An American Crime (2007)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Sylvia Likens	Ellen Page	½
Gertrude Baniszewski	Catherine Keener	½
Jennie Likens	Hayley McFarland	½
Paula Baniszewski	Ari Graynor	½
Stephanie Baniszewski	Scout Taylor-Compton
Lester Likens	Nick Searcy
Betty Likens	Romy Rosemont
Bradley	Brian Geraghty
Teddy Lewis	Michael Welch
Ricky Hobbs	Evan Peters	½
Andy Gordon	James Franco

Review

This well-made reenactment of the infamous Sylvia Likens case, in which a 16 year old girl was tortured to death by the woman and children with whom she boarded, is well-meaning and ostensibly unbiased, but writer/director Tommy O'Haver and the talented Catherine Keener as Gertie, the woman behind the crime, cannot quite make us feel and believe the level of horror this poor girl went through - and I don't blame them one bit for it. We're supposed to be made able to understand Gertie, but in fairness I'm not sure this is something anybody actually can or is willing to do, and as such the film comes off as a little bit forced and glossed (crazy as that may sound). This also includes an unnecessary segment towards the end that has got Hollywood written all over it.  The film is still worth a watch though, because Sylvia Likens' story deserves to be heard, among other things as a warning about the potential dangers of brain-washing and mass-suggestion. And there's fine acting by an ensemble of young performers.