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Girl in the basement Movie:
Before explaining The Girl In The Basement Full Movie Plot Summary and Ending, there is little to know about this movie. The movie Girl in the Basement is based on a heartbreaking true story that happened in Amstetten, a small and unknown town in Austria.The movie Girl in the Basement revolves around a young woman named Sarah. Young Sarah is kidnapped by her father, Don, and held captive in a basement. The movie was released in 2021. In this article, we will provide a detailed plot summary of Girl in the Basement movie and explain the ending.
- Director : Elisabeth Röhm
- Writer : Barbara Marshall
- Stars : Judd Nelson, Stefanie Scott, Joely Fisher.
- IMDB Rating : 6.3/10
is girl in the basement a true story?
Although the names and geographical locations of the characters in the film Girl in the Basement are fictional, the incredible story of the film is actually based on real events.
According to a report by thesun.co.uk , girl in the basement is a true story of Amstetten, a small town in Austria. The real name of the daughter’s character is Elizabeth Fritzl, Sara in the film, and the real name of the father’s character is Joseph, Don in the film.
Joseph actually physically abused his own daughter Elizabeth by locking her in the basement resulting in the birth of 7 children. After this incident and this disgusting relationship between father and daughter came to light, the whole world shook with fear.
The whole world condemned the incident. Later, a film was made based on this horrible incident, which became known to the world.
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Spoilers Ahead.
Girl in the basement Full Movie Plot Summary:
The opening scene of the movie:
The Girl in the Basement movie begins with a woman and a girl on her lap, the girl seems to be having difficulties in breathing and they’re heading to the hospital. Sometime later they finally arrive at the hospital and while carrying the girl inside the man warns the woman to keep her mouth shut and not to say a word. They get inside the hospital and ask for help, the nurses quickly take the girl for treatment while the woman watches from the window.
The movie starts here:
After the opening scene, We’re taken 20 years back into the past and we see a family eating at a table. In the family are husband and wife don and Renee and their two daughters Amy and Sarah. Sarah says she is going to a campfire party but don doesn’t allows her to go because she didn’t ask him for permission and he commands her to go into her room. Sarah is rebellious and she sneaks out from the house, her motorcycle-riding boyfriend Chris has come to pick her up, they share a k*ss and then head to the party.
They enjoy the party and spend some time with each other in the fields, Chris plays the guitar and sings a song for Sarah, then he confesses his love for her and she also says that she reciprocates the same. Meanwhile, back at home Renee unknown of the fact that Sarah is not in her room tries to console her daughter from behind the door but when an angry Don (father) comes and opens her room with the keys, only finds out that Sarah has sneaked out from the window. Don seems extremely pissed at his daughter!
In the next morning, Don is sitting at the front door and when Sarah comes home, he notices Chris. Sarah tries to enter the house from the back door but Don calmly asks her to come from the front when she tries to enter, he angrily demands answers from Sarah. Don asks her when did he give her permission to date someone to which she replies that’s none of his business and tells him that the day she turns 18 she’s gonna leave and run away. After hearing that he screams at her and reminds her that she will have to obey his rules as long as she lives in his house. Renee comes and stops the argument, Sarah quickly runs into her room, and sometime later, Amy comes to check on her and they talk, Amy advises Sarah not to argue with Don. Sarah says he’s crazy and somebody has to stand up to him.
Father plans to lock Sarah in the basement:
While the girls are talking, their mother Renee also joins their conversation Sarah reveals her plans to move out on her own when she becomes 18. She tells Amy and Renee that she will start from Florida and travel the world, as they speak Don also overhears their conversation. Don, upon hearing their conversation makes some evil plans, he starts by cleaning and preparing a bomb shelter in their basement, in which he intends to lock Sarah, so she can’t leave him.
Father successfully locked his own girl in the basement:
Three months later, Sarah has now completed her graduation and her 18th birthday is also very close. One day Don is trimming some garden trees and Sarah is speaking with Chris on the phone. Renee comes and asks Sarah about Don, Sarah tells her that he’s in the garden! Renee says she’s worried about him because lately these days he is spending too much time in the basement, she wants to know what he does down there to which Sarah replies that she should go herself and check the place out. Renee tells her that Don says there are rats down there and she hates rats that’s why she wouldn’t go down there. Renee tells her that she is going for shopping and invites Sarah to come with her but Sarah denies it, she says she can’t come with her because she is talking to her boyfriend Chris. Renee leaves with her car and now there is only Don and Sarah in the house Don is about to do something which will change Sarah’s life forever, he asks Sarah to help him move some stuff. Sarah hangs up the phone and goes to help him, they move a bucket inside the basement, he then locks her inside and leaves! Sarah is completely shocked by what her father just did, she tries to open the door with the keypad but when she enters the wrong code the lights go off, and the place gets dark.
