This Lifetime movie is not fleshed out really well, but it's the idea and transferences that are pretty gripping and gritty. Suspend a little disbelief on the captivity plausibility issues before going in. To be fair, this concept has been done better several times, and on higher budget. A familiar variation to Girl in the Basement but still different, and still heartbreaking to know that this kind of trafficking is real, and in turn, inspires stories based on it. The acting is not academy award stuff, but if you level set on expectations going in, some might find this to be worth a watch. It's probably not going to brighten your day though.. depressing subject matter for sure.
18 Reviews
Could have been scripted better
rileybug-8155023 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I understand this movie was loosely based on true story. I agree with others, that it was a basement and there was a big window. You'd think they'd try to escape through it. If the kids were allowed outside off & on, they could've ran for help. That's not the way it played out. Then there was the girl in the motel room who had supposedly seen the cops badge. Why couldn't she have said something to him? It definitely doesn't make any sense at all.
A lot of stuff happened way too early in the movie. As I mentioned before about the cop in the motel room. He doesn't do anything with her, but she should have said something. If the cop had an idea of who it was and what was happening, what took him so long to do anything about it? Why didn't he do anything before they got away, period. Okay, so at the end she was in a closet. But for the majority of the movie , it was a basement. So the title is a bit misleading. Also, from what I read about the story it is loosely based on, the real life girl was about 25 pounds and living in her own urine & feces in a closet. And I believe it was her mother & maybe stepfather that held her there, not another relative.
A lot of stuff happened way too early in the movie. As I mentioned before about the cop in the motel room. He doesn't do anything with her, but she should have said something. If the cop had an idea of who it was and what was happening, what took him so long to do anything about it? Why didn't he do anything before they got away, period. Okay, so at the end she was in a closet. But for the majority of the movie , it was a basement. So the title is a bit misleading. Also, from what I read about the story it is loosely based on, the real life girl was about 25 pounds and living in her own urine & feces in a closet. And I believe it was her mother & maybe stepfather that held her there, not another relative.
This was actually good...
paul_haakonsen4 May 2023
Well, I must admit that this 2023 TV drama was actually better than I had anticipated. I figured that it would probably be another run-of-the-mill-and-dime-a-dozen type of drama. But still, since I hadn't heard about the movie at all prior to stumbling upon it, of course I opted to give it a chance.
Writers Sa'Rah Jones and Courtney Miller put together a storyline that proved to be entertaining and enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, because I don't consider involuntary confinement, torture and the like that took place in the movie as enjoyable. But it was a nicely told story, despite of it being one that dealt with some rather serious issues.
Director Jaira Thomas brought the storyline and script to the screen in a nice way, because the movie was entertaining from beginning to end. And it definitely helped that they had a great cast ensemble to bring the characters to life on the screen.
Of the entire cast, I was only familiar with Tami Roman (playing Mia) and Remy Ma (playing Patricia). But the cast ensemble in general put on good and convincing performances that added a lot of flavor to the movie.
If you enjoy dramas that are somewhat based on actual events, then I will actually say that "Girl in the Closet" was a surprisingly good movie. I was genuinely entertained from start to end here.
My rating of "Girl in the Closet" lands on a six out of ten stars.
Writers Sa'Rah Jones and Courtney Miller put together a storyline that proved to be entertaining and enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, because I don't consider involuntary confinement, torture and the like that took place in the movie as enjoyable. But it was a nicely told story, despite of it being one that dealt with some rather serious issues.
Director Jaira Thomas brought the storyline and script to the screen in a nice way, because the movie was entertaining from beginning to end. And it definitely helped that they had a great cast ensemble to bring the characters to life on the screen.
Of the entire cast, I was only familiar with Tami Roman (playing Mia) and Remy Ma (playing Patricia). But the cast ensemble in general put on good and convincing performances that added a lot of flavor to the movie.
If you enjoy dramas that are somewhat based on actual events, then I will actually say that "Girl in the Closet" was a surprisingly good movie. I was genuinely entertained from start to end here.
My rating of "Girl in the Closet" lands on a six out of ten stars.
VIEWS ON FILM review of Girl in the Closet
burlesonjesse528 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
2023's Girl in the Closet has to be called Girl in the Closet because 2021's Girl in the Basement was already taken. If you watch the movie, the girl persona in question is definitely kept in the basement, with a couple of other victims, held against her will, and with almost no bare necessities. Why you ask? Because the antagonists are "monsters" (as one character says), in it for the money, and living off the benefit checks of these young teenagers who rarely see the outside world. "Closet" is based on true events. OK I'll bite. If there's any non-fiction to it all, well it's a pretty forlorn world we live in.
