My Daughter’s Double Life (2021 Lifetime)
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Cast: Jacob Young, René Ashton, Alivea Disney, Chad Bradford, Jacey Nichole
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
When Heather discovers her teenage daughter, Ally, is missing, she immediately goes to the police. The police find Ally’s belongings by a river and presume she has drowned. Determined to prove her daughter is alive, Heather begins going through Ally’s possessions and uncovers Ally’s odd friendship with a group of troubled teens at a nearby youth center led by a man named Bridger. Heather leans on her trusted friend and minister, Jack, during this ordeal. As Heather struggles to find anything about this mysterious youth center, she finally catches a glimpse of Ally. At first elated to have found her daughter, Heather soon learns her daughter seems to have joined a cult. Desperate to save Ally, Heather breaks into the youth center only to realize she might be the one who needs saving. Ren Ashton, Jacey Nichole, Jacob Young, Alivea Disney, Chad Bradford star. (2021)
Recap/Wine Thoughts
The movie starts with a man frantically throwing paper into a briefcase at a commune before being shot by someone he knows.
Cut to Heather and her daughter Ally. They argue that the internet is full of scammers. Heather’s new boyfriend, Jack, is also religious. (apparently, the man who was murdered at the beginning of the movie was the family’s patriarch.) Ally asks her mother to buy her a new dress for a party, and Heather gives her daughter money to go shopping! It is almost like a typical teen movie with religious undertones and terrible clothing.
Ally keeps a video diary that reveals more than I had anticipated. Jack is very controlling of Ally. He implemented curfew, removed the internet, and controls Heather.
Mariah, a friend of Ally’s, helps her make her escape from the controlling family. She takes her phone, drives to a town called Wellsby in a 60’s bus, and takes her to a cult lead by a man named Bridger. (Jacob Young with a sexy ass beard.) Bridger is quick to put his hands all over Ally, and she, like me, is OK with him massaging her shoulders. He tells her she is taking the first step to a new future.
Heather (René Ashton) freaks out when she realizes that Ally has run away. She tells Jack, who seems annoyed that Ally has run away. They call the police, who ask many questions, but can’t do much because Ally is an adult in college. The hot cop suggests they do their own investing. Thanks for nothing, hot cop. Jack tells Heather that she needs to move on.
Meanwhile, Alli and Mariah wear hideous outfits. (Who do cult people always have the worst fashion sense?) They also work on their journey, which includes letting go of their past attachments. Bridger asks Allie to write a letter to her mother like it was the last time. Allie writes in the LARGEST HANDWRITING I’VE EVER SEEN. (What is she making, a poster?) Alli breaks into Bridger’s office, and he catches her attempting to make a phone call. Bridger screams in her face, and I’m into it. Scream at me, Jacob Young!
Alli walks in a field with Mariah while talking about things she has always wanted to do, like kiss a boy and pierce her ears. (Alli has lived a sheltered life.) Then, by a lake, she throws a necklace her mother gave her. The girls go swimming, even though the sign says “No Swimming Allowed.” They are rebelling!!!
The police must find the necklace and the goodbye letter and assume that Alli committed suicide. Heather cries at home and then at the small town Wellsby police station. (René Ashton is going for her Emmy here! Get it, gurl!) She talks to the Sheriff, who tells her that the body has been recovered, but Mariah is an eyewitness. Heather demands to speak with Mariah, but all she gets is a phone number. Heather is determined to find out what happened to her daughter and goes to the town of Wellsby and checks into a local BNB.
Heather looks through Ally’s things but has more questions than answers. She heads to a local cafe and shows people a flyer with her daughter’s photo on it. As luck would have it, Mariah comes into the cafe. Heather forces the cult recruiter to sit down with her and answer some questions, but Mariah is vague and mysterious.
The BnB owner is way more informative, she has archived papers and has one with a news story about Mariah dying the EXACT SAME WAY that Alli allegedly did. When she brings the evidence to the Sheriff, he gets angry that Heather is digging. He tells her to move on and accept it for what it was a suicide.
Heather doesn’t follow his advice and finds a place called the Sunrise center. She sees Ally in the van and chases after it. Then Heather barges into the Sheriff’s office and demands he get a search warrant. Bridger shows up too and says that Heather is stalking his co-workers. Gaslit AF, Heather storms out. She calls Jack to vent, and he listens a little too intently. Is he involved?
When the local BnB owner sees Heather researching the Sunrise Center, she tells her that Bridger is a hippy and has a commune. Heather drives on down in her business casual attire with sensible flats. She breaks into the house and searches for her daughter. Mariah catches Heather and calls the Sheriff, who threatens to arrest Heather if she doesn’t leave the town.
Heather comes home to Jack and shows him the evidence she found in the commune. (Ally’s journal.) Jack tries to reassure Heather, but I don’t trust him and his khaki pants.
The next day, they to the commune to save Ally. Jack even brings his gun. Heather finds Ally, who is brainwashed. Ally had no idea that they faked her death and had been lying to her the whole time. Ally cries and tells her mom that she overheard Jack talking to someone telling them that Ally was to be married to Jack, NOT Heather.
Heather runs out and screams at Jack, who pretty much confirms Ally’s story. Heather realizes that she is the one who was in a cult the whole time. Bridger shows up and confronts Jack. Jack pulls the pun out and grabs Ally. He killed Frank, Heather’s husband because he was going to expose Jack’s cult.
The Sheriff pulls up and tries to calm Jack down. Heather takes him out herself because, duh, she has to save her daughter.
WHAT A TWIST! Mariah and Bridger are rescuing people from cults and providing a halfway house for young girls in cults. The Sheriff works with them because a cult took his daughter too.
Heather apologizes to her daughter, and Ally asks for a normal life. They agree to start over together and have a lot of healing to do. With Bridger there, I’d stick around and let him HEAL me too.
The movie ends with Ally going on a date with a REAL boy! Heather watches
Side Note
Minority Report: Mariah, Police Officer, Casey, Commune Girl,
Also Known as Fatal Following
Jacob Young is so freaking hot; I don’t care if he is a controlling cult leader or cult member rescuer.
This is one of René Ashton better performances in a Lifetime Movie. I’ve seen her in some terrible movies. Here she is a mother who is going through it.
📺. Stream/Watch the Movie (Ad): N/A
➡️ Check out our Youtube Channel: Lifetime Uncorked: Lifetime Movie Reviews
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*** I’ve updated the rating system moving forward start 7/26/2021. Knives represent # of kills. Wine is over enjoyment (NOT a value judgment) on a 1-5 scale.
I will use the following tags for those who want to know watch or skip: Pour it Up (Would Recommend) or Put A Cork In It (Would Not Recommend)
Overall rating
Number of Kills:
🔪🔪 ( 2 Knives)
Enjoyment Level: 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷🍷 (5 glasses of wine)
*Photo Credit: © 2021 Lifetime® | A+E Networks®
Live tweet along with @LifetimeUncork using the hashtag #MyDaughtersDoubleLife
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