An American Crime

R

2007

1h 38m

Crime

Drama

List

40%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Gertrude Baniszewski, a divorced mother of several children, agrees to take care of two girls, Sylvia and Jennie, while their parents travel with a carnival. Though her eldest daughter is the real troublemaker, Gertrude vents all her bitterness and frustration on innocent Sylvia. Gertrude imprisons the girl in the basement and tortures her, eventually encouraging her children to follow suit.

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Ginia Bellafante

New York Times

An American Crime is the most brutal evocation of wrongdoing to appear in quite a while; it is hardly a pleasure to watch. But it is also one of the best television movies to appear in years.

Jun 28, 2019

Full Review

John Leonard

New York Magazine/Vulture

An American Crime, wonderfully mounted, wholly absorbing, is also full of blank uneasiness.

Jan 5, 2018

Full Review

Matt Noller

Slant Magazine

If Eli Roth were to direct a Lifetime movie, it might look something like An American Crime.

Rated: 0/4

Aug 18, 2008

Full Review

JK Sooja

Common Sense Media

For many, it will be hard not seeing An American Crime as simply a series of increasingly horrible scenes of torture.

Aug 26, 2024

Full Review

Christopher Lloyd

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

By instead focusing more on the character of Gertrude Baniszewski, the film relegates Sylvia Likens to a cypher with no real identity - she's simply a vessel for abuse.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 2, 2010

Full Review

Pablo Villaça

Cinema em Cena

Um projeto que encara a desgraa alheia como mero trampolim para o entretenimento.

Rated: 1/5

Aug 22, 2008

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Thirdi A

Disappointing with Lifetime-movie quality that may appeal to a younger audience. The pacing and acting were subpar, despite the potential for a compelling story given the grim real-life case.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/23/24

Full Review

Twiggy H

A truly horrible story - but great acting and nice aesthetics to a true appearance of those times. A bit weird towards the end, with what can only be described as some sort of brief 'nahhh, only joking, here's what actually happened in that moment' segment.. but so bloody glad it never once had sylveria's character 'accept' the supposedly implied 'apologises' of her abusers. It's always nice to see justice truly be served.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/08/24

Full Review

Johan J

80% Dear producers, take my positive rating and leave. I want to keep this review as short as possible. After finishing this thing, I can now say that any faith in humanity that I once had is now gone. This movie is about as easy to swallow as a mouthful of kale, but also as necessary. "An American Crime" is a very well-made television movie featuring harrowingly good performances and the bravery of tackling a true story as messed up as the murder of Sylvia Likens. It's sad and scary, even more so than most fiction movies due to its roots in reality. And that's without the company of the Wikipedia page describing the real story. Essentially, virtually every character plays a part in this murder. No one does the right thing. Hope is a lost relic. It's a brutal yet effective way of conveying the film's message and making viewers aware of what happened by attacking their emotions. Long story short, if you see something, say something.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/23/24

Full Review

Salvatore A

The cast did a good job, but the writing makes it seem like they are trying to make you sympathize with Gertie and Paula. Reading this case And all the truly horrific details, will prove they didn't deserve sympathy. The cut scenes between present Day and Past are kinda Awkward.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/11/24

Full Review

bridget E

The casting wasn't great, they paired the mother with a lover/husband 20 years her junior so it was a bit disturbing to watch the implication of them having sex, it was a bit disgusting. The abuse was extremely violent and vial I could have done without this particular film. Did not make it through. Ellen Paige did a fabulous job.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/14/24

Full Review

Connor S

This stuck with me for days. The depiction of these events in the film paint the horrific but necessary picture that was needed. God bless Sylvia, who was surrounded by absolute monstrosity.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/12/24

Full Review

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Tommy O'Haver

Director

Catherine Keener

Gertrude Baniszewski

Elliot Page

Sylvia Likens

James Franco

Andy

Bradley Whitford

Prosecutor

Ari Graynor

Paula Baniszewski

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Synopsis

Gertrude Baniszewski, a divorced mother of several children, agrees to take care of two girls, Sylvia and Jennie, while their parents travel with a carnival. Though her eldest daughter is the real troublemaker, Gertrude vents all her bitterness and frustration on innocent Sylvia. Gertrude imprisons the girl in the basement and tortures her, eventually encouraging her children to follow suit.

Director: Tommy O'Haver
Producer: Henry Winterstern, Kevin Turen, Katie Roumel, Jocelyn Hayes Simpson, Christine Vachon
Screenwriter: Tommy O'Haver, Irene Turner
Production Co: First Look Media, John Wells Productions, Killer Films
Rating: R (Strong & Disturbing Depiction|Child Abuse/Torture)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 22, 2017
Runtime: 1h 38m

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