The story of Patty Hearst drew global headlines decades ago, as the granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst was kidnapped, held hostage for months, and then reappeared to rob a bank at gunpoint. It wasn’t until years later that we found out the tragic real story behind what drove Hearst to commit crimes and be sent to jail. And now, the new film, “American Woman,” takes another look at the situation but in a slightly fictionalized way.
READ MORE: ‘American Woman’ Can’t Match Hong Chau’s Strong Performance [Tribeca Review]
As seen in the trailer for “American Woman,” the story of Patty Hearst is clearly the inspiration for the film. After a young woman is kidnapped and tortured, she’s seemingly rescued by someone that helps her escape and live a life on the run. But instead of the film focusing completely on the kidnapped girl, “American Woman” is told from the point of view of Jenny, an activist that is assigned to take care of her and helps her leave the terrible situation.
The film stars Hong Chau, Sarah Gadon, Ellen Burstyn, John Gallagher Jr., and Lola Kirke. “American Woman” is written and directed by Semi Chellas. While this film marks the filmmakers feature directorial debut, Chellas previously wrote episodes of “Mad Men” and “The Romanoffs,” as well as the recent period feature, “Ophelia.”
The film debuted at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival and would go on to play a number of other events, including last year’s TIFF. “American Woman” is expected to arrive soon on VOD.
Here’s the synopsis:
Inspired by the headline-dominating kidnapping of heiress Patty Hearst in 1974, this atmospheric drama is a fictionalized re-imagining of her time in hiding, from the perspective of Jenny, a political activist assigned to take care of her.
