Sartaj Singh
Directed by Cat Hostick, ‘Taken in Plain Sight’ follows a mother’s desperate investigation into the disappearance of her daughter after she is seemingly abducted in broad daylight. A crestfallen Abby is forced to take matters into her own hands when the police refuse to take action against her daughter’s kidnapper. Witnessing the suspicious man approach another child, she is convinced that he has something to do with her teen daughter’s disappearance. The Lifetime mystery thriller about motherhood and obsession strikes a chord with its poignant themes and heart-wrenching performances, feeling akin to a search for answers that often yields dark truths in real life.
Taken in Plain Sight is a Fictional Film With Similarities to Other Lifetime Movies
The emotional tale of ‘Taken in Plain Sight’ is a fictional one written by Richard Blaney and Gregory Small, based on a story by Ken Miyamoto. It may create a sense of familiarity for some as Lifetime often produces thrilling mysteries of its kind about a mother’s search for her child with varying twists. In addition, such narratives gain real-world grounding due to the unfortunate reality of the teen girl demographic being the most prone to abduction. ‘Taken in Plain Sight’ is part of this tradition of Lifetime movies centering around themes of motherhood, abduction, and the fight for justice.
One notable comparison is ‘Killer in Suburbia,’ which tells the story of Gina and her epileptic teenage daughter as they move to a new town. Starting her senior year, her daughter attends parties and goes on a date, but seemingly vanishes in broad daylight. Gina’s motherly instincts kick into overdrive, and she follows the breadcrumbs of her daughter’s abductors and finds the most unlikely culprits she could have imagined. Another comparable film is ‘Taken Back: Finding Haley,’ as it centers on a mother whose daughter goes missing at the carnival. Despite the authorities giving up on the search, she continues her own investigation. Much like in ‘Taken in Plain Sight,’ the mother is plagued by obsession and believes that she has found her daughter and her captor.
In comparison to similar Lifetime movies, Ken Miyamoto hoped to write a more emotionally charged story at the expense of sensational plotlines. Actress Tennille Read played to the storyteller’s intentions, essaying a raw and poignant performance as Abby. “This was an original pitch from me,” wrote Miyamoto on Instagram about the film. “Had to ‘fight’ for some of the heavy elements but they loved it and took a chance. It’s going to be a little different from my other ones thus far. This is straight up suspense thriller drama. Less fun Lifetime thriller cheese and more cathartic emotion.”
True Story of a Mother Helping Save Her Daughter From Abduction
One of the most compelling real-life stories with parallels to ‘Taken in Plain Sight’ is the Carlesha Gaither Story. In 2014, Carlesha Gaither was abducted off a Philadelphia street, a terrifying crime that was captured on surveillance video. Her mother, Keisha Gaither, fought tooth and nail to keep the case in the public spotlight and have investigators work around the clock to find her daughter. As the mother appeared on television, she pleaded for her daughter’s safe return with tears streaming down her face, helping propel the case to make national headlines.
Carlesha herself acted intelligently, presenting a friendly front to her captor so that he would not harm her, while dropping off personal belongings from the car to leave a trail of breadcrumbs for the investigators to follow. Fortunately, law enforcement, aided by the footage, witnesses, and the relentless determination of Gaither’s family, tracked down the perpetrator. Carlesha was found alive after several harrowing days, rescued from her captor in Maryland. The case was the subject of the Lifetime movie, ‘Abducted off the Street: The Carlesha Gaither Story.’ While ‘Taken in Plain Sight’ is a fiction movie written by Ken Miyamoto, similar incidents of abduction have been recorded in real life and have been the subject of numerous Lifetime films.
Read More: Nightmare in the Desert: Is the Lifetime Movie Based on a True Story?
