2021's Girl in the Basement recently sparked debate on which events were real and which were made specifically for the movie.
Girl in the Basement is one of Lifetime's movies that supposedly tells a dramatized version of a true story. It is similar to other Lifetime titles such as Girl in the Closet, Girl in the Bunker, and Girl in the Box. The Girl in the... movies typically follow girls who are kidnapped under different circumstances.
In Girl in the Basement, Sara Cody, a 17-year-old girl, is trapped by her father in the basement of their home so that she won't leave when she turns 18.
Girl in the Basement is not the only true crime-based project popular in the streaming world, as Netflix's Apple Cider Vinegar is a dramatized version of the Belle Gibson case.
Is Girl in the Basement a True Story?
Girl in the Basement tells the shocking story of Sara Cody being trapped by her own family, but what is most tragic is that it is based on actual events in Austria.
The movie came out in 2021 and has been streaming on Hulu since its release due to an agreement between Hulu and Lifetime. However, the film experienced a rise in popularity due to a clip from it that has made its rounds on TikTok.
The clip features Sara at the hospital running away from her father and making her way to a nurse and a police officer. As of writing, it has 3.7 million likes and 19.5 million views.
The movie is based in the United States, which is one major change from what happened in real life, but the events are similar.
It is also worth noting that the names of the people involved in the true case were changed for the movie. For example, the victim's name in the movie is Sara Cody, whereas the girl who was really kidnapped by her father was named Elisabeth Fritzl.
Similarly, Sara's father in the movie is Don Cody, but Elisabeth Fritzl's father in the real case was Josef Fritzl.
One of the smaller changes the movie made was the timeframe in which Elisabeth/Sara was held captive. In Girl in the Basement, Sara was held in the basement for 20 years before her escape, but, in real life, Elisabeth was sadly imprisoned for 24 years.
Alternatively, major changes include adding Chris to the movie. Chris was Sara's boyfriend and provided viewers with a bit of relief knowing that she had someone who cared about her. However, Chris did not exist in real life, nor did anyone equivalent to him, making him an entirely fictional character.
To raise awareness of Elisabeth's case and any other instances where people suffered a similar fate, it is important to mention that Girl in the Basement somewhat accurately represents how Elisabeth was treated in real life. However, the movie toned down what she went through.
For example, Elisabeth was abused physically, mentally, verbally, and sexually by her father nearly every day for 24 years. Like in the film, she gave birth to seven of his children, and, at one point, Elisabeth and three of her children had to dig with their bare hands to make the basement bigger.
In Girl in the Basement, Sara eventually convinces her father to take her daughter to the hospital since she is visibly sick. Don takes Sara to the hospital, where she eventually gets away from Don and is questioned by authorities, leading to Don's arrest.
The real-life events unfolded similarly, with Josef taking one of Elisabeth's children to the hospital. However, unlike in the film, Elisabeth is forced to remain in the chamber while Josef and the child initially go to the hospital.
After certain events occurred, Josef took Elisabeth to the hospital. Due to police suspicion, the two were detained at the hospital and then brought in for questioning, which led to Josef's arrest.
It is also worth noting that Girl in the Basement is not the only movie to be based on the Elisabeth Fritzl case. Room (read more about what is real in that movie here) is also inspired by what happened to Elisabeth. It is not nearly as accurate as it is only inspired by what happened, not based on it.
Girl in the Basement is streaming on Hulu.
