I saw this movie in the 80s and was intrigued/shocked by it.

these comments could be a spoiler in the sense that the real events are discussed, however the movie deviates quite a bit from reality - you'll have to watch to compare - eerily close until the outcome.

Assuming the events are based on the Steven Truscott/Lynne Harper case of 1959: the events are now more loose - Truscott was acquitted of the crime after 48 years (Aug 28, 2007). *His legal time-line: He was sentenced to hang in Dec 1959, reprieved to Feb 1960 and then commuted to a life sentence in Jan 1960. His appeal was dismissed by the Supreme Court of Canada in 1967 but he was paroled in 1969. Incarcerated for 10 years and then lived with the stigmatism for another 38. New evidence was brought to light in 2000 which led to the acquittal 7 years later.*

The gap between truth and fiction in this one has widened, although the premise may still be accurate - the individual who actually committed the crime is/has been at large and could be another classmate or someone in the same age group as Truscott. Tragic is the loss of time/damage to his life - even more tragic is that the disintegration of closure for the victim's family.

The acting/cinematography of this may give it the profile of a made for TV film, but it was a good film nonetheless, and may see some play in light of the recent news. Worth a look for a dramatic recount of those events - one of Canada's most *"controversial legal dramas."*

*Phrase and time-line above borrowed from Jane Sims - Sun Media