When I first read about the death of 16-year-old Sylvia Likens, I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. The acts committed against her just seem too awful to contemplate; too horrifying to be real. I also couldn't understand why I had never heard of her before- a young girl that had endured so much suffering should have been the poster-child for child abuse all over the world, and yet sadly to this day many people are unfamiliar with her name and story. Hopefully this film will change that.
I will not pretend that this film is a completely accurate re-telling of Sylvia's story, and there are one or two moments in the film where I thought the director took his poetic license a little too far. However, it is a brilliantly acted interpretation of the events that took place that is likely to haunt you for a long time after viewing.
Sylvia (an effortlessly convincing Ellen Page) and her younger sister, Jenny, are sent to live with single mother of seven, Gertrude Benizewski (a fantastically chilling Catherine Keener)while their parents work the carnival circuit. For $20 a week, Gertrude promises to take care of the girls- But sadly rather than sticking to this promise, she does the unthinkable when her unstable mind finally snaps and she confines Sylvia to the basement for reasons best known to herself.
If you are familiar with the story, 'An American Crime'could be seen as offering a watered-down version of the events that took place in the Benizewski household. If you are unfamiliar with the story, then this film will no doubt urge you to find out more about this astonishing case.
This film will stay with you for a long time- and so will Sylvia.
I will not pretend that this film is a completely accurate re-telling of Sylvia's story, and there are one or two moments in the film where I thought the director took his poetic license a little too far. However, it is a brilliantly acted interpretation of the events that took place that is likely to haunt you for a long time after viewing.
Sylvia (an effortlessly convincing Ellen Page) and her younger sister, Jenny, are sent to live with single mother of seven, Gertrude Benizewski (a fantastically chilling Catherine Keener)while their parents work the carnival circuit. For $20 a week, Gertrude promises to take care of the girls- But sadly rather than sticking to this promise, she does the unthinkable when her unstable mind finally snaps and she confines Sylvia to the basement for reasons best known to herself.
If you are familiar with the story, 'An American Crime'could be seen as offering a watered-down version of the events that took place in the Benizewski household. If you are unfamiliar with the story, then this film will no doubt urge you to find out more about this astonishing case.
This film will stay with you for a long time- and so will Sylvia.