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Girl in the Basement
2021 88 min United States of America PG-13 12+
★6.5
Thriller, Crime, TV Movie
Director: Elisabeth Röhm
Trailers
Description
Sara is a teen girl who is looking forward to her 18th birthday to move away from her controlling father Don. But before she could even blow out the candles, Don imprisons her in the basement of their home.
Starring
Judd Nelson
Actor
Stefanie Scott
Actor
Joely Fisher
Actor
Awards
1 nomination total
Key opinion
Girl in the Basement is a polarizing dramatization of a harrowing true crime case. While some viewers find it an intense and visceral experience, others criticize its aesthetic polish and lack of authentic emotional depth.
| The film succeeds as a disturbing and visceral experience that effectively provokes feelings of anger and hopelessness in the audience. | ||
| Production | The production design fails to maintain realism, as the protagonist's pristine physical appearance remains inconsistent with the squalor of her twenty-four-year imprisonment. | |
| Pacing | The narrative structure effectively condenses decades of events into a concise runtime, keeping the viewer engaged despite chronological jumps. | |
| Ending | Opinions are divided on the film's tone and resolution; some view the ending as a saccharine, ill-fitting conclusion to a tragic story, while others appreciate the brutal, nightmarish execution of the thriller format. |