I came to this movie having read Natascha Kampusch's book of the same name, and watched a documentary about the case.
In it's favour the events depicted in the film are pretty accurate to how they were described in the book. Wolfgang Přiklopil's house and the cell he built are close to how they really were.
But is authenticity enough to make this a good movie? Well, not really.
The film feels very flat, there is very little sense of tension or drama, it's just a plodding retelling of the events.
Thure Lindhardt and Antonia Campbell-Hughes are fine in the roles of Přiklopil and Kampusch. However, some of the other actors are less successful, and it seems as though some of their voices have been re- dubbed?
The main problem with the film is its lack of insight. The film barely explored Kampusch's inner thoughts during the experience, the coping strategies that allowed her to endure the ordeal. And what of Přiklopil? We know nothing really about him, what drove him to do what he did? What happened to him to make him the way he was?
The relationship that developed between Kampusch and Přiklopil was complex. She never lost sight that a crime was being committed and that she had to escape, but she also came to sympathise with him, seeing him as a damaged human being.
Some have said this story shouldn't have been filmed. I don't agree - but I do think it needed to be handled in a different way. Kampusch's story is an extraordinary one, and it really deserved a film that could do it justice.
If you want the full story of what happened, read the book instead.
