Taking a chance at the DVD market the TV thriller film Her Stolen Past comes out today. It’s a nicely acted and written film with an unusual story and for that it’s worth the watch. The film is based on a Harlequin novel that was written by Lynette Eason. If you like movies that contain a murder mystery with a decent twist, then this is certainly your cup of tea.
Medical graduate student Sonya Daniels (Shanice Banton) finds herself an orphan when her mother Janet (Darlene Cooke) gets murdered one evening in the parking garage. Many in the town knew Janet and she was well respected in the church she attended. The police investigator Hector Sanchez (Tony Nappo) has nothing to go on except that it was a robbery. Her best friend Missy (Samantha Munro) does her best to help her get over the killing, but it’s not enough to stop Sonya from digging into the murder herself.
After finding a strange birth certificate in her mother’s belongings, she hires a local ex-cop Brandon Hayes (Michael Xavier) to check on why it was in her possession. When the strange document involves a well-to-do family in town, suspicions start to rise. Director Penelope Buitenhuis moves her film along at a nice pace establishing the crime and adding a lot of clues that start making sense. She keeps Private Investigator Hayes working several leads that although don’t seem to pan out, it makes the film compelling and ups the curiosity level. She then adds a few twists that you did not expect until the film comes to a nice turn of events.
Shanice Banton, as the daughter who finds herself in the middle of a mystery, gives a very good performance. She develops her character nicely from mild mannered Sonya to a determined woman who wants answers as the story progresses. She knows the police have missed something and she’s suspicious that the clues seem to be going nowhere. Pushing Hayes to come up with something, the two of them find themselves nosing in dangerous ground.
Some of the film does get a bit predictable, but if you just go with the story you’ll find that the twists do make for a mystery you may have not solved to the very end. It’s a nice light film for free time on a lazy afternoon or with tea and crumpets with the girls. I found the finale quite touching.
Her Stolen Past has been rated as TV-PG and contains violence and some language.
FINAL ANALYSIS: For the ladies. (3 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Starring: Shanice Banton, Barbara Eve Harris, Darlene Cooke, Tony Nappo, Brandon Hayes, Kim Roberts
Directed by: Penelope Buitenhuis
Genre: Thriller
Running Time: 1 hr. 27 min.
TV Rating: PG, contains violence, some language
Original Theatrical Release: August 4, 2018 Lifetime
Video Release Date: October 9, 2018
Language: English
Reviewed Format: DVD
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: 16×9, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Number of Discs: 1 Disc
Distributed by: Lionsgate
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
