adventures of Joe Exotic will forever live on in infamy.