Naman Shrestha
The Jim Cliffe directorial ‘Have You Seen My Son?’ is a crime thriller film that focuses on a falsely convicted mother who finally gets released from prison after serving her sentence for a horrible crime that she did not commit. While she was behind bars, her beloved son disappeared without any trace whatsoever. Now that she has regained her freedom, her sole mission is to find out details and clues about her missing son while trying to prove her innocence.
However, along the way, the mother’s life gets endangered as she finds herself in deadly situations in search of the truth. Soon, she realizes that uncovering the truth might bear some consequences on her recently found freedom. Originally titled ‘My Kidnapped Son,’ the thriller movie features impressive performances from a group of talented actors, including Sarah Smyth, Catherine Lough Haggquist, Meghan K. Lees, Jonathan Hawley Purvis, ShellyLyn Williams, and Alana Hawley Purvis. Shedding light on some true-to-life themes, including abduction and the deceiving nature of people, the Lifetime production raises some questions about its authenticity.
Is Have You Seen My Son Based on a True Story?
In the past, there have been many Lifetime movies that took inspiration from real-life events. However, this is not the case when it comes to ‘Have You Seen My Son’ — the film is a work of fiction. In real life, cases of kidnapping and abduction like the one depicted in the movie are unfortunately quite common. For instance, in December 2019, Jovann Vergara vanished without a trace. The same night of his disappearance, he talked with his mother, Rivera Vergara, informing her that he was getting a ride home and would reach home soon. However, when he did not arrive, she filed a missing person report three days later. Before that, Rivera had taken matters into her own hands as she searched every hospital and bank to look for her son. Even after four years, in January 2024, Rivera did not give up searching for her missing son. She is still asking the public to keep a lookout for Jovann and contact her if they receive any information about him. Despite all these parallels with reality, ‘Have You Seen My Son?’ penned by the experienced and creative Danny McCahon, is still just a figment of imagination.
A mother moving heaven and earth to find her missing child is not a unique subject matter; similar themes have been explored in various film and TV projects, which is one of the reasons why some of you might find the thriller film familiar. Well, the 2017 crime thriller movie ‘Kidnap’ not only has a similar plotline to ‘Have You Seen My Son?’ but also several parallels between many of its characters. Helmed by Luis Prieto, ‘Kidnap’ revolves around a single mother named Karla Dyson, whose young son Frankie gets kidnapped from the park right in front of her eyes. Without wasting any time, she follows the kidnappers’ vehicle in her car. Halle Berry’s character must risk everything and do everything in her power if she wishes for the safety of her child, a theme quite predominant throughout the Lifetime movie.
Read More: Secret Life of a Pastor’s Wife is a Work of Fiction