Shot in Atlanta, Georgia with pretty decent production values considering that the sparse set locations almost evanesce as you take in a viewing, Girl in the Closet is a disturbing film made more disturbing by the fact that its premised discernment has almost no filter. I blame Lifetime but at the same time I don't because "Closet" is effective at what it sets out to be in terms of commercialized fluff that is normally reserved for PBS. Human trafficking, kidnapping, torment, psychogenic damage, and malnourishment oh my!
So yeah, Girl in the Closet is a cinematic train wreck you could look away from but can't. Lifetime Television knows this and they push the proverbial envelope of good vs evil as far as they wanna take it. Just because a pic has a milder form of violence and the absence of coarse language doesn't mean it can't chill you to the bone. With performances from Tami Roman, Stevie Braggs Jr, and Willie Raysor that rise above the standard for TV movie swipe, Girl in the Closet reminds any Lifetime connoisseur that manipulation and low budget sterility can still render you moreish. "Closet" augers.
Shot in Atlanta, Georgia with pretty decent production values considering that the sparse set locations almost evanesce as you take in a viewing, Girl in the Closet is a disturbing film made more disturbing by the fact that its premised discernment has almost no filter. I blame Lifetime but at the same time I don't because "Closet" is effective at what it sets out to be in terms of commercialized fluff that is normally reserved for PBS. Human trafficking, kidnapping, torment, psychogenic damage, and malnourishment oh my!
So yeah, Girl in the Closet is a cinematic train wreck you could look away from but can't. Lifetime Television knows this and they push the proverbial envelope of good vs evil as far as they wanna take it. Just because a pic has a milder form of violence and the absence of coarse language doesn't mean it can't chill you to the bone. With performances from Tami Roman, Stevie Braggs Jr, and Willie Raysor that rise above the standard for TV movie swipe, Girl in the Closet reminds any Lifetime connoisseur that manipulation and low budget sterility can still render you moreish. "Closet" augers.
So what happened?
artistinbackofclass11 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Remy's acting was subpar. I was waiting for someone to go into the closet. You're in the basement the whole movie until the last couple of minutes. I think the movie had a different title. I want more of the resolution. I want details on each person and what happened. A lengthy present sentence is not a resolution that I'm looking for. I want to know how many years, what they were charged with, I want to know what happened to all the victims. Within the movie, I wanted to know more things about the children. I just need more out of this movie. Pictures of the victims or news broadcast of the actual events would have been great as well. If you're of the culture you should watch and support.
WHAT CLOSET - ITS A BASEMENT.
anushkalovell14 March 2023
The acting is NOT that great. The story has the girls leaving the house for other chores and to put out the trash - as if they cannot escape and they have them move from house to house and yet the basement looks the same. Firstly they need to change the title. It is just a badly done movie. It is a similar story to the girl in the basement but that had a good story and was well execute. When these movies are made - quite often there are details that do NOT make sense. And the little girl grew up in 6 yrs to a different age and she does NOT look at all like the little girl she was at least some similiar features...
Just terrible
anna-1648523 September 2023
Terrible acting, horrible...almost painful to watch. The plot could have turned into a good movie but the acting was so bad, it felt like I was watching a bad high school play. I tried. I really tried. But 30 minutes in and it just got worse and worse. I really want to know who watched this and went yes, this is good stuff. Everything was also very choppy and utterly unbelievable.
I didn't finish it and wouldn't waste my time if I were anyone else considering this movie. It's also called girl in the closet but there was no closet, it was a basement. I understand that these aren't meant to be blockbusters but if I could rate this a zero I would.
I didn't finish it and wouldn't waste my time if I were anyone else considering this movie. It's also called girl in the closet but there was no closet, it was a basement. I understand that these aren't meant to be blockbusters but if I could rate this a zero I would.
Stupid beyond belief
politicalgamerzstream17 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
You can't simply lock people up in a basement and expect to get away with it. A few walk around free during the day. Nobody tried to just walk away? Nobody was able to call the cops once for decades? The entire idea is ridiculous on its face. There is a window. No bars on it. They all can easily look thru it from the stairs. Nobody even tried to break it and yell for help?
I don't know who could take this movie seriously it is an exercise of ignoring logic and common sense. You honestly want us to believe they let these kids go outside alone and they don't run and ask for help!?!?! Somehow this is supposed to be religious yet this girl keeps praying to be saved when she gets legs to walk away herself. Trash movie.
