Martha Carelli finds herself the victim of a kidnapping by an escaped convict, Michael Anderson, her husband, son and son's friend held hostage in the home until husband John breaks free and calls the police. Martha becomes Michael's driver, they pick up another hostage along the way, Doug, and despite her concussion from Michael constantly beating her in the head, Martha can still find it in herself to show compassion to her captor to save her and Doug's life.
The screenplay for _Kidnapped in Her Own Home: The Martha Carelli Story_, by Conor Allyn and Benjamin Anderson, takes a lot of liberties with the actual story, which took place in the 1970s, shifting it to an undetermined time that is probably the 1990s since no one has a cell phone, also omitting a third hostage, and several more Carelli children. It holds your interest as you wonder if Michael is going to kill anyone, namely Doug since this is Martha's story so she's not going to die, but it ends on a bit of a whimper as Martha basically talks Michael into quietly giving himself up (in fact, he was just careless and got himself caught). The story holds your interest but in the end it's almost instantly forgettable. Director Traci Hays manages to keep even the talkier parts of the movie interesting, employing a lot of extreme close-ups of the actors, maintaining a sense of claustrophobia when they are all in the car with nowhere to run, able to open things up a bit at the various stops they make.
Stana Katic is terrific as Martha, employing all of her motherly skills to keep the situation calm, almost treating Michael like an impetuous child, acting as a therapist at the same time to both Michael and Doug. She is put through the wringer, and we feel her malaise as her Concussion symptoms grow worse.
Tyler Tomás Perez is also great as Michael, always keeping you on edge, never knowing which way his personality is going to swing, like in the scene when Martha tries to formally introduce herself and he plays along and then brutally smacks her in the head. He’s already shown a violent streak at the house, but on the road with Martha and Doug, he always seems like a powder keg ready to explode. Perez also plays Michael like he is the brains of the operation. He takes credit for the breakout and convincing three grown men, who he didn’t need, to help him so his confidence is a little over-inflated. He sometimes seems to realize that Martha is playing on his sympathies or on his memories of his mother, but he eventually does get played by her. But at the end, the look of resolution on his face as he makes his decision to step out into what could be a very dangerous situation almost makes you feel bad for Michael, seeing him as the damaged little boy he’s always been.
Michael Shenefelt has a tough role in Doug because the man is a basket case, the complete opposite of Martha even though they are both in the same situation. But he does pull it together most of the time, perhaps with Martha’s calming words, to keep them all safe, and his moment with the motel clerk is done very well.
As it stands as simply a piece of entertainment based on a true story, Kidnapped in Her Own Home: The Martha Carelli Story will keep you glued to the screen, with excellent performances to drive the story along.
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