A documentary on Netflix has got everyone talking, with claims that it is “one of the most unsettling” people have ever seen.

If you’re anything like me, then sitting down with a good documentary is the perfect way to unwind.

… Even if those documentaries are about horrific things that people have done.

Netflix has an abundance of documentaries. Credit: NurPhoto / Getty

If you’re on the lookout for a new documentary to sink your teeth into, then look no further.

Tell Them You Love Me is available on Netflix and is produced by the king of documentaries Louis Theroux.

Directed by Nick August-Perna, known for his work on The Swell Season, the film examines the controversial and polarizing case of Anna Stubblefield, a philosophy professor whose relationship with a non-verbal man with cerebral palsy led to a criminal conviction, per the New York Times.

In 2009, Anna Stubblefield, then 41, met Derrick Johnson, a 30-year-old non-verbal man with cerebral palsy.

Their introduction occurred through Derrick’s brother, John Johnson, who was a student in one of Stubblefield’s classes at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. Seeking guidance on how to support Derrick, John turned to his professor for help.

Stubblefield, whose parents were both Ph.D. holders in special education and had long careers working with people with disabilities, offered to assist Derrick with his communication skills.

This collaboration eventually led to Derrick attending classes at the university.

However, the relationship between Stubblefield and Derrick soon took a controversial turn. Stubblefield, who was married at the time, claims the two entered a consensual sexual relationship.

In stark contrast, Derrick’s mother, Daisy Johnson, insists her son was incapable of consent, both physically and emotionally. This conflict lies at the heart of the case and serves as the focus of the documentary.

In 2016, Anna Stubblefield was convicted of aggravated sexual assault and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

However, the following year, an appeals court overturned the conviction, citing issues with the trial, and ordered a retrial.

By 2018, Stubblefield pleaded guilty to third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact but continued to maintain in the documentary that she was “not guilty of a crime.”

Netflix describes Tell Them You Love Me as “scandalous,” stating that it explores “the controversial relationship between a professor and a nonverbal man that leads to a trial over race, disability, and power.”