Cleveland Abduction
Cleveland Abduction is a 2015 American crime drama television film directed by Alex Kalymnios from a teleplay written by Stephen Tolkin. Based on the Ariel Castro kidnappings, the film stars Taryn Manning, Raymond Cruz and Joe Morton. It debuted May 2, 2015 on Lifetime.[1]
| Cleveland Abduction | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Thriller |
| Written by | Stephen Tolkin |
| Directed by | Alex Kalymnios |
| Starring | Taryn Manning Raymond Cruz Joe Morton |
| Music by | Tony Morales |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | David A. Rosemont Stephen Tolkin |
| Cinematography | Richard Wong |
| Editor(s) | Henk Van Eeghen |
| Running time | 88 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Sony Pictures Television |
| Distributor | Lifetime |
| Release | |
| Original network | Lifetime |
| Original release | May 2, 2015 |
The film is based on the memoir, Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed by Michelle Knight.[2]
Plot
In Cleveland, Ohio, Michelle Knight (Manning) a 21-year-old single mother had lost custody of her son. On August 23, 2002, Knight was on her way to the court accepts the ride from her acquaintance Ariel Castro (Cruz), who is the father of a schoolmate. However, Castro abducted Knight and is held captive in his home. Finding strength through her belief in God and determined to be reunited with her son, Knight refused to be broken down by Castro. Soon thereafter Castro kidnaps, and rapes two more girls, Amanda Berry (Droke) and Georgina "Gina" DeJesus (Sarife). These girls too become imprisoned along with Knight. They become friends and fellow victims; treat each other as sisters through their years in captivity.
When Berry became pregnant with Castro's child, it was Knight who delivered her baby, even performing CPR on the infant girl under the threat of Castro killing her if Berry's child didn't survive. Despite enduring more than a decade of brutality and captivity, Knight's spirit would not be broken as her faith in the face of what she once thought would be a hopeless situation was a testament to the human spirit. On May 6, 2013, Berry succeeds in escaping from the house and the police arrive and release the women. Knight is finally given the chance to reclaim her life after nearly 11 years of captivity.
Cast
- Taryn Manning as Michelle Knight
- Raymond Cruz as Ariel Castro
- Katie Sarife as Gina DeJesus
- Samantha Droke as Amanda Berry
- Pam Grier as Carla
- Joe Morton as Agent Solano
- Jane Mowder as Barbara Knight, Michelle's mother
- Grace Ransom as Emily Castro
- Kristina Kopf as Social Worker
- Tammy Tsai as Dr. Elaine Chen
- David Manzanares as Michael Santana
- Jim Cantafio as Judge Russo
- Sloane Coombs as Jocelyn Berry (age 6)
- Kyle McCann as Joey Lee Knight
- McKenna Bintz as Jocelyn Berry (age 3)
- Sam Porretta as Felix DeJesus
- Jean Zarzour as Nancy Ruiz, Gina's mother
- Laura Ann Parry as Louwana Miller, Amanda's mother
- Sammy A. Publes as Carlos
- Carmen Cenko as Lillian Rodriguez, Ariel Castro's mother
- José Antonio García as Onil Castro
- CJ Ramirez as Gina's Cousin
- Corey Hendrix as Charles Ramsey
- Rita Gregory as Marina Sandino
- Elizabeth Laidlaw as Officer Ella Smith
- David M. Raine as Officer Escalera
- Jeremy Isaiah Earl as Uniformed Cop
- Scott Alan Taylor as News Anchor
- Will Ujek as Newscaster #2
- Peter Carey as Newscaster #3
- Jami Kinton as Newscaster #4
- Trinidad Garcia as Mario San Martin
- Cecelia Ann Birt as Vigilant Neighbor
- Brent Reichert as Officer Richards
- Shanesia Davis as Manager
References
- "Cleveland Abduction". Lifetime.
- "Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed (Weinstein Books)". Amazon.com.