Was I Really Kidnapped? (2019 Lifetime)
Cast: Michelle Mylett, Jacob Blair, and Anna Hardwick
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
Inspired by a true story. After suffering torment and abuse at the hands of her abductor, Elle (Michelle Mylett) is suddenly released on the side of the road with no explanation. Her boyfriend Billy (Jacob Blair) and sister Jen (Anna Hardwick) rush to her aid after she’s found, but the reunion is derailed by detectives who start to find discrepancies within each retelling of the events leading up to Elle’s capture. As they hear more of the story, suspicion leads them to believe that Elle might not be telling the truth, and she must work hard to clear her name and identify her attacker.
Thoughts
The movie starts at a snow-covered gas station, and I have to remind myself that this is not a Christmas movie. A woman is stumbling around, screaming for help. She bangs on car windows and frightens people trying just to get gas.
The woman’s name is Elle, and she has been missing for three days. At the hospital, her Boyfriend (Billy) and sister (Jen) are frantically trying to figure out what happened. They cooperate with the police, and they are subjected to multiple rounds of questioning. Elle has no memory of what happened to her, but the cops press, and we get scenes of the past.
Elle recalls that the morning she was abducted was also the morning that Billy proposed to him, and she turned him down. They have only been dating a year, and he gets agitated. I mean, he DID make her breakfast in bed. (So what if it is the plastic food at open house showings!) Billy goes to work and talks to his co-worker, Ryan. (He is new to the newspaper and living under Billy’s shadow.)
Elle skips breakfast in bed and goes to breakfast with her sister. Her sister recommends that she see her therapist and learns that Elle hasn’t been going for the last six months. She is concerned, but not too much. After brunch, Elle goes to pick up a prescription and is being followed by someone in a white van. Then she makes dinner for Billy, and he doesn’t show up because he has to work late on a story. (This is a pretty full day!)
The kidnapping finally happens. As Elle is brushing her teeth, someone is watching her. A masked figure stabs her in the neck with a syringe and takes her away in his van. She is held in a dark room, tied to a bed. The kidnapper wears a gas mask and knows her name. They sedate her again. (This is genuinely creepy as hell!) The police think that it could be a stalker who follows her on her blog. (OMG, I have a blog. Please don’t kidnap me!)
When Billy arrives home, he sees the table set for two and her engagement ring on the counter. Her car and phone are still in the house. Billy calls Jen to let her know Elle is missing. He drives around the block, looking for her, as he reports it to the police. They catch him in a lie at work, and now Billy isn’t looking so innocent.
Jen, the sister, is now interrogated and recalls her memories of the kidnapping. She goes to see Billy the next morning and makes him go with her to the police to report her missing. Then she remembers a time when Elle tried to set her up with Billy’s co-worker Ryan. It didn’t work out because Jen thought Ryan was a little dull and too safe. (Which means that he is probably the kidnapper.)
Elle consents to let the police question her therapist. We learn that she has a personality disorder due to childhood trauma.
Ryan is called in for questioning and recalls the same dinner Jen does, and it is slightly different. Billy is a total jerk in his recollection, which isn’t helping him avoid being a person of interest.
Elle, Billy, and Jen all realize that the police are suspicious of Billy. This leads to doubts in Elle’s mind and causes her to suffer from PTSD and have nightmares. She is back in therapy (against Billy’s wishes), and the therapist suggests trying hypnotherapy. He also recommends she stay away from Billy and writes her a new prescription for her anxiety.
Billy gets fired from his job because Ryan raises claims of plagiarism. The case is closed, and now he has time on his hands. Billy and Elle do their own investigating. They learn that the therapist has charges of sexual misconduct in his past. (He molested a patient while she was under hypnosis. Which would get your license taken away.) Elle had a nightmare, and in her dream, Billy was the kidnapper. Billy wakes her from the dream and gets her pills. He researches the medications and learns that a side effect is night terrors.
The next day, Billy goes to the therapist’s office and searches through his laptop and office drawers. He finds a file on Elle that looks very stalker-like, with polaroids of Elle’s body in them. The therapist catches Billy and tries to run with the file. Billy tackles him and calls the police. It seems as if the ordeal is over, and the therapist did it. (He has an alibi and is not the kidnapper, but is arrested for taking advantage of a client.)
Elle remembers a cross street from when she was kidnapped and goes to the address. It is the kidnapper’s address, and the kidnapper is Ryan. (Like I said!) He is jealous of Billy and won’t let the privileged people get everything. He says he did it because she doesn’t love Billy and she loves him. Elle tries to reason with him, but he ties her up downstairs again.
Billy arrives on the scene and finds Elle’s car. Billy rings the doorbell of the house and is surprised to see Ryan. Elle kicks and screams downstairs, and Billy forces his way inside. Ryan beats him down; they struggle, and Ryan is about to finish him off when Elle breaks free and syringes him with his own medicine.
The police arrive on the scene. The cops apologize for failing at their jobs and for calling Elle a liar.
Elle makes breakfast for Billy and proposes to him. It is cute. I’m happy with this ending for this predictable movie!
Side Note
Based on a true story???
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Overall rating: Put a Cork in It
None (0 Knives)
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*Photo Credit: © 2019 Lifetime
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3 knives?? But no one even died…
Thanks! I died while watching probs