IntroAn American Crime is a 2007 American crime-drama film, directed by Tommy O'Haver and starring Catherine Keener and Ellen Page. The movie, based on a true story, lays out the horrifying physical and psychological abuse inflicted on 16-year-old Sylvia Likens by Gertrude Baniszewski, a community lady whom Sylvia's moms and dads had paid to look after her.
Plot OverviewThe film strangely unfolds in the 1960s, Indianapolis, when the Likens household face monetary difficulties and decide to leave their two children, Sylvia (Ellen Page) and Jenny (Hayley McFarland), under the care of a regional woman, Gertrude Baniszewski (Catherine Keener). Initially, Gertrude appears like a supportive figure; a single mom struggling to look after her big family. Nevertheless, things deviate for the worse when the Likens' payment falls behind, setting off Gertrude's dark side.
Descent into CrueltyGertrude begins to focus her disappointment and anger towards Sylvia, implicating her of spreading lies about her daughter, Paula. As punishment, she starts subjecting Sylvia to physical torment and mental abuse. She likewise involuntarily includes her own kids and other community kids in Sylvia's tormenting. The range of abuse inflicted upon Sylvia is shown discreetly in the film, keeping the audiences in a continuous state of worry.
ClimaxThe brutal abuse continues till it reaches a horrible climax where Sylvia is tied up in the basement, starved, beaten, and branded with a curling iron by Gertrude and her accomplices. In a painful sequence, the film shows Sylvia's desperate efforts to make it through, her relationship with her sister Jenny, and their useless efforts to get away or report the abuse.
Resolution and AftermathThe ruthlessness finally ends when Sylvia succumbs to her injuries. When Gertrude tries to conceal Sylvia's death by fabricating a narrative involving runaways and gangsters, the more youthful Likens girl, Jenny, bravely exposes the reality to the cops. The film concludes with Gertrude and her kids being jailed for their horrifying criminal activities.
Performances and CritiqueCatherine Keener extremely brings to life the cooling character of Gertrude, bouncing in between minutes of appearing normalcy to circumstances of savage ruthlessness. Ellen Page delivers a heart-wrenching efficiency as Sylvia, catching the suffering, innocence, and fear as she ends up being the target of Gertrude's indescribable wrath.
Although An American Crime is a shocking, poignant photo that successfully represents a monstrous criminal activity, it teeters on the edge of exploitativeness due to its graphic representation of child maltreatment and can make for an unpleasant watch. Nevertheless, it is nonetheless a haunting tip of a dreadful, real-life criminal activity.
ConclusionAn American Crime is a movie that offers a brutal depiction of a horrifying real-life occasion. The efficiencies are top-notch, and the narrative exists in a gritty, disturbing way. Although challenging to view, the movie works as an example of crime-drama filmmaking that clarifies the darker elements of human nature.
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