This movie left me feeling sick for days after I first watched it having flash backs of all the horrible things they did to this poor girl. An America Crime is the true story of Sylvia Likens, a sixteen year old girl who was locked in a basement and tortured to death by a psychotic woman in 1965. Sylvia was accused of lying, stealing, and flirting with a boy at school; Gertrude, her guardian, wanted to make an example of her. Gertrude, in front of her six children and Sylvia's sister, forced Sylvia to insert a glass coke bottle into her vagina until it shattered. She then has Sylvia tossed down the stairs into the basement. This is the beginning of the end for Sylvia.
Sylvia is kept locked down in the basement and is tortured everyday until she died. Gertrude even allowed her children to bring their neighborhood friends over to play with helpless Sylvia. The group of kids would all go to the basement after school and take turns beating her and putting cigarettes out on her body like it was a game. But the part that bothered me the most was when Gertrude pinned Sylvia to the floor and branded the words, "I am a prostitute and proud of it" on her stomach with a hot needle. Sylvia was brutally abused to death.
An American Crime shows how twisted and heartless people can be. Gertrude raised her kids teaching them that violence and cruelty is normal and is okay ruining any chance of her kids living a normal life. This film waters down a lot of what Gertrude did to Sylvia as it was just way too brutal to be shown, but it really captures the mood and emotions of the crime. It can be extremely difficult to watch this movie but it is worth it, seeing the misery that Sylvia went through will completely change the way you view life. I still can not believe that anyone could be so cruel to such an innocent girl like Sylvia and that so many people just sat by and watched it happen.
Sylvia is kept locked down in the basement and is tortured everyday until she died. Gertrude even allowed her children to bring their neighborhood friends over to play with helpless Sylvia. The group of kids would all go to the basement after school and take turns beating her and putting cigarettes out on her body like it was a game. But the part that bothered me the most was when Gertrude pinned Sylvia to the floor and branded the words, "I am a prostitute and proud of it" on her stomach with a hot needle. Sylvia was brutally abused to death.
An American Crime shows how twisted and heartless people can be. Gertrude raised her kids teaching them that violence and cruelty is normal and is okay ruining any chance of her kids living a normal life. This film waters down a lot of what Gertrude did to Sylvia as it was just way too brutal to be shown, but it really captures the mood and emotions of the crime. It can be extremely difficult to watch this movie but it is worth it, seeing the misery that Sylvia went through will completely change the way you view life. I still can not believe that anyone could be so cruel to such an innocent girl like Sylvia and that so many people just sat by and watched it happen.
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