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An American Crime
2007 97 min United States of America R 18+
★6.8
Crime, Drama, Horror
Director: Tommy O'Haver
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
The true story of suburban housewife Gertrude Baniszewski, who kept a teenage girl locked in the basement of her Indiana home during the 1960s.
Budget:
$2M
Starring
Elliot Page
Actor
Hayley McFarland
Actor
Nick Searcy
Actor
Awards
Emmy Awards 2008
— Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Golden Globe 2009
— Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Key opinion
An American Crime is widely recognized as a harrowing and deeply disturbing dramatization of a real-life murder case. While the performances by Catherine Keener and Ellen Page receive near-universal acclaim for their emotional weight, critics remain divided on whether the film’s approach to the narrative provides necessary psychological insight or remains frustratingly superficial.
| Acting | Catherine Keener and Ellen Page deliver powerful, authentic performances that ground the film's horrific subject matter. | |
| Emotion | The film succeeds in creating a lasting, distressing emotional impact by forcing viewers to confront the reality of bystander indifference. | |
| Direction | The direction avoids gratuitous gore, opting instead for a grounded portrayal of evil that emphasizes the ordinariness of the perpetrators. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is viewed by some as a subtle exploration of human cruelty, while others find it lacking in biographical depth regarding the victims' backgrounds. |