“Ctrl+Alt+Desire,” a three-part docuseries about Grant Amato, a 29-year-old man accused of murdering his own family execution style, will debut April 16 on Paramount+.
Amato was found guilty of first-degree premeditated murder in 2019 for the killings of his mother, father, and brother at their Florida home.
Veteran docu D.P. Colin Archdeacon, who is making his directorial debut on “Ctrl+Alt+Desire,” exposes a tale of a digital addiction, loneliness and a distorted reality leading to obsession, deceit, and, eventually, murder.
Archdeacon filmed the series for four years, chronicling how Amato descended into chaos after discovering live-stream cam models who perform erotic acts online in exchange for money. After coming across the online cam-model world, Amato immediately fell in love with Silvie, a Bulgarian cam-woman. In a desperate bid to hold Silvie’s attention, Amato reinvented himself online, crafting a confident, big spender alter ego by stealing $200,000 from his family in the months leading up to the murders.
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“I chose this story because I wanted to make a project that explores the way technology and loneliness are reshaping society,” says Archdeacon. “As we all spend more time online and less time in the physical presence of other people, a new culture is being born that I’m not sure any of us quite understand yet. ‘Ctrl+Alt+Desire’ is my attempt to bring these issues out into the open for audiences to examine them.
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The series, executive produced by former CBS News president Susan Zirinsky, incorporates prison phone calls with Amato recorded from a contraband cell phone and clues scattered across Florida, Eastern Europe, and the deep web to reveal a complex story, which ultimately led Amato to federal prison.
“What fascinated me about Grant’s case is that he reached a point-of-no-return, where his digital identity became more fulfilling — more real — than his actual life,” says Archdeacon. “What I hope audiences take away from ‘Ctrl+Alt+Desire’ is a sense of the dangers posed by over-investing in the digital world. Of course, Grant’s case is a terrifyingly extreme example of this, but I think his story nonetheless has lessons for everyone struggling to navigate our modern hyperconnected reality.”
For Zirinsky, president of See It Now Studios, “what is so striking about this series is watching a young man’s decent into madness. Colin’s understanding of how Grant Amato fell victim to this online addiction and false love of someone who was merely doing a job was I believe what forged a trust between them.”
Here is an exclusive trailer for the docuseries.