Naman Shrestha
With Soran Mardookhi at the helm, Lifetime’s ‘My Son Didn’t Do It‘ is a crime thriller drama film that centers upon a single mother with a successful career who tries to have a balanced life by taking time out for her family as well. Her seemingly picture-perfect world gets tainted when her shy teenage son is accused of murdering a young woman he met online. Now, she must do everything in her power to prove her son’s innocence and find the actual perpetrator.
Featuring impressive onscreen performances from a group of talented actors, including Gina Holden, Jason Cermak, Zoe Christie, and Stephanie Izsak, the thriller movie consists of a number of true-to-life themes, including the wrongful accusation of a teenage individual. Thus, it is natural for you to pose the question — is ‘My Son Didn’t Do It’ rooted in reality? Well, in that case, allow us to provide you with a detailed answer!
My Son Didn’t Do It is Screenwriter Jan Libby’s Original Creation
‘My Son Didn’t Do It’ is not based on a true story. Instead, the screenwriter Jan Libby, who has worked on ‘Sev7nth Circle’ and ‘Lonelygirl15,’ conceived the idea for the storyline. With the help of his experience in the industry, creative mind, and exceptional writing skills, he was able to bring his idea to life and conjure up the thrilling yet seemingly realistic screenplay for the Lifetime movie.
In real life, people getting wrongfully accused of a crime they never committed is unfortunately not something uncommon. There have been cases in real life where an individual is charged and sentenced with a crime only to be released years later after their innocence is proven. For instance, Cedric Dent was incarcerated in 1997 for a murder he did not commit. It took more than two decades to prove that he was innocent and his conviction should be vacated.
Besides the real-life cases, another reason why you might find the theme of wrongful accusation familiar is that it has been explored in a number of movies and TV shows over the years. One of the aptest examples has to be that of the 2017 crime drama film, Lifetime’s ‘Mommy, I Didn’t Do It.’ The Richard Gabai directorial stars Danica McKellar as Ellen Plainview who looks forward to spending some quality time with her daughter after finishing law school.
Unfortunately, Ellen’s plans don’t come to fruition as her daughter gets accused of murdering a teacher. Now, she must put that law school education to good use and protect her family while discovering the truth about the case. Thus, there are several similarities between the storylines as well as some characters of the two movies in question. So, by taking into consideration all the above-mentioned factors, we can come to the conclusion that ‘My Son Didn’t Do It’ might consist of some true-to-life elements but it doesn’t change the fact that it is a work of fiction.
Read More: Where Was Lifetime’s My Son Didn’t Do It Filmed? Who is in the Cast?
