Stockholm, Pennsylvania

I think it was a great movie but it lacked depth. They should have dived deeper into leia's character and her life when she was kidnapped. From the surface, all the kidnapper did wrong is kidnap her, otherwise he raised her quite alright, which is how Leia/Leanne seems to see it but they don't show us enough from her captured time to support that. We're thrown into the story halfway so it's hard to divulge fully into the characters and understand them. The movie seems to lean too much on our preceding knowledge of Stockholm syndrome.

Not the ending itself, but towards the end the story feels rushed, goes against the aura the movie gave out in the first half were they put effort to delicately build the story which I thought was special. The acting was astounding though, especially by Ronan (forgotten how to spell her first name tsss) very believable, feels like it was based on a true story. The plot line isn't the best, especially the twist at the end, a little off, but Ronan really made the best the best out of it.

Although it could have been, it's not exceptional, but I still think it's a good movie.

Leanne/Leia (Saoirse Ronan) is a young woman who has had two crimes committed against her: she was stolen from her family, and she was robbed of a soul. She was kidnapped as a young child and confined to a windowless room by a kind but deranged stranger (Jason Isaacs) who raised her on lies and subtle influences to make her believe he was her only hope in life (hence the title "Stockholm" Pennsylvania). For obvious reasons, he intended to limit her understanding of the outside world and subsequently rendered her incapable of handling life beyond his walls.

Then it happens that Leia is freed and returned to her biological parents. It should be a happy, joyful reunion; unfortunately, it is anything but.

I'm a huge fan of Saoirse Ronan. She thrilled me in Hanna and ripped my guts out in the Lovely Bones. In this movie she has to play it down, as her character is emotionally stunted from captivity and psychically overwhelmed by the real world. She does a wonderful job as the detached escapee, conveying a wide range of emotions just with those big blue eyes and also with her control of subtle facial expressions.

Cynthia Nixon is also outstanding as the mother, who not only has to accept her own daughter's alienation of affection but also the horrible reality that Leia cannot accept her new situation. She and her flummoxed husband (David Warshofsky) struggle to rekindle the warmth and congeniality of a familial bond that has never really had a chance to exist, while battling with issues that no parent would ever want to have.

Strong praise for writer/director Nikole Beckwith for composing a riveting (if at times deliberately slow-paced) depiction of a true tragedy. Her scenes are at times difficult to endure, but the story is excellent.

Hey y'all, let's talk about this movie I just watched - *Stockholm, Pennsylvania*. It came out in 2020, directed by Nikole Beckwith. You've got Saoirse Ronan, Cynthia Nixon, Jason Isaacs, and David Warsofsky. Now, it's not your typical thriller; it's a psychological drama that digs into some real heavy family stuff and identity issues. Real intense, so if you're in the mood for something easygoing, this isn't that.

The story's about this young woman, Leia - she was kidnapped when she was just 4 years old and raised by her kidnapper for 17 years. He kept her hidden away, and she never knew her real parents. So, now she's back home, back with her birth parents, Marcy and Glen, but it's like trying to fit a puzzle piece into a different puzzle. Leia's attached to her kidnapper in a twisted way because of something called Stockholm Syndrome, where she formed a bond with him. Can you imagine? Seventeen years with this man, and now she's supposed to adjust to a family she barely remembers. It's tough to watch sometimes - you can just feel that tension.

The way this movie builds up, it's like everything is on the verge of cracking from the start. Leia's back, and her mom, Marcy, wants her old daughter, the one she lost all those years ago. But Leia's a stranger, and that just drives Marcy up the wall. You see Marcy trying to reach out, trying to connect, and Leia's just closed off, emotionally complex. And then, as things go on, the pressure between them builds and builds until... well, let's say things come to a head in a way that'll stick with you. It's unsettling.

What makes this film work are the characters and their relationships, especially between Leia and Marcy. Ronan's performance as Leia - it's subtle but powerful. You can see her holding in all these emotions, fear, conflict, but she's quiet about it. And Nixon, as Marcy, oh, she's amazing. She plays a mom who's in denial, trying to reshape Leia into the kid she remembers, and you can see how that just doesn't work. The way they go back and forth, each of them trapped in their own way - it's something.

Most of the movie happens in this one house, the family home. They're practically locked in there together, and that creates this heavy feeling, like there's no escape for Leia, even now that she's "free." There are a few scenes outside - flashbacks with the kidnapper, visits to the therapist, and a pretty loaded moment in prison - and each time you step out of that house, it feels like getting a breath of air before going back in. Everything's dim and muted, like they want you to feel the weight of everything Leia's been through. It's not a flashy movie, but the lighting, the camera work, even the simple costumes all reflect that tension.

I'll tell y'all, the acting really kept me hooked. Ronan just nails it. There's this one line of hers that stuck with me, where she says, *"The whole point of taking everything away from me in the first place, was that I would get to be someone... When I'm alone. But when I'm with other people, I am what they think I am. I don't know how to be that."* That line hit hard. It says so much about her struggle to just be herself, whoever that is after all she's been through.

I'll be honest, though - it's got a bit of a 'Lifetime movie' feel in parts. It's slow, and the look of it is almost too neat for such a dark story. But the performances, especially Ronan and Nixon, bring so much depth that you just end up invested.

So, was the movie successful? I think so. Nikole Beckwith made this film to make you sit with the characters' discomfort. She wanted us to see the clash between Leia's trauma and Marcy's expectations, and boy, you feel it. It's worth the watch if you're into these deep, uncomfortable dives into family dynamics and the impact of trauma. It's not gonna wrap things up in a pretty bow, but it does make you think. If any of y'all end up watching it, let me know what you think - it's one of those that sticks with you, I'll tell you that.

The ending???? Come on!!!

It was ridiculously slow moving, and there was no character build up to anyone. I felt nothing for any of the characters -everything was flatlined. I was hoping towards the end there would be a little action or a nice wrap up and there was absolutely nothing. The ending offers nothing and leave you hanging the ending, which is the beginning didn't tell you anything at all. There was no background as to her situation from the time she was kidnapped until she was found so many details were missing that could've made things a lot better. The ridiculous ending again was a complete joke.

Leia (Saoirse Ronan) was abducted by stranger Benjamin McKay (Jason Isaacs) at the age of four. She lived in the basement believing the world had ended. After 17 years of isolation, she is reunited with her birth parents (Cynthia Nixon, David Warshofsky). She struggles to acclimate to them who are essentially strangers and even her real name Leanne. Her mother can't leave her by herself and is desperate to connect to her. The marriage is falling apart. Dr. Andrews (Rosalind Chao) is Leia's therapist.

Director Nikole Beckwith strips away any flash or music. The colors are washed out. It is deliberately quiet at times. It leaves the movie feeling dead for the first half. Saoirse is able to maintain interest by her sheer presence. Leia takes a turn around the midpoint. It's a big risk and it becomes bursts of overwrought awkwardness. She needs a connection outside of the situation. The obvious comparison is Room which is more cinematic and has more "life". This is trying to walk down the same path but not as scenic. The two women produce a compelling battle but I'm not sure if it's worthwhile.