On m'appelait Steven

I remember watching this movie in the fall of 1989, and 11 years later it still strikes me as one of the most emotional movies I have ever seen.

The movie is in 2 parts, and the 1st part is worth watching over and over again. The 2nd part loses its' dramatic flair and seems to drag on for eternity.

I would have to say the most poignant part in the movie is when she goes into the bedroom of her 7 year old son (which is now missing), and smells his pajamas and starts weeping. They then take you to Steven Stayner himself, and all you could hear is cries in the dark as he's telling his abductor to "stop it".

This is a definite tear-jerker.

I first saw this movie around 1994. At the time, my sons were ages 6,5, and 3. It was a holiday and my husband took all three boys out of town to visit his mother. So all alone I pulled up a chair in front of the television and became completely engrossed in this movie. I sat there in my chair and absolutely cried so much my face was swolen afterwards.It is now 2002 and I have seen that movie at least 9 times. Throughout the years, I have taught all three of my boys to never to go with strangers, they know their address, and phone number. A few years after this movie, I was reminding my oldest son about what to do if a stranger approached. He angrily said " I know ! I know !" Because I had told him repeatedly what to do after watching that movie. So I grabbed his shoulders and replied " GOOD, then you will know what to do if it happens to you!" I truly felt that if I ever would meet Kenneth Parnell that I would want to kill him. I want to assure you that I would never do anything like that, but the anger that I felt towards him was justified at the time. How can this kind of thing happen? It is now 2002 and Steven Stayner is still in my thoughts. I think every parent should see this movie and cry their hearts out and feel the pain that Dell and his wife went through. I know not to give away the ending of the movie, but I want to say that I was relieved when I heard what happened to Steven. I knew then that he would never have to suffer any longer. In closing, I want to say, peace to you Steven,your wife, children and family. I also want to say that the casting of the movie was perfect. LOVE MELZ

This film revolves around the true story that begins in 1972 with the abduction of seven-year-old Steven Stayner, who was snatched on his way home from school by a known paedophile Kenneth Parnell. Steven was then kept as the man's son for seven years and forced for endure systematical sexual abuse at the hands of his kidnapper. He finally managed to escape when Parnell abducted a five-year-old boy whom Steven was determined would not suffer as he had. However, upon his return to his real family-- who never gave up that he would be reunited with them one day-- Steven found it hard to adjust as he had no understanding of what it was to be part of a loving family. I have since read that he was killed in a car accident when he was twenty-nine, tragically snatched away from his family for good this time.

I first watched this when I was about ten so the abuse went right over my head but even then, at that age, I was saddened by how this boy suffered when he was torn from his family only to be reunited after the damage has been done to his mind and soul. When I watched the film again as a teenage, my sadness was mixed with disgust and anger that the perverted monster that was Parnell was allowed to wander around unchecked despite having a criminal record for offences against children. It was also horrifying to see what little was actually done to either help Steven, as not only when he did try to tell a teacher of his abduction, he was accused of lying and being ungrateful but Parnell was able to freely go from town-to-town with a child who was not his own and with no-one challenging this. This film depicts both the trauma Steven faces as he grew up in such horrifying circumstances and the grief of the parents he left behind but it also shows the courage of the Stayners, who all remained strong through everything.

As true stories go, I think this has to be one of the best films out there and I recommend it to everyone. Do be prepared for your blood pressure to soar though when it is revealed that, infuriatingly, Parnell was let off with a light sentence for kidnapping and abusing Steven. It certainly shattered my illusions that the US has a great criminal justice system that the terribly lax system in the UK should take lessons from. This is one piece of filth who surely deserved a trip on 'Old Sparky' to fry for those vile acts to a little boy who almost loved him as a father to some degree.

I read a book on Stevens ordeal and the author said that the Stayner's of Merced were as cursed as the Kennedys of Massachusetts. I cannot believe that so much horror could happen in one family. Steven was abducted for seven years and came home maimed mentally for life and died at 24 in a terrible accident. I think in a way death was kind to him and then in the last few years his brother Cary was convicted of murdering four women in Yosemite National Park. What got me is that Cary tried to use Stevens disappearance as an excuse. He said he was so traumatized by it.

This movie leads you to believe Parnell was sentenced for kidnapping and sexual assault, but he wasn't. He was sentenced only for kidnapping. That's why the sentence was so low. According to Steven Parnell molested the boy over 700 times, including almost 100 rapes. He molested other boys as well. The police had proof of this. Steven was ready to testify. Despite all this, Parnell NEVER EVEN GOT PROSECUTED for these crimes. He was released on parole after ONLY 4 YEARS and then after 2 years probation he was free. To do what he wants and see who he wants, including young boys. He even worked with kids until they found out who he was, thanks to this mini-series I believe.

Read the book if you can find it.

Steven Stayner unfortunately died in a motorcycle accident some years later.