I don't know who could take this movie seriously it is an exercise of ignoring logic and common sense. You honestly want us to believe they let these kids go outside alone and they don't run and ask for help!?!?! Somehow this is supposed to be religious yet this girl keeps praying to be saved when she gets legs to walk away herself. Trash movie.
Nasty but good!!!
Chartreuse114 March 2023
This Lifetime movie definitely holds your attention. Thankfully, it is not a true story but based on actual events of another actual family. Tami Roman quite convincingly plays Mia Smith, a horrible character, who ends up getting custody of her niece, Cameron, while her mother recovers from an aneurysm. But Mia is not your average guardian. She locks people up in her house and collects their benefits checks, sells them for sex, and batters them when they cross her. Cameron, unfortunately, ends up getting thrown in her basement and when her mother recovers, she discovers that her sister has disappeared and taken Cameron along with her. Eventually, police declare Cameron a missing person but her mother never gives up finding them. The acting and script were quite good but this movie is not for the faint of heart. Definitely recommended!!!
HORRIBLE MOVIE!
ameliaicoleman10 February 2024
This movie is SO unrealistic, she had so many chances to escape and just didn't. The acting is absolutely terrible. It makes no sense that she couldn't find her daughter for years when she was staying with her aunt the whole time. The mom never once went by the aunts house to see if her daughter was there. She never got the cops involved with her missing daughter which is also so stupid and unrealistic. There was not a single good thing about this movie. I don't recommend this movie to anyone, it's a waste of time and it was actually hard to watch. I was literally in shock the whole movie cause it was so dumb! DO NOT WATCH!
It is the basement not the closet
lissettenavas25 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Trying to give an honest review. I'm struggling thru this movie, as I write. The acting is sub-par, or just bad & the writing well there are so many holes in the plot. The kids were the best running thru the house, that's all they did. Since this was all for money, all they had to do is follow where the money went to catch Aunti Mia. The actress who plays Nancy does well, & the others in the basement, well they have their moments. From Cameron's mom holding the Titos Vodka bottle, Aunti Mia hiring the bum, the basement girls going into prostitution. Oh my goodness 20 min to go. Im struggling, but I'll watch until the end, I like laughing at this non-intentional comedy. And at the end...it had to happen that way. Go Watch it lolol.
Poorly explained
ungirebecca19 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I wanted to enjoy this movie as it sounded very interesting. In the beginning, it says it is loosely based on a true story so I thought it would be explained well but unfortunately, this was not the case.
We start with a family party, we can see some of the members are close but quickly learn about a past family trauma that has stopped Remy from speaking with her system Mia. Even this section of the movie isn't explained very well but it makes out that Mia is evil.
After some time Remy becomes sick leaving Cameron in the care of her Auntie Mia. It is not explained or shown why the other family members did not offer to help at this point either. After a few weeks of looking after Cameron, she is given parental rights until her mother is well enough again. Unfortunately by the time, Remy is well again Mia will not accept any contact and Cameron is missing.
Cameron is put down in a basement with some others who have also been trapped there. At first, Mia had trapped them and even tortures them. Somehow Mia manages to get paychecks for these people and lives a life of luxury. Unfortunately due to the justice system letting Cameron down Mia traps her in the basement for many years.
Eventually, someone comes asking about Cameron and they need to go on the run this leads Mia to move everyone. This is where the plot starts to lose me. As money is becoming less Mia sells the people in the basement for sex work. However, even when the girls become pregnant Mia keeps the children. At this point, the plot seems to fall apart and does not explain why she does this. Mia is still evil enough to keep Cameron and the others in the basement so letting them have children seems to be a little out of character.
Parts of the story are very slow are hard to watch. It's not explained very well and it's a shame because it could have been a really thrilling movie.
We start with a family party, we can see some of the members are close but quickly learn about a past family trauma that has stopped Remy from speaking with her system Mia. Even this section of the movie isn't explained very well but it makes out that Mia is evil.
After some time Remy becomes sick leaving Cameron in the care of her Auntie Mia. It is not explained or shown why the other family members did not offer to help at this point either. After a few weeks of looking after Cameron, she is given parental rights until her mother is well enough again. Unfortunately by the time, Remy is well again Mia will not accept any contact and Cameron is missing.
Cameron is put down in a basement with some others who have also been trapped there. At first, Mia had trapped them and even tortures them. Somehow Mia manages to get paychecks for these people and lives a life of luxury. Unfortunately due to the justice system letting Cameron down Mia traps her in the basement for many years.
