THURSDAY AUGUST 14
NCR: Not Criminally Responsible (CBC, 9 p.m.)
The most talked-about entry at the 2013 Hot Docs festival, this film from Emmy-winning Canadian documentarian John Kastner has the power to haunt the viewer for days. In unflinching fashion, the documentary relates the true story of Sean Clifton, a young man who in 1999 attempted to stab a woman to death at a crowded mall in Cornwall, Ont., while in the grip of psychosis. Twelve years later, his victim, Julie Bouvier, who somehow survived, is shocked to discover that Sean is back in the community and living under supervision – and if he succeeds in getting an absolute discharge, he’s no longer required to take the anti-psychotics numbing his mental illness. All viewpoints are considered as Kastner talks to the patient, the victim and everyone else involved.