Sarah found a bucket in the basement, she searches the bucket, it was full of clothes and other stuff, and there was also a flashlight for her. She screams in the vent for help but unfortunately, Don hears her voice and covers the vent up with some stuff and leaves. Sarah is now literally trapped inside a bomb shelter and it is also completely soundproof. Nightfalls and Renee and Amy who thought Sarah went to see a friend have now started to become worried about her because she didn’t come back and hasn’t even called them yet. Renee wants to call the cops but Don reassures her, he tells her that she’ll be back in the morning and they should now go to sleep. Renee asks Amy to call Chris and leaves. Day one ends with many many more to come! Day two-Sarah is living like a caged animal, she uses a pot to urinate, the keypad in the door has three tries before shutting down the room’s lights and air circulation.
Day 4- in the Basement :
Sarah uses every moment to scream for help through the vent, when Don comes to check on her, she flanks him and tries to run outside but only to be stopped by another door. Don drags her inside the room and tells her that this is the consequence of her own actions and she should have listened to him. Sarah begs him to let her out but he says that is something he can’t do, he tells her that she gets the air, food, and clothes only if he wants and she can also have blankets and books but only if he says, everything she gets now and every privilege she will have to earn these things from now on, then he asks her if she understands or not? she doesn’t reply anything, in return, Don slaps her and then he R* PES his own daughter and leaves.
Back in the house Renee has called the cops and tells the officer that Sarah wouldn’t just leave like this and something might have happened to her, Don comes and persuades the officer to think that she has run away from home, he also tells him about her plans to start from Florida and travel the 50 states when she becomes 18. Renee says that it was not her plan, it was just a dream plus she hasn’t had her birthday yet and she wouldn’t just leave like this without even saying goodbye to her. The officer tells her that Sarah soon will turn 18 and she has the right to go to any place as she pleases he has seen this kind of case, and there’s nothing much they can do about it.
Day 7- in the Basement :
It is day 7- Sarah is bruised and battered, to get herself through the Trauma she’s experiencing she thinks about Chris and the night they spend together, we get to see a conversation, and she tells him about her plans to leave when she turns 18. Chris tells her that he loves her and that wherever she goes he will also join her. They both make a plan to travel the world in the motorcycle, Sarah wants a pink helmet and Chris agrees.
The scene changes and ironically Chris shows up with his motorcycle, he also brought the pink helmet which he promised to Sarah. He questions Don about where Sarah is and asks if she has called them yet. But Don lies to him, he says that she ran off with another man named Stevie, and he tells him that she always talked about leaving the house with Stevie. Upon hearing this, a heartbroken Chris leaves with the helmet he brought for Sarah.
After Day 21- in the Basement :
21 days have passed and today is Sarah’s birthday Don goes downstairs gives her a birthday cake, he gives her a red dress as a birthday gift and forces her to put it, and asks her what she wants. Sarah says she wants to be released to which he says that it is too early, then she asks for a tv to which she says that she has to earn it, then she asks for a clock and he agrees to that and when she calls him dad he commands her to call him Don from now on, then he asks her to come closer and probably she gets raped again.
Day 38- in the Basement :
Day 38- Sarah makes a plan to kill Don with a lid of a beef can, she makes a weapon from the can lid attached to some wood and waits for him to come down. When he comes down she is wearing the same red dress, when he gets closer she attacks him but he easily avoids the attack and beats her, and probably, R* PES her again.
Day 38 – 354 in the Basement :
movie Fast forward from day 38 to day 354- Sarah seems to be pregnant with her father’s child, she uses a nursing book to prepare for the baby, but suddenly she feels extreme pain and delivers her baby with no medical assistance or proper medical hygiene. She has given birth to a girl, she names the baby Marie. Four years later, Sarah is pregnant again and she is raising her daughter.Don has come to visit them, he has also provided them with some basic necessities such as a table, cupboards, mattress, etc. Sarah seems calmed down and talks with Don, even offering him tea. Don says he has got a promotion and tells that he is going to have a new office. Marie calls him dad and shows him a drawing she made, he seems happy, Sarah tells him that soon there’s gonna be three of them here and asks him whether he could release them to which he responds angrily and goes upstairs for dinner.
While having dinner, Renee argues with Don, she says she wants to hire a private investigator because Don never tried hard to find Sarah. He tells her that they have already spent more than five thousand dollars in Florida to search for her and he’s not going to spend any more money on her. He tells her to move on and focus on Amy. He screams, breaks some plates, and leaves. He later provides Sarah and Marie with a TV as a Christmas present, Sarah is very happy because finally she got a TV. Year seven – Sarah has given birth to a son named Michael and they all are living in the basement, Marie seems to be sick and having difficulties in breathing. Don provides some pills but Sarah says they are not for kids and she does not know what the dosage would be? she demands Marie needs a doctor but dons just leaves.
The next day Chris meets with Amy, he says he’s still looking for Sarah and shares with Amy the lies he heard from Don about Sarah running away with Stevie. Amy admits that her father has been abusive with her mother and thinks that he did something to her sister. Later that day, she confronts don and accuses him of doing something to Sarah. Renee still wants to go to a private investigator which sets Don off! they argue and don drops his basement keys, Amy picks them up and snoops around the basement only to be caught by an aggressive Don meanwhile, down in the basement Sarah plays with her kids.
