Naman Shrestha
Inspired by events that have taken place in real life, Lifetime’s ‘A Kidnapping in Amish Country’ offers a detailed exploration of the Amish community through the eyes of the protagonist, Lena. With Cat Hostick at the helm, the thriller drama movie focuses on a typical Amish woman named Lena, who has gone through various ups and downs that life has thrown her way. Up until now, she has managed to pull through all the rough patches. However, when she realizes that her daughter is kidnapped, she faces the most difficult situation of her life.
Desperate to find the whereabouts of her beloved daughter, Lena turns to her estranged best friend, Skye, and asks for her help. Skye was also an Amish woman like Lena, but she left the community long ago and became a popular social media star. Through her influence and connections, Skye is the only person who understands her situation and can help her reunite with her missing daughter. The secluded setting of the green pastures and the countryside adds more authenticity to the narrative, keeping the audience hooked from start to finish.
Where Was A Kidnapping in Amish Country Filmed?
The shooting of ‘A Kidnapping in Amish Country’ was reportedly carried out entirely in Ontario, specifically in Hamilton. From what we can tell, the principal photography for the Lifetime production took place in the month of June 2024, over the course of a few weeks. The cast and crew supposedly had a great time shooting on the set as they took home a lot of cherishable memories.
Hamilton, Ontario
Almost all the pivotal sequences of ‘A Kidnapping in Amish Country’ were lensed in and around the city of Hamilton, which is situated on the western end of the Niagara Peninsula in Southern Ontario. In particular, the production team reportedly set up camp in the Westfield Heritage Village in order to portray the isolated setting of the Amish community. Although one can spot various historic buildings in the backdrops, the Misener House features heavily in exterior shots. Established in 1832, the property was inhabited by three generations of the Misener family for more than a century. From the looks of it, the filming unit also utilized the facilities of the Hamilton Film Studios at 34 Lincoln Street in Hamilton to shoot various key scenes.
Filmmakers find many advantages of filming in Hamilton, such as the presence of a number of film studios in and around the city, its proximity to Toronto, and many picturesque and shooting-worthy streets and neighborhoods. In the aerial or establishing shots, you are likely to spot various landmarks and places of interest, including Dundurn Castle, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Tim Hortons Field, and Webster’s Falls. Besides ‘A Kidnapping in Amish Country,’ the production of numerous other thrillers have taken place in Hamilton, some of them being ‘Nightmare Alley,’ ‘Gone in 60 Seconds,’ ‘The Long Kiss Goodnight,’ ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ ‘Gotham Knights,’ and ‘Most Dangerous Game.’
A Kidnapping in Amish Country Cast
Widely recognized for her role as Cara Spader in ‘Rabbit Hole,’ Jorja Cadence dons the garb of Lena, the Amish woman whose daughter goes missing, in the Lifetime film. She also features in quite a few other popular TV shows, such as ‘Sex/Life,’ ‘Letterkenny,’ ‘Reacher,’ and ‘Children Ruin Everything.’ Her face might also be familiar to some of you because of her appearance in movies like ‘Gwen Shamblin: Starving for Salvation,’ ‘Romance in Style,’ ‘A Christmas Letter,’ and ‘Priscilla.’ Opposite her is Elise Bauman, who portrays Skye, Lena’s estranged best friend, in ‘A Kidnapping in Amish Country.’
You might recognize Elise from her roles in multiple film and TV projects, such as ‘Below Her Mouth,’ ‘The Carmilla Movie,’ ‘Love in Translation,’ ‘Under the Christmas Tree,’ ‘One More Time,’ ‘Workin’ Moms,’ ‘Good Witch,’ ‘Carmilla,’ and ‘Young Badlands.’ In addition to the lead actors, numerous other talented feature in supporting roles, including Benjamin Sutherland as Aaron, Devon MacDonald as Ruth, Allegra Fulton as Margaret Leigh, Jamie Champagne as Deputy, Michael Ellero as C.J., Sam Wexler as Eddie Leigh, Ryelyn Cressman as Miriam, and Roger Shank as Detective Fisk. Moreover, David Thompson features in the film as well.
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