Eventually, someone comes asking about Cameron and they need to go on the run this leads Mia to move everyone. This is where the plot starts to lose me. As money is becoming less Mia sells the people in the basement for sex work. However, even when the girls become pregnant Mia keeps the children. At this point, the plot seems to fall apart and does not explain why she does this. Mia is still evil enough to keep Cameron and the others in the basement so letting them have children seems to be a little out of character.
Parts of the story are very slow are hard to watch. It's not explained very well and it's a shame because it could have been a really thrilling movie.
Uninteresting
montagenow18 March 2023
This movie is pretty uninteresting, partly because the storyline is not written well enough to gauge interest. The other reason, and more specifically, is because of the cast. The movie fails with these B actors and actresses. Tami Roman is only good for reality TV because that doesn't require talent. Moving those talents to the screen requires skill.
Then, there's Remy Ma, an okay rapper/rappstress turning to acting but has no business on film. She is good for the stage and studio.
The other actors and actresses also fail to meet standards to turn this drama into something worth watching. Another Lifetime fail.
Then, there's Remy Ma, an okay rapper/rappstress turning to acting but has no business on film. She is good for the stage and studio.
The other actors and actresses also fail to meet standards to turn this drama into something worth watching. Another Lifetime fail.
Should of been called Basement of Horrors after the true crime case
rodkayla12 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Movie is based on the true story of Linda Weston of Philadelphia who is serving a life sentence. She, along with her daughter, spouse, and 'preacher,' held 4 mentally developmental delayed adults (1 woman, 3 men) and 10 year old niece captive. She targeted that particular demographic due to collecting their social security checks and she knew that they wouldn't have the mental capacity to try to outwit the kidnappers and run. Watching the movie, I believe the cast gave voice to the victims who otherwise couldn't communicate it fully themselves. My heart hurts for the victims and am glad justice has been served.
"GIRL IN THE CLOSET" REVIEW
Mr-Topshotta28 September 2023
"GIRL IN THE CLOSET" REVIEW
Directed by Jaira Thomas. A runtime of one hour and twenty-seven minutes. Streaming on Hulu and Lifetime. With a TV-14 rating.
"Patricia" played by Remy Ma has a young daughter named "Cameron" played by Brielle Oliver. They're maintaining, and living a simple life in Atlanta. They might not have the most money or lavish things. But as long as they have each other and GOD they will be fine.
"Patricia" sister "Mia" played by Tami Roman and her daughter "Angela" played by Jazz Anderson try to reconnect with that side of the family during "Cameron's" tenth birthday.
But "Patricia" wasn't having it. "Mia" had a messed up childhood. She even did some prison time. "Mia" was the black sheep of the family. "Mia" claims the rough side of her is in the past. She has a husband "Chris" played by Stevie Baggs Jr. And she's financially well off now. A little too well-off for someone not that far removed from prison. Talk about a quick rebound. Anyway, the only thing "Mia" is missing is having her family back in her life.
After a surprise medical episode. "Patricia" finds herself in need of help. She gives "Mia" a chance to show she's changed by allowing her to watch "Cameron" while she's recovering. But it turns out that's the last thing she should have done. "Mia" abducts her along with "Joanne" played by Teisha Speight, "Nancy" played by Danielle LaRoche, and "Harland" played by Jason Jamal Ligon to name a few.
"Mia", and her whole immediate family are monsters. Abducting people making them live like animals while stealing any possible check she can make off of them. You watch this heartbreaking tale where "Patrica" goes through the ultimate portrayal. Also seeing a young girl in "Cameron" grow up after many years of being abducted but never losing faith.
"Girl in the Closet" was horrible. I didn't realize it was originally a lifetime film until afterward. It makes sense. The acting was atrocious. It was hard to watch after a while. The whole time they're horrible things happening. After a while, you're like ok enough is enough. We get it.
They pulled from real events for this film. This should have been portrayed by better actors and a bigger studio. It just came off as one of those extra lifetime films. It could have been so much more instead it was miserable to watch. I give it two mor fires 🔥🔥 #CosmoandtheMovieWithin #CosmoMovieBlog #CosmoLanier #GirlintheCloset.
Directed by Jaira Thomas. A runtime of one hour and twenty-seven minutes. Streaming on Hulu and Lifetime. With a TV-14 rating.
"Patricia" played by Remy Ma has a young daughter named "Cameron" played by Brielle Oliver. They're maintaining, and living a simple life in Atlanta. They might not have the most money or lavish things. But as long as they have each other and GOD they will be fine.
