There’s a turn a phrase that one should “turn their trauma into purpose.”
Someone who has succeeded at that is Elizabeth Smart.
She’s not only overcome her experience as an abduction survivor, but she’s become a staunch advocate for those like her, and one of many methods is through helping others tell their stories.
And that’s where we are with her partnership with Lifetime as she continues to produce some Ripped from the Headlines stories about women and the traumas they’ve overcome.
The next film on her agenda, executive produced by Smart, is The Girl Locked Upstairs: The Tanya Kach Story, one of many new upcoming Lifetime movies.
TV Fanatic was fortunate to get the full trailer for the film, and it’s as harrowing and disturbing as you can imagine.
If you’re not familiar with the story, Tanya Kach was a 14-year-old who was lured away from her school in a Pittsburgh suburb and into the home of a trusted individual.
And that’s where she would remain for an entire decade.
Tanya dealt with things that many young teens have faced: bullying, feeling isolated and alone, and vulnerable.
She was considered an at-risk youth who not only faced issues at school when she was picked on and bullied by her peers but had a difficult time at home as well.
And that’s when the security guard who monitored her middle school took an interest in her and exploited her.
Tom Hose, the security guard, takes an interest in Tanya and begins grooming her.
Sadly, he succeeds in luring her away from school one day and to his home under the guise of looking out for her.
From the trailer, Tanya appears to turn to Tom when she feels she has nowhere else to go.
We get the impression that she had an altercation with her mother and that the woman turned her away, or Tanya no longer feels like she can stay with her.
It leads her to Tom, where she initially finds some solace.
But as the time goes by, things start to escalate.
He reminds her she can’t tell anyone she’s staying with him.
He begins to tell her that the only way she can be safe is if he locks her away in an upstairs room, assuring her that it won’t be forever.
Except it damn near is!
As the years go by, Tanya is still locked away in that upstairs room, as if she were a princess in a grim fairytale.
We’re treated to a montage as the years flash by: one, two, five, and up to ten.
After an entire decade, Tom is comfortable believing that Tanya has finally accepted her fate and she won’t leave him.
Only then does he allow her to leave the house and get a job at a grocery store.
Little does he know, with a taste of freedom, that Tanya is ready to escape her captor after years of sexual abuse and separation from everyone she knows.
Jordyn Ashley Olsen will deliver a wonderful performance as Tanya Kach.
We’ve also seen the diversity of Robert Baker’s work.
From Supergirl to Grey’s Anatomy, he’s always a standout and will deliver a chilling performance as Hose, groomer, and abductor.
Following the film, Elizabeth Smart will host the Beyond the Headlines special, which delves into the harrowing experience of the real Tanya Kach.
But first, check out the exclusive trailer below!
The Girl Locked Upstairs: The Tanya Kach Story premieres June 8 at 8/7c on Lifetime!
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You’ll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
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