Probably not enough remembered in Italy, the story of “Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart” has not been erased by time, and still raises many questions. Netflix offers a docufilm focused on a shocking news case from the United States and dated 2002. And it chooses to do so through the voice of the protagonist herself, so as not to limit itself to reconstructing a kidnapping that shook a nation; but it tries to restore dignity, depth and meaning to a story perhaps devoured by media hype.
Kidnapped: The Case of Elizabeth Smart
Elizabeth Smart was only 14 years old when, on the night of June 5, 2002, she was taken from her home in Salt Lake City. His kidnapping, which occurred at gunpoint, kicked off one of the largest media and investigative mobilizations in recent American history. For months Elizabeth’s face was everywhere, while the searches multiplied without results. The documentary retraces those nine months of imprisonment through archive materials, direct testimonies and personal reconstructions. Elizabeth was kept hidden by Brian David Mitchell and his wife Wanda Barzee, forced to live in extreme conditions, isolated and subjected to constant abuse. Disturbingly, during her captivity she was also seen several times in public, disguised in clothing and rituals that made her unrecognizable to passers-by.
Elizabeth’s disappearance was discovered almost immediately. Her younger sister Mary Katherine, who had witnessed the kidnapping while pretending to be asleep out of fear, was able to provide the police with a detailed description of the man who had taken Elizabeth away. This detail was crucial: the kidnapper was not a complete stranger, but a man who had previously carried out small jobs in the Smart house. Despite this, for months the research did not lead to concrete results. The turning point came by chance: on March 12, 2003, in Sandy (Utah), two officers noticed a suspicious-looking couple accompanied by a veiled girl. The man’s (Brian David Mitchell) behavior and the inconsistencies in his answers attracted the attention of the police. After a more thorough check, the officers realized that the girl was Elizabeth Smart, who had been missing for months. This was how his imprisonment ended, just 29 kilometers from home.
“Kidnapped” delves deeply into the psychological impact that experience had on the victim, his family and an entire community. For the first time Smart chooses to tell everything with full awareness, giving a context to the images and words that have circulated for years without her control. In addition to her, family members, investigators and people who crossed her path without knowing who she really was speak out. The film also follows the difficult path following the liberation, the judicial trials, the convictions of those responsible and the long journey towards a new life. Today Elizabeth Smart has become an authoritative voice in the defense of victims of kidnapping and sexual violence, and the documentary reflects precisely this transformation: from forced silence to the reconquest of her own history.
Kidnapped: when it comes out on Netflix
Lasting approximately an hour and a half, “Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart” arrives on Netflix on Wednesday 21 January. The documentary film will be available for streaming globally.
Kidnapped: the original trailer
undefined
