An American Crime
| An American Crime | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Tommy O'Haver |
| Produced by |
Christine Vachon Jocelyn Hayes Henry Winterstern Kevin Turen Hans C. Ritter |
| Written by | Tommy O'Haver Irene Turner |
| Starring |
Ellen Page Catherine Keener Hayley McFarland Ari Graynor James Franco |
| Music by | Alan Ari Lazar |
| Cinematography | Byron Shah |
| Edited by | Melissa Kent |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Showtime |
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Release date
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Running time
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98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
An American Crime is a 2007 American crime drama film starring Ellen Page and Catherine Keener. The film is based on the true story of the torture and murder of Sylvia Likens by Indianapolis housewife Gertrude Baniszewski. It premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.
Because of internal problems with the film's original distributor, First Look International, the film was not released theatrically. The Showtime television network officially premiered An American Crime on May 10, 2008.
The film was nominated for a Golden Globe, a Primetime Emmy (both for Keener's performance), and a Writers Guild of America Award.
Sixteen-year-old Sylvia Likens (Ellen Page) and her 15-year-old sister, Jenny (Hayley McFarland), have, in the past, travelled with their parents who work on the carnival circuit. She and Jenny now live with their mother, Betty Likens (Romy Rosemont), who recently separated from their father, Lester Likens (Nick Searcy). Betty reconciles with him, and they decide to go on tour together. They agree to leave their daughters in the care of a single mother named Gertrude Baniszewski, whose daughters the Likens girls met in church. In dire financial straits, Gertrude offers to care for their daughters for twenty dollars a week, and as their parents leave, the girls settle in with Baniszewski's six children: Paula (17), Stephanie (16), Johnny (13), Marie (12), Shirley (10), and infant son Kenny. Sylvia befriends Paula (Ari Graynor), who confesses to Sylvia that she is pregnant by her married boyfriend—Sylvia swears not to tell. Soon after the girls' arrival, Gertrude is upset that Lester's weekly payment is late and punishes the girls by whipping them with a belt. The payment, along with a letter from the parents, arrives shortly thereafter, but Gertrude throws the letter in the trash and says nothing to the Likens girls.
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