Stockholm, Pennsylvania

Stockholm, Pennsylvania
Directed byNikole Beckwith
Written byNikole Beckwith
Produced byGregg Ammon
Dan Halsted
Leslie Urdang
StarringSaoirse Ronan
Cynthia Nixon
Jason Isaacs
CinematographyArnaud Potier
Edited byJoe Klotz
Music byNora Kroll-Rosenbaum
Brian McOmber
Production
companies
Fido Features
Olympus Pictures
Distributed byLifetime
Release dates
  • January 23, 2015 (2015-01-23) (Sundance)
  • May 2, 2015 (2015-05-02) (United States)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Stockholm, Pennsylvania is a 2015 drama film directed by Nikole Beckwith, as her directorial and film-writing debut. The film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The screenplay was awarded the 2012 Nicholl Fellowship from Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[1][2]

It was produced by Greg Ammon, Leslie Urdang and Dan Halsted with the studio Fido Features. The film was acquired by Lifetime on March 26, 2015, and made its television premiere on May 2, 2015.[3] The film is edited by Joe Klotz.

Plot

Leanne Dargon is kidnapped at age 4 by Ben McKay, who confines her to his basement and renames her Leia, isolating her from almost all outside influences.

In events not directly covered in the film, she is discovered and reunited with her parents, Marcy and Glen Dargon, after an absence of 17 years.

Showing signs of Stockholm syndrome, Leia still sees Ben as her father, and sees two strangers in her biological parents.

As time passes, though, Marcy becomes the unstable one, throwing Glen out of the house, taking abrupt and erratic actions, locking Leia up and controlling her as completely as McKay had.

As the film ends, Leia escapes the captivity and vows to make a life of her own.

Cast

Reception

The film received mixed reviews, with critics comparing the second half unfavorably with the first. Rodrigo Perez from IndieWire wrote in his review that "the tone-deaf misjudgment of the film’s second half is catastrophic; a bafflingly ill-advised blunder that Stockholm, Pennsylvania never recovers from".[4]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 27% of 11 reviews are positive, and the average rating is 4.6/10.[5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100, based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6]

At the 20th Satellite Awards, the film won the award for Best Television Film.[7]

References

  1. ^ Kamen, Tory (19 January 2015). "Sundance Women Directors: Meet Nikole Beckwith – 'Stockholm, Pennsylvania'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  2. ^ Beckwith, Nikole (8 May 2015). "'Stockholm, Pennsylvania' and Our National Obsession with Abducted Women". IndieWire. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  3. ^ Kelley, Seth (26 March 2015). "Lifetime Acquires Sundance Fest Title 'Stockholm, Pennsylvania' Starring Saoirse Ronan". Variety. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  4. ^ Perez, Rodrigo (24 January 2015). "Sundance Review: 'Stockholm, Pennsylvania' Starring Saoirse Ronan & Cynthia Nixon". IndieWire. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  5. ^ "Stockholm, Pennsylvania". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  6. ^ "Stockholm, Pennsylvania Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  7. ^ "2015 Satellite Awards". International Press Academy. Retrieved January 19, 2023.