"It's far too long."

"It's split into chapters."

"It's an ESPN Doc."

These are the common refrains you hear when discussing O.J.: Made in America whether it be amongst friends or online. These responses are pure folly. For the length, just look at Shoah, the masterful 9.5 hour long Holocaust documentary from 1985 by Claude Lanzmann. It's rightfully considered a classic in the medium, showcasing an important topic without shying away from any detail, big or small. Made in America, is a nearly 8 hour documentary that not only studies the much talked about 'Trial of the Century' but the scope of race relations in Los Angeles and America as a whole. It's a heady topic, but one that director Ezra Edelman (Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals) handles with a deft hand and skill that's hard to imagine. The tale he weaves here, using new interviews, archive footage, and court proceedings, is truly astounding. O.J.:Made in America is not only the best documentary of 2016, it's one of the best films overall.

For a modern documentary of its length, it only makes sense that Edelman and ESPN Films would split Made in America into five chapters. This is the age we live in. The age of Netflix Binges and Hulu Marathons. Viewers feel a sense of achievement when they finish a season of a television series, and the personal accomplishment of watching the entirety of O.J.: Made in America in one sitting (something I've done twice thus far) is an even in and of itself. Detractors will say that this should disqualify the film from any consideration but seeing as how Made in America received a theatrical release is enough to snuff out that petty fire.