Girl in the Closet is a low-budget TV movie that gives us a peek into the lives of trafficked children, but nothing more beyond that. There is no compelling story or drama; no suspense as to how the children might possibly escape, or rousing speeches about how the system failed these kids. Instead of a real plot, the movie strings together one shocking abuse after the other and constantly jumps forward in time (one year later, five years later, nine months after) in an attempt to rush towards its predictable ending. It would’ve been thoroughly unwatchable if it weren’t for some dedicated performances, namely by Peters and Roman, who give much more than what the flimsy script and loose editing deserve.
Synopsis
Based on real-life events, Girl In the Closet tells the story of 10 year old Cameron, who, after her mother suffered an aneurysm, was adopted by her Aunt Mia, who already had a husband and daughter of her own. Soon after arriving in her new home, Cameron started hearing strange, ghostly voices at night coming from the basement's locked door. Little Cameron would soon discover what was actually behind that door, people chained to the wall, innocent victims of her Aunt's schemes to enrich herself by cashing their benefit checks. It wasn't long before Cameron was demoted down into the basement herself, where she would stay for the next ten years while police thought she was missing.
Storyline
After her mother is hospitalized, Cameron (Daijah Peters) is taken under the wings of her Aunt Mia (Tami Roman), a seemingly caring figure with a dark secret.
TLDR
This is the kind of TV movie that plays late at night or very early in the morning—basically when no one is up to catch it.
What stands out
Though the filmmakers have yet to confirm it, some viewers connect the film to the real-life “Girl in the Closet,” a victim named Lauren Kavanaugh who was kept in the closet as a toddler and subject to domestic and sexual abuse. If it’s true that this movie lifts from Kavanaugh’s case, it feels disrespectful to put out something as slapdash as this to commemorate her and other victims’ struggle. It’s this gall, more than anything, that stands out about this movie.