Directed by Noel Nosseck, ‘No One Would Tell’ narrates the tale of Stacey Collins and her relationship with Bobby Tennison. Stacey is a shy sixteen-year-old girl with just a little bit of a crush on Bobby Tennison, the most popular guy in their high school and one of the school’s star athletes. When Bobby starts to reciprocate her feelings and asks to date her, Stacey can’t believe her luck! The film features Fred Savage, Candace Cameron Bure, Heather McComb, and Michelle Phillips in key roles.
The 1996 teen crime drama film is a powerful and thought-provoking take on romantic relationships and the perils which sometimes come with them. The compelling story, fueled by the raw and masterful acting of the two leads, makes the audience wonder whether or not there’s something real behind the reel. If you are curious about the same, here’s everything you need to know about ‘No One Would Tell.’
No One Would Tell is Based on Amy Carnevale’s Real-Life Tragedy
Yes, ‘No One Would Tell’ is based on a true story. The television film was produced from an original script written by Steve Loring. It is based on the brutal murder of Amy Carnevale, then 14-year-old, at the hands of her 16-year-old ex-boyfriend Jamie Fuller on August 23, 1991, in Beverly, Massachusetts. When the details of the horrendous crime were brought to light, it rocked the entire city to its core.
By the time ‘No One Would Tell’ was released on television, the entire country was intimately familiar with the details of the murder case owing to all the media coverage. Even the film drives home the culmination of events that led to such an awful tragedy in its opening scene, with Bobby Tennison (Fred Savage) staring blankly at his friend who asks him in horror and disbelief “What did you do, man!? What the hell did you do!?”
The relationship between Bobby and Stacey (Candace Cameron Bure) starts out normally – the two are happy, awkward, and almost inseparable; it’s the typical “puppy dog” love one sees in teen romantic comedies. But only after a few weeks, the dynamic between them starts to change when Bobby becomes increasingly paranoid and possessive of his girlfriend. The situation becomes worse with each passing day, to the point where Bobby starts to dictate who Stacey can meet with and what she should wear in front of other people.
Things escalate when Bobby pushes Stacey into a bookcase in anger for speaking to her friends when they coincidentally run into the young couple in the library; all because Stacey told him that the two of them would be alone with each other while they study. Bobby immediately apologizes, but this incident marks the beginning of a string of such “uncontrollable” pushes.
While ‘No One Would Tell’ is based on real-life events, certain details in the film have been added or changed in order to create a more emotionally engaging story for the viewers at home. First and foremost is that all the names in the film are different from their real-life counterparts, out of respect for the victim and her family and friends. Another detail that has been added is Stacey’s mother’s relationship with her own boyfriend, which mirrors Lauren’s relationship to a certain extent. A single mother, Lauren Collins (Michelle Phillips) is with a man in ‘No One Would Tell’ who is self-centered and selfish, and is often shown berating Lauren for the way she dresses – all the behavior that Bobby displays in his own relationship with Stacey.
Ironically, both the mother and daughter advice each other to leave their respective partners because they see what the other is going through, and who is to blame, but at the same time refuse to do so by giving almost the same excuses and blaming themselves for the way their boyfriends’ are acting.
The film’s depiction of intimate partner violence and its continuation even after the couple in question have separated is both horrifying and made all the more real because of the true story it is based on. In fact, the title itself alludes to the fact that most cases of intimate partner violence are never revealed by both the victims and those around them because of the general mentality that it is something between the couple, and for them to resolve behind closed doors. This aspect of an abusive relationship is shown through the people around Stacey and Bobby who notice everything that is going on, but don’t speak up until it is too late.
Though a chilling tale, the fact that ‘No One Would Tell’ has been executed well as a production – from the themes and cinematography to the music – cannot be denied. Fred Savage as Bobby Tennison is simply brilliant; the way he switches between boyish charm to an uncaring and apathetic boyfriend is eery. This change in his character’s personality is accentuated by the use of shadows, with one-half of his face almost always in the darkness. Paired with his blank, dead eyes in these scenes, Savage’s face takes on a believably obsessive and unhinged appearance.
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