Peter Gruendler Having followed media coverage regarding Miss Kampusch since 1998, I knew the story quite well.The movie focused completely on her -- and only her -- situation during eight and a half years of captivity. Since the movie is based on her autobiographical book "3096 Tage", we learn very little about the kidnapper's motives and his emotional world. Also, her father's sad story is completely omitted. This is probably also the case for the book, which I haven't read.But still, the movie didn't quite catch me. I felt no emotions whatsoever, neither for her nor for her kidnapper. Cold soberness.However, Antonia Campbell-Hughes performed excellently throughout the story, as did Thure Lindhardt. Light and photography was also excellent, adding to the matter-of- factness of the movie.

Dorveille I came to this movie having read Natascha Kampusch's book of the same name, and watched a documentary about the case.In it's favour the events depicted in the film are pretty accurate to how they were described in the book. Wolfgang Přiklopil's house and the cell he built are close to how they really were. But is authenticity enough to make this a good movie? Well, not really. The film feels very flat, there is very little sense of tension or drama, it's just a plodding retelling of the events.Thure Lindhardt and Antonia Campbell-Hughes are fine in the roles of Přiklopil and Kampusch. However, some of the other actors are less successful, and it seems as though some of their voices have been re- dubbed?The main problem with the film is its lack of insight. The film barely explored Kampusch's inner thoughts during the experience, the coping strategies that allowed her to endure the ordeal. And what of Přiklopil? We know nothing really about him, what drove him to do what he did? What happened to him to make him the way he was?The relationship that developed between Kampusch and Přiklopil was complex. She never lost sight that a crime was being committed and that she had to escape, but she also came to sympathise with him, seeing him as a damaged human being.Some have said this story shouldn't have been filmed. I don't agree - but I do think it needed to be handled in a different way. Kampusch's story is an extraordinary one, and it really deserved a film that could do it justice.If you want the full story of what happened, read the book instead.

tfelin A topic based on the kidnapping of a child is packed with such substance and emotion that it naturally raises expectations for the viewers to experience similar emotions. One would expect to get a glimpse of what it feels and looks like to be in the state of Natascha Kampusch for 8 grueling years. Instead the viewer is given completely erratic scenes one after the other that merely raise the suspicion that the script was created by a 12-year-old and the actors hired off the street. A well written script with capturing directing would have done this emotion-packed story justice, however, the characters are left completely shallow and meaningless to the viewer due to poor directing, senseless dialog, horribly cut scenes and actors with the kind of talent most often seen in infomercials.

Brian Bishop Wow! What can be said about a movie with such a devastating topic. Apparently, from reading some of the comments in the forums, lots. People seem to like to focus on the negatives don't they. They want to zoom right in with their high powered microscopes. They want to pick and pull apart the parts that affected them and they want others to agree with them. I am no different. Sure there was a lot to talk about. Sure you can say that the actors said some things that they might not've, had they thought about things. But we all misspeak. We all open our mouths before we consider all that our words can mean.This movie has a simple way of shocking. If you're not somewhat experienced in kidnapping movies, this one will make you malfunction inside for a week or two. Why do we make such movies, why do people want to share their stories and "profit" from this horror..? The answer might be easy to overlook.If you need to reconsider bringing kids into this world, if you need to compare how you spend the little time left in your life... If you need a reason to hug your kids and are struggling to find the love that they need... If you feel like you might be missing something from your life... Watch this movie. If you find that after watching this movie, you don't cherish every minute of your life, you don't remember every moment with your loved ones, you might be more of a monster than Wolfgang's mother.Should we stop making movies about the horrors of our world, it won't make them stop happening. Should we stop "feeling" and sympathizing and paying real attention to the world around us, it's time for someone to put us in a cage for eight years.