Under the Bridge on Hulu tells the story of Reena Virk’s murder and follows a police officer Cam Bentland who investigates this murder. The first episode of this series has been directed by Geeta S Patel and it stars Lily Gladstone who delivers another amazing performance after Killers of the Flower Moon. Under the Bridge is based on a novel by the same name authored by Rebecca Godfrey, who is also a character in the series played by Riley Keough. The series is streaming on Hulu and has generated quite the excitement since the trailer of the series came out. A question that is constantly in the viewer’s mind is the authenticity of Lily Gladstone’s character Cam Bentland. Let us see if the character is based on a real-life police officer.
Cam Bentland Police Officer Real Story
Cam Bentland is not a real police officer, instead, she is a fictionalized character created to show the workings and shortcomings of the Vancouver police force. Reena Virk’s murder became a talking point in the late 90s and early 2000s with multiple subliminal undertones associated with the murder. What was also talked about was the systemic issues that were evident while the investigation for this murder took place. Cam Bentland is a representative of those issues.
Six teenagers murdered Reena Virk, a troubled teenager on 14th November 1997 after being invited to a party near Craigflower Bridge. Virk was born to Indo-Canadian parents who converted to Jehovah’s Witness religion from Hinduism. Her weight and insecurities led her to smoke marijuana at an early age. She also had a strained relationship with her family and felt restricted due to their faith and beliefs. She even left her home and reported her father for sexual harassment but later dropped the charges and came back to stay with her parents.
The series explores her life before the murder took place and attempts to deep dive into the motives of the killers. Cam Bentland uncovers her life as the series progresses and simultaneously goes on her inner journey as she battles issues in the police force and racial bias.
Reena: A Father’s Story was a book by Manjit Virk (Reena’s father). The book was heavily critical of the British Columbia justice system. When she was murdered, Reena was under the voluntary care of the Ministry of Children and Family Department, in his book he claims that no responsibility was taken by the ministry and no apology was ever given.
The workings of the police department are complex and involve multiple people. For the makers of the series, it would have been impossible to give appropriate screen time to every single person involved with the case, so Cam Bentland works as a character who is relatable for the audiences and can also be a representative for everyone who worked on the case. Lily Gladstone appears to be the perfect choice for the character. Let us know in your comments if you think she was the right choice too.
Also Read: Under the Bridge Filming Locations