In 1964, 28-year-old Kitty Genovese was killed on a street in Queens, New York City, in the middle of the night. Although apartment dwellers close by heard her screams for help, none of 38 witnesses tried to help her or to call the police.

This tragic murder has been used by cultural commentators, newspaper editorial writers, and folk singers to condemn urban apathy and the fears which hinder people's compassion. Everyone from Harlan Ellison to Malcolm Gladwell to singer/songwriter Phil Ochs has used this murder to criticize the unwillingness of city dwellers to get involved or to help those in dire need. The film Experimenter dramatized how individuals were willing to deny basic standards of decency and caring behavior when they themselves were placed in a position of jeopardy.

This highly ethical documentary directed by James Solomon revolves around Genovese's younger brother Bill who in 2004 begins a quest for the truth about what really happened in the stabbing death of his sister. He conducts this investigation from a wheelchair since he had both of his legs amputated during the Vietnam War. With the tenacity of a bull, he revisits the scene of the crime and tries to interview some of the 38 "witnesses" who ignored Kitty's cries. Most did not really see the crime but some could have intervened to help her. Contrary to reports that she died alone, Bill speaks with a friend who held her in her arms as she died.

Genovese's death was a front-page story in The New York Times and Bill talks with Abe Rosenthal, the Times editor whose interpretation of the event sensationalized it. A later interview with the killer's son, who is now a minister, has an edgy humanity to it as does Bill's taped conversation with Kitty's lover. Although he claims to have been very close to his sister, he never knew about her same-sex relationship.

James Solomon does an effective and thought-provoking job capturing and conveying Bill Genovese's quest to learn more about the death of his beloved sister. It is painful to witness one of his brothers condemn his "obsession" with Kitty and her murder nearly 50 years ago. It is never easy to discover "the truth" about incidents in the past given the vagaries of memory, the exigencies of emotional warps, and the errors and inadequacies of historical documents.