When filmmaker Warren Pereira set out to make a documentary about tigers, he had no idea the beautiful creatures he filmed in India’s Ranthambore Tiger Reserve would ignite controversy. In the captivating and thrilling new film Tiger 24, Pereira captures some of the most magnificent footage of Bengal tigers in the wild, while also chronicling an ongoing animal-rights debate that plays out much like a true crime saga.

It is not unheard of for a documentary filmmaker to set out with one story in mind, only to watch that story rapidly develop into something entirely different. Such is the case here for Pereira, whose initial idea was to document India’s efforts in tiger conservation within the big cat park Ranthambore in Northern India. Captivated by one of the reserve’s biggest cats, known as Ustad—aka Tiger 24, the director took a great interest in the delicate balance between the massive male tiger and the people who lived on the fringes of his territory.

It is clear that Ustad barely tolerates the intrusions of humans near his forest haunts, and over the course of Pereira’s near decade of filming, the great cat was blamed for the deaths of four humans within the park over five years. The last of these four deaths, the killing of forest ranger Rampal Saini in 2015, leads to Ustad’s removal from Ranthambore and his subsequent incarceration in a cramped zoo. His capture ignited a firestorm of controversy on both sides of the fence—from those who say the man-eating tiger cannot be allowed to roam free and from those who advocate that the wild animal is merely reacting naturally to the encroachment of humans into his territory.

It is with this controversy that Pereira’s immersive nature documentary takes a sharp turn. He is there to bear witness to the dramatic events and accusations that unfold and in his final product, he presents them all with the same urgency as a Dateline episode. The filmmaker, who becomes an on-camera figure in the story, speaks with those directly involved in the crime as it unfolds in real-time before him. This includes retracing the steps of the attacks and showing—with warnings in place—the real aftermath of the brutal tiger attack in an unflinching and unsentimental depiction of the facts. The film is certainly not for the faint of heart as it shows some truly graphic depictions of violence and its blood-soaked aftermath.

Ustad is a 600lb Bengal with a family, which includes his “pretty hot” mate, Noor, and their son, Sultan. The activists and those who knew him prior to the killings paint the tiger as a good provider in statements that echo the way a neighbour might remember the serial killer next door as “such a nice, quiet boy”. Ustad had proven tolerant as a father too, enjoying mischief and playtime with his young offspring, and loved afternoon naps. It is easy to see why Pereira was entranced by him.

Despite Pereira’s clear affection for Ustad, Tiger 24 sets out to present both sides of the attacks and the events that followed, including those who advocate for a case of mistaken identity, asserting that it wasn’t Ustad but another tiger who attacked the forest rangers. Raising credible doubt on Ustad’s guilt, the tiger becomes a victim of the “justice system”, which in this case is an understaffed government that certainly doesn’t have the power or time to do a forensic investigation into a wild animal attack. Igniting a political, legal, and environmental firestorm, Pereira has a front-row seat to the emotionally-charged proceedings as the case makes its way to India’s Supreme Court.

Drawing the strongest of true crime comparisons, Ustad’s advocates liken the killing of Saini to a “hit and run” by a big cat caught by surprise while frightened villagers describe him as a menace, guilty of a “premeditated” stalking attack. The most powerful victim impact statements are those that come from one of the victim’s families who, despite their grief, recognize the impact humans have had as they encroach on the tiger’s rightful, natural home.

While Ustad’s story is highly engrossing, there is much too to be said about the stunning footage Pereira has captured of the wild tigers as a whole. His respect for not just the ferocious felines but their territory is integral to Tiger 24‘s success as a documentary. With incredible wide shots of the big cats in their natural habitat, Ranthambore becomes a character in the story, as does the concept of “space” as an overarching theme. Who is entitled to this wild space? What of the space occupied by humans? And ultimately, what of the zoo enclosure the magnificently wild Ustad is relegated to?

By asking open-ended questions and framing the events in a true crime narrative, Tiger 24 ends up being far more successful than Pereira’s original big cat documentary idea may ever have been. It pits the viewer squarely within the narrative of the story and asks complicated questions of not just who is responsible, but how one should be expected to act when facing extinction. With incredible storytelling and memorable visuals, Tiger 24 is not just one of the best nature documentaries of 2022, but one of the best criminal investigation docs of the year too.

Tiger 24 releases digitally in Canada and the US on December 6.