Sartaj Singh
Helmed by John Bradshaw, ‘The Daughter I Gave Away’ revolves around a mother and her search for her long-lost daughter after she disappears from her adoptive home. Cynthia was forced to give up her baby for adoption as a teenage girl 15 years ago. When news of her biological daughter’s disappearance from the adoptive parent’s home reaches Cynthia, she embarks upon an investigation to find her. Her search leads to chilling discoveries about her daughter’s life and possible abduction. However, she also finds reason to hope that all is not lost and the girl must be found before it is too late, leading to a race against time. The Lifetime mystery thriller narrates a suspenseful tale of long-lost family and deceit that sparks curiosity regarding the possibility of a true story behind it.
The Daughter I Gave Away: A Familiar Film of Motherhood and Separation
The tragic cases of children disappearing or being kidnapped, especially within the teen girl demographic, lead one to suspect that ‘The Daughter I Gave Away’ may be another one of Lifetime’s ripped-from-the-headlines stories. However, thankfully, the tale is a fictional creation of writer Lisa Di Trolio. If the plot of the film causes a sense of Déjà vu, there is a good reason for it. The storyline of ‘The Daughter I Gave Away’ is surprisingly similar to another Lifetime film, ‘Finding My Daughter.’
Directed by Jeff Beesley and written by Nastasha Baron, ‘Finding My Daughter’ centers on Ashley, who was forced by her mother to give her daughter up for adoption at the age of 16. 18 years later, the teen daughter, Brittany, reaches out to Ashley and hopes to get to know her biological mother. Ashley is glad and nervous at the prospect of finally meeting her after all these years. Just as the eve of their first meeting approaches, her daughter seemingly vanishes. Ashley goes on a relentless search for her child with her protective motherly instincts kicking into overdrive.
Jake, her ex-boyfriend, is the police officer who is charged with the case, and she joins his investigation. Jake’s brother, Scott, also provides emotional support during the stressful time. Ashley’s uneasy relationship with her ex is strained further when she discovers that he is Brittany’s biological father. The film reaches its climactic point when she faces another shocking revelation.
Other Lifetime Films With Distinct Similarities to Daughter I Gave Away
Both ‘The Daughter I Gave Away’ and ‘Finding My Daughter’ weave together themes of separation, motherhood, and the desperate search for a missing child, echoing similar fictional stories that have gripped and entertained. Lifetime has a history of producing films that are inspired by the emotional complexities of adoption and reunion, such as ‘Missing at 17’ and ‘Taken Back: Finding Haley.’
Directed by Doug Campbell, ‘Missing at 17’ revolves around an adopted teen’s mother and biological mother starting an investigation after a stranger abducts her. With Mark Jean at the helm, ‘Taken Back: Finding Haley’ introduces us to Karen, a photographer whose daughter disappears while they are at a carnival. After years of searching, she becomes convinced that her lost child is living with another couple in secret, leading her to walk a narrow path between paranoia and deliverance.
Despite their fictional narratives, these films reflect genuine societal fears and concerns about the safety of children and the lengths to which parents will go to protect them. The raw, emotional narratives surrounding real cases of child abduction or disappearance, where families endure harrowing experiences before reuniting, may have provided a wellspring of inspiration for such fictional stories. ‘The Daughter I Gave Away’ thus joins the ranks of similar imaginative Lifetime films that explore stories of motherhood being put to the test when daughters go missing, providing plenty of twists and turns along the way.
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