Saagar Kote
Lifetime’s ‘Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story’ delves into the life of a pregnant woman named Marcela Borges, who is taken hostage, along with her husband Rubens and young son Ryan, at their residence by armed criminals. What starts as a ransom demand of $200,000 by the offenders soon becomes a violent tale of survival and family. Despite the efforts by the protagonist to appeal to their humanity, the criminals refuse to let the family go, which leads to a tense scenario where life and death hang in the balance.
The film explores the ideas of courage, loyalty, and situational awareness, while featuring intense depictions of a hostage situation. When the narrative approaches its conclusion, Marcela finds herself in a dilemma, which forces her to make a tough decision. As the protagonist tries to figure out how to escape the ordeal, she faces unexpected challenges that make her situation more difficult. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story Plot Synopsis
The narrative begins with the introduction of a pregnant woman named Marcela Borges and her family members being held captive in their residence. When an armed criminal tries to approach her, Marcela attempts to jump out of the window. The story shifts to the past, wherein Marcela is getting a sonogram test to determine the safety of the baby in her womb. She is stalked by strange men outside the hospital. She then picks up her son Ryan from school. Rubens, her husband, tries to improve his business as the owner of Excel Transit, with the help of his friend Henry. The family celebrates Ryan’s fifth birthday with their neighbors, while the stalkers continue to observe them.
The next morning, the stalkers mask up and forcibly enter the family’s home, armed with guns. After taking them hostage, they search the house for large amounts of cash, but end up finding only a small amount. One of the offenders asks Rubens about the rest of the money, which they believe has been hidden. Rubens denies having any more money, following which the attackers force the family into a car and drive them to their hideout near Lake Apopka. A strange masked woman, the de facto leader of the gang, demands $200,000 from the family in exchange for their lives, despite Rubens’ vehement denial of having it.
Back at the family’s residence, one of the criminals finds $30,000 in a secret safe, which makes the masked woman doubt Rubens’ claim of not having more money. Marcela is taken back to the house in the trunk of her car, after which she is asked to make a bank transaction and later withdraw a hefty amount from the family’s local bank account, in exchange for the lives of her husband and son. One of the masked men seems like a good man who displays kindness amidst all the chaos. Marcela tries to ask him for help, but he says he is also forced to be in the situation. The next morning, she withdraws the money and returns to her house, where she hands it over to the masked woman.
Since the amount is shorter than what the criminal demanded, the hostage situation continues. Marcela asks her husband to seek help from the investors of his trucking company. Despite his efforts, Rubens is not able to secure the demanded amount, which leads to the worsening of the situation. This is when the main character realizes that one of them has to escape discreetly and call for help, since the attackers don’t seem like they will show any mercy. Marcela takes a knife and beats up the masked woman, but is overpowered by the men who rescue their leader. Pushed to the edge, the protagonist realizes that she has to take a dangerous step to survive the ordeal.
How Did Marcela Borges Escape? How Did She Survive?
After realizing that she has to try something dangerous to survive, Marcela communicates with Rubens through an air vent, since he is tied up in the next room. Despite her pregnancy, she decides to take a risk and jump out of the window of her room to escape, and unties her legs. Rubens is shocked by her decision and begs her to reconsider her choice, telling her that the criminals will not kill them. However, Marcela shows determination and says that it is the only way to ensure that the attackers are neutralized. She then walks towards the window and jumps out, despite the criminal leader almost catching up. Petrified by the victim’s survival attempt, the leader asks her men to follow Marcela and bring her back since she has seen all their faces.
Marcela runs towards her neighbor Teresa’s house in a desperate attempt to survive. She is shot by Oscar, one of the criminals, before jumping into the neighbor’s house and hiding. Upon spotting the protagonist and learning about her situation, Teresa hurriedly calls 911 and seeks help. Teresa’s young son spots the action, but his mother rushes to stop him from getting in trouble. Oscar enters the house and starts to look for Marcela, intending to finish what he started. However, she hides behind the kitchen counter and takes Oscar by surprise when she strikes him hard with a kitchen utensil.
He reacts brutally and pushes her away, and then prepares to shoot her. Just before Oscar takes the fatal shot, the cops intervene and arrest the criminal. Marcela is able to survive the ordeal despite getting chased and shot by a dangerous man. If not for her quick thinking and Teresa’s timely intervention, it probably would have been extremely difficult for Marcela to stay alive. Her resourcefulness, combined with her survival instinct, saves her from being killed.
Is Rubens Morais Dead or Alive? Does Ryan Survive?
Stuck in the hostage situation, Rubens and Ryan find themselves in danger of being murdered. Despite his efforts, Rubens is unable to convince his wife not to jump out of the window. After the protagonist manages to escape the house, the masked leader gets infuriated and orders her men to eliminate both the father and son. Two thugs go up the stairs to execute the two hostages. One of the criminals requests the other to show mercy, but his request is denied. The empathetic criminal is ordered to kill Rubens, and the other heads towards Ryan’s room to do the same. Despite orders, he is not able to kill Rubens due to his moral compass. He pretends to shoot him and fires a bullet away from Rubens, just to ensure that the other criminal thinks that the job is done.
The other attacker sees the leader, Bianca Dos Santos, escaping and abandoning them, and heads to Ryan’s room and doesn’t find him. However, he sees a closet door opening and proceeds to shoot it. Before he can confirm the boy’s death, the arrival of cops in the neighborhood forces him to escape. The two attackers then try to escape by driving away, but are apprehended by the cops. When a police officer is requested by Marcela to ensure the safety of her family members, he walks into the house and finds Rubens still alive, but injured.
The father starts worrying about Ryan and asks the cop to look for him. As the cop opens the closet, Ryan walks out unharmed, as he was hiding behind objects. The little boy is able to survive the gunshots because of his clever thinking and situational awareness. He then proceeds to hug his dad, who is overcome by emotion. The two of them, along with Marcela, are then taken to the hospital. Despite the odds being against them, the father and son miraculously survive.
Does Marcela Give Birth?
Marcela’s pregnancy is a major theme of the film, which pushes her towards the edge of survival. After escaping her ordeal by taking a bullet, she is immediately taken to a hospital. It is revealed that she has survived her gunshot wound while she rests at the hospital. She is visited by Ryan and Rubens, who emotionally reunite with her as she wakes up. When she starts worrying about the fate of the baby in her womb, she is comforted by the doctor, who shows her a sonogram screen which indicates that her baby is fine.
The narrative then shifts to some months in the future, wherein Marcela holds her newborn son in her arms, as she accompanies her family to a welcome party hosted by Teresa and the other neighbors. The family is united and strong, despite the horrors visited upon them by the criminals. Marcela’s journey as a mother becomes more meaningful after the birth of her second child, whom she carried in her womb while being shot at. The narrative ends on a poignant note of family unity and happiness.
Read More: Terror Comes Knocking: True Story of Marcela Borges, Explained