Sarah gives birth to her third baby :
Time passes and Sarah gives birth to her third baby a boy. She named him Thomas, she tells Don that there is no room here for a third child, and convinces him to leave the baby for Renee to raise him. Don agrees and on the next day he puts the baby on the doorstep with a note from Sarah, asking her to take care of her newborn baby. Renee bursts out from tears when she finds the baby and the note, she takes the baby and goes inside but she misses a smaller note that Sarah left, asking her to call the police because she is trapped in the basement. unfortunately, Don gets hold of the smaller note. He goes into the basement, takes out his rage on Sarah, and leaves.
Year 14 – in the Basement :
Marie and Michael have grown up, Don now has his eyes on a teen Marie. Sarah requests him to leave her alone and tells him that she’s just a kid. The kids also have social anxiety problems from being locked in a basement bunker their whole lives, they do not understand how horrible the situation they are really in is.
17 years have passed in the Basement :
17 years have passed, and it’s raining outside. Renee has some bonding time with their grandson Thomas. Sarah is pregnant again and sometime later, they notice a leak in the ceiling and start digging their way out with a spoon. Sarah spends all night digging, the hole leads to the front yard and she flashes a light signaling the neighbor for help. The neighbor notices the light, he goes to the front door, and informs Don, Don says that everything is fine and sends the neighbor back. Then, he goes downstairs and takes out his rage by brutally beating his pregnant daughter! causing her to miscarry.
Year 18 – in the Basement :
18 years in captivity, Don fills Sarah in about her other son Thomas living just above them. He tells her that Thomas is getting big and strong day by day and he wants to play football next year in addition to baseball. Michael says he also wishes to play baseball. Don says it all depends on how their mother behaves and turns Marie and Michael against Sarah. Later that day, they demand to be let out and Sarah can’t take it. She freaks out and collapses on the floor, crying she thinks of her boyfriend Christopher, and the love he showed her. The kids realize their mistakes and clean up all the mess. When Sarah wakes up, she finally tells her children the truth about Don and that Renee is her mother and Don’s wife and she is his daughter, the kids understandably are overwhelmed. Marie is asthmatic and has trouble breathing due to the limited air supply in the basement.
Year 19 – in the Basement :
19 years in captivity Don comes down to the basement and has an argument with Sarah about rationing food. Michael gets angry and tries to beat up Don but that only makes him angrier. He tells Michael that Thomas is younger than him but he’s bigger and stronger than him. Above ground, Don isn’t doing so great either, he constantly fights with his wife, he’s fired from his job and his house is in foreclosure. He is tired of taking care of Sarah and the kids and tries to kill them when they are sleeping. He keeps his car on and funnels carbon monoxide into the basement’s air vents with a hose. Thomas catches Don in the garage and wonders what his grandfather is doing. Don tells him he’s just checking his car. After Thomas leaves, Don has a change of heart and doesn’t kill them. He goes to the basement to check on them and we see that they’re okay and still sleeping.
Year 20 – in the Basement :
Marie has had an asthma attack so bad, that she needs medical attention. Sarah begs Don to take them to the hospital but he denies it, but when she calls him dad he has a change of heart and agrees to take Marie to the hospital. But he only allows Sarah to come with him and Michael stays in the basement. After 20 years, Sarah finally comes upstairs and has an emotional breakdown but she quickly gets a hold of herself and then rushes Marie to the ER. It is the same scene we saw at the start of the film. Doctors are able to save Marie, a concerned doctor asks about Marie’s medical history and also gives Don a form to fill out.
Sarah asks Don to go to the bathroom. but Don refuses to let her go, she spills water on Don’s paperwork and makes her way to get help while he gets a new form. Sarah tells the doctor everything, Don is arrested and put away for life, and Michael is also rescued from the basement. Renee is horrified to learn the truth about what happened to her daughter at her husband’s hand in her own house! The family all move in together. Chris also shows up and gives Sarah the pink helmet which he promised to her and was holding on to for all those years.
They talk about their teenage plans for the future, Chris apologizes for not trying harder to find Sarah then, they go for a ride together. The movie ends with that being said.
Girl in the Basement ending explained:
The Girl in the Basement movie has a bittersweet ending. Although Sara is eventually rescued from her captivity, her life is irreparably damaged by what she has gone through. We see him struggling to adjust to life outside the basement, and it’s clear he has a long road to recovery ahead of him.
The movie shows us the effect the events have on Sarah’s family. Karen is understandably delighted to be reunited with her daughter, but is deeply traumatized by what has happened. Don, on the other hand, struggles to accept the fact that he failed to protect his daughter.
The movie ends with Sarah and her family trying to move on with their lives. However, it is clear that the trauma they experienced will haunt them for a long time to come.
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