An American Crime

2007 • 97 minutes

About this movie

The true story of suburban housewife Gertrude Baniszewski, who kept a teenage girl locked in the basement of her Indiana home during the 1960s.

MPAA Rating: R for strong and disturbing depiction of child abuse and torture

Cast: Ellen Page, Hayley McFarland and Nick Searcy | See full cast and crew

Ratings and reviews

There's really nothing anyone should watch in this. It's less horrifying and weaker overall than the same story told in The Girl Next Door. It makes me wonder about the psyches of the creators.

When I first saw this movie some years ago, I didn't know it was a true story. Ellen Page was great, of course. This movie will leave you wondering why.

go-round. You just go up and down and round and round. You never get anywhere, but you always feel safe." Very beautiful movie! I must read the book. That line is literature. The movie didn't match up to it. Or maybe it just came too close for my comfort. The acting was superb. Truly superb! I wish Sylvia's and my childhood on no one. But that's sadly too much to ask of people: just do humanity a favor and end childhood torture! Read Ursula Le Guin's "Omelas," please. We don't need to torture innocence