The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story

Didn't really know much about this story going into it. My wife wanted to watch something that was real and true and this popped up so we gave it a try. About ten minutes into the movie and it became hard to watch. It was really intense and difficult subject matter, but we got through it. I HATED that man from the second I saw him and my hatred never diminished throughout the movie. I know he is only an actor, but he played it so well that it was him I hated and not the part.

The young girl does an excellent job of portraying a girl in a really difficult situation. Listening to the thoughts on her head gives us a unique view on what to do and how to do it. How the real Kara remained calm under intense pressure like this is amazing.

I've seen people say this is for all ages, I don't think so. I think it needs to be seen by people in their early teens, but I wouldn't want younger kids to be exposed to nightmare inducing things like this.

I'm not a fan of Lifetime movies at all, but this was a good one. I spent most of the movie wiping the tears from my eyes. It was that good. I'd have given it a higher rating except for the poor performances by a couple of the actors, but don't let that stop you from watching it.

So this is a real story about a girl that kidnapped that really touched me. I liked some technicalities such as the sound design, cause it was often like a heartbeat which really made my heartbeat follow the rhythm. Plus I liked the performance of little Kara, she was really good, and the fact that the movie did not show the violent scenes. Finally I liked the simple cinematography.

What I didn't like: well the screenplay was not as great, there were some holes. Also some people were saying the same thing over and over again, it was not a certain word or phrase but whole dialogs. I understand that in real life in this situation you would probably make the same conversations but this is a movie, and the audience is going to get bored sometimes.

Otherwise it was really good one of the best of its kind.

... and this film is not going to be part of it. On Ginny and Georgia, Douglas manages to make her character stand out by underplaying, and by relying on her natural charisma. On that show, of course, she is aided by A-list writers, cast members, directors. This movie, on its best day, dressed in its best Sunday suit, is a B-movie, with shortcuts taken everywhere. Many obvious opportunities for deep emotional beats are missed, simply because the actors and the script are not up to snuff. The PR package makes a huge fuss about Kara's courage, which, in real life, was staggering. None of that comes through here. Emotions are like a roller coaster. To create the "up," you must first create the "down." By deliberately minimizing the horror of the captivity, writer Haley Harris denied viewers access to the downs. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

This film is based on the true story of Kara Robinson, so if you aren't aware of her story then I recommend watching this. Kara is kidnapped from her friend's front yard at 15 years old. She fights to survive, but will she make it? It's an inspiring story that gives you hope and makes you feel a sense of strength and accomplishment from such a young girl.

The only reason I rated it on the lower end of the scale is due to the fact that it's a Lifetime movie, so it's not high quality drama, cinematography, or story telling. Nor is the acting up to par. But with saying that, there were two parts that made me cry thinking about everything this sweet girl (and the people around her) went through, so even thought it's a Lifetime movie, it obviously does a good job at getting Kara's story out.

I like how this film put more emphasis on Kara's daring escape and the aftermath of the attack. The actual kidnapping and subsequent restraints that the kidnapper used were scary enough, but we also got to see how Kara's strong memory helped the police get eyes on the suspect.

The key to this movie is that Kara is a survivor. She does recognize the trauma of her experience, but she doesn't let it dictate her entire life outlook. And it makes perfect sense that she wanted to seek justice and watch her captor get locked behind bars.

It's not an exquisite film. The boyfriend and best friend characters are left in the shadows. Also the scenes of the police investigative work aren't very well established. I still liked this film enough to recommend it.