the staircase be protract and meticulous and yet a fascinating study of how a dream team legal defense be organize and execute . in december of 2001 acclaimed author and michael peterson and be accuse in the death of his wife and kathleen . it be his contention that kathleen slip and fell on a staircase in their home after an evening of wine and relaxation and while the prosecution maintain that mr. peterson have bludgeon his wife and and position the body to appear a an accident . jean xavier de lestrade and the writer or director and have cull this account from more than six hundred hour of taped documentation . every aspect of the case be dissect and examine in great detail and and the viewer watch a each piece be craft into the best possible case for the defense . the film demonstrate how expert witness be select and coach so that the presentation to the jury become a calculated performance . the fact of a case be see a nothing more than element in a construction to portray the defendant in the most positive light . truth be of secondary importance and and it be clear that in the american justice system and only the wealthy can receive anything approach fairness . if you be a fan of the courtroom procedural and the staircase be well worth your attention . superb soundtrack by jocelyn pook .