The film is adapted from real events. The English name "An American Crime" actually has a very deep meaning, because in this film, the crime suffered by the girl Sylvia is not simply committed by Gertrude, the eldest daughter Paula's deliberate frame, The inaction of her own sister, the constant bullying of the surrounding children, and even Richard, who likes Sylvia, did not save her. What a terrible crime this is. If Getrude is a bomb, the explosion has also become a fuse that triggers group violence. Of course, the children's ability to distinguish between good and evil has not been fully formed, and it is not surprising to do such a thing under the "teaching" of such a mother. There are actually two characters in the play. One is the child's parents. Although they have worked hard, they hand over the child to others without any investigation, which is very irresponsible. The second time I heard about the abuse of children, I just wanted to stay out of the way and not call the police. This is social indifference. So the original title of the film is really intriguing.
This film is not a feature film with a very complicated plot. It starts with interrogation in court and confessions of witnesses/defendants, and is constantly interspersed with the progress of the whole story. It is a method of recalling narrative.
The actress Catherine Keener, who plays Gertrude, performed very well in this film. The complex emotions are fully conveyed through her eyes, showing a cowardly, pitiful, cruel and selfish mother image. Her misfortune is tragic, but it is doomed, and she doesn't even know where the reason for her misfortune comes from. When I was young, I became pregnant out of wedlock. After giving birth to 3 children, my husband left. In order to make a living, I went around to work, and my body was soon in a state of overdraft. In addition, he met an unreliable gangster boyfriend after that. He didn't know anything but borrowed money from Gertrude. After giving birth to a child, he still failed to fulfill his father's duties. However, although Gertrude knew it well, he couldn't resist the temptation of his body, and gave his boyfriend the money that the family depended on for survival time and time again. After knowing that the eldest daughter Paula is pregnant, in order to protect her daughter, she commits unforgivable sins to Sylvia step by step. However, the most astounding thing is that, as the last defendant to appear in court, Gertrude sacrificed her children in order to protect herself. Of course, her self-deception failed to hide from the court's review and was eventually sentenced to life imprisonment.
The only regret is that when the director told about Sylvia being bullied by everyone and hurt by Gertrude, he still paid little attention to the process of the girl's step by step towards despair.
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