"Patricia" sister "Mia" played by Tami Roman and her daughter "Angela" played by Jazz Anderson try to reconnect with that side of the family during "Cameron's" tenth birthday.
But "Patricia" wasn't having it. "Mia" had a messed up childhood. She even did some prison time. "Mia" was the black sheep of the family. "Mia" claims the rough side of her is in the past. She has a husband "Chris" played by Stevie Baggs Jr. And she's financially well off now. A little too well-off for someone not that far removed from prison. Talk about a quick rebound. Anyway, the only thing "Mia" is missing is having her family back in her life.
After a surprise medical episode. "Patricia" finds herself in need of help. She gives "Mia" a chance to show she's changed by allowing her to watch "Cameron" while she's recovering. But it turns out that's the last thing she should have done. "Mia" abducts her along with "Joanne" played by Teisha Speight, "Nancy" played by Danielle LaRoche, and "Harland" played by Jason Jamal Ligon to name a few.
"Mia", and her whole immediate family are monsters. Abducting people making them live like animals while stealing any possible check she can make off of them. You watch this heartbreaking tale where "Patrica" goes through the ultimate portrayal. Also seeing a young girl in "Cameron" grow up after many years of being abducted but never losing faith.
"Girl in the Closet" was horrible. I didn't realize it was originally a lifetime film until afterward. It makes sense. The acting was atrocious. It was hard to watch after a while. The whole time they're horrible things happening. After a while, you're like ok enough is enough. We get it.
They pulled from real events for this film. This should have been portrayed by better actors and a bigger studio. It just came off as one of those extra lifetime films. It could have been so much more instead it was miserable to watch. I give it two mor fires 🔥🔥 #CosmoandtheMovieWithin #CosmoMovieBlog #CosmoLanier #GirlintheCloset.
Not what i expected
applecrust8 October 2023
Today i wanted to watch a horror movie so logged onto hulu and found this movie, I turned on the movie expecting a much different timeline of events, hell i was thinking it was going to be like children under the stairs. But it is no where near that this movie (in my opinion) plays out horrifically and for a first tine watch it is horrific to see what those girls were put through i still have 30 minutes remaining in this movie and i could not image how any victim of trhis went through and lived through this torture and i pray for you. This is a heartbreaking and heart wrenching story to watch unfold and as of the mother of the group she is a favorite character of mine.
Aunt Mia was definitely evil!
dizzylou81810 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
For a Lifetime movie this ended up being pretty good. Yes, the subject was grim but it did depict a story that unfortunately we have seen happen several times in real life. Human trafficking has become a major problem. The actress that played Mia really played the part convincingly. She was just an evil person. There were parts of the movie that were questionable. It did seem like there were ways that someone could have escaped. Why did Mia keep the babies that were born? She could have made a big profit selling them and she was all about money. What happened to the corrupt cop? But, overall it still kept you watching and praying that the people would escape their horrible existence. I was so happy when the man cut off the lock, although I thought he was going to be killed too. Again, it wasn't the best movie I've ever seen but I would recommend it.
It's based on a TRUE STORY...duh
alannapower30 November 2023
All the ignorant people that have reviewed this movie plot as not good, or it's dumb because of plot holes, could have had this or that.... HELLO, it's a based on a TRUE STORY. They actually did a really good job at getting super close to the actual events!
I'm confused how the people writing the reviews on here don't do any sort of research before running their mouths?
Besides that the movie was very good, though very sad. They put in, surprisingly, many true details of the real story. If you are watching the movie at any point and think this is too ridiculous, well, the real story is even more horrific. People didn't run away, she did have extreme control, and everything in the movie happened, plus more, but they had to put years of horrors into about 2 hours.
Sadly the real story is even worse than the movie.
If you are curious of the real story, I suggest watching the movie, and then looking into the real story on Linda Ann Weston. Ignore the reviews on here from people who choose to foolishly speak. It's obnoxious.
I'm confused how the people writing the reviews on here don't do any sort of research before running their mouths?
Besides that the movie was very good, though very sad. They put in, surprisingly, many true details of the real story. If you are watching the movie at any point and think this is too ridiculous, well, the real story is even more horrific. People didn't run away, she did have extreme control, and everything in the movie happened, plus more, but they had to put years of horrors into about 2 hours.
Sadly the real story is even worse than the movie.
If you are curious of the real story, I suggest watching the movie, and then looking into the real story on Linda Ann Weston. Ignore the reviews on here from people who choose to foolishly speak. It's obnoxious.
See also
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