Naman Shrestha
Lifetime’s ‘You Can’t Escape Me’ is a thriller film that follows the life of an aspiring artist who has had enough of her abusive husband and decides to get away from him for good. In order to start afresh and make it hard for her husband to find her, she moves in with a college friend in Seattle, but little does she know that the danger is far from over. However, this time, she would be better prepared come what may.
The John Murlowski directorial features impressive onscreen performances from a group of talented actors and actresses, including Gina Vitori, Alex Trumble, Nicholas Downs, Fidelia Grace, and Michael Scovotti. The realistic themes of an abusive partner and escaping to a new city are predominant throughout the film, which is bound to make the viewers pose the question — is ‘You Can’t Escape Me’ inspired by true events? Well, let’s explore the same and find out, shall we?
You Can’t Escape Me is a Fictional Story
No, ‘You Can’t Escape Me’ is not based on a true story. However, the thrilling storyline can be credited to the penmanship of the writer Emily Golden, who has also worked on ‘Colors of Love,’ ‘The Hollow One,’ and ‘Baby Monitor Murders.’ Thanks to her experience in the industry and brilliant writing prowess, Emily was able to craft a realistic yet engaging screenplay for the Lifetime film.
We all have either witnessed or heard about domestic violence cases in the real world, which is one of the primary subjects that the movie sheds light upon. So, it is natural for many of you to wonder if it is actually rooted in reality or not. Moreover, another reason you might find these themes — domestic violence and moving to a new city for a fresh start — pretty familiar is that these subjects and instances have been explored in a number of movies and TV shows over the years, such as ‘This Boy’s Life’ and ‘I, Tonya.’ However, one of the closest examples has to be that of the 2002 thriller movie ‘Enough,’ which is based on Anna Quindlen’s 1998 novel titled ‘Black and Blue.’
The Michael Apted directorial follows a local waitress named Slim Miller, portrayed by Jennifer Lopez, who marries her dream man, Mitch, only to realize he is abusive. In order to break free from the pattern of abuse, she decides to flee away along with her young daughter and moves in with an old friend in Seattle. Still, Mitch stays in pursuit of his wife and somehow tracks her down. However, Slim is ready to take some extreme actions for the safety of her daughter and herself.
As you can see, ‘Enough’ and ‘You Can’t Escape Me’ not only consist of almost the same themes and subjects but there is a significant amount of similarities in the storyline as well. The protagonists of both the movies in question are also similar to each other in many ways. So, keeping all the above-mentioned factors in mind, it would be fair to say that despite the inclusion of familiar and realistic themes in ‘You Can’t Escape Me,’ the Lifetime film is not rooted in reality and is a fictional tale.
Read More: Where Was Lifetime’s You Can’t Escape Me Filmed? Who is in the Cast?
