Every once in a while, we hear a heartbreaking story that speaks to the shocking depths of human cruelty. girl in the basement is a 2021 Lifetime production that tells one of those stories. The film revolves around the captivity and abuse of Elisabeth Fritzl at the hands of her father. Elisabeth spent almost 25 years locked in a cellar by her father Josef Fritzl.
girl in the basement is based on a true story. There are additions and omissions, but the film is based on Elisabeth’s real experiences.
This piece will explore the details of Elisabeth Fritzl’s captivity and where she is now.
Elisabeth’s father reportedly raped her more than 3,000 times over a 24-year period.
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Elisabeth had planned to celebrate her parents’ freedom on her 18th birthday, but her father Josef had other plans. Josef had turned her basement into a makeshift prison to house Elisabeth for as long as she wanted. He lured Elisabeth to her basement before drugging her and chaining her to a bed. Josef then convinced his wife Rosemarie that Elisabeth had run away to join a cult.
Josef showed little sympathy for his captive, as he repeatedly raped her and kept her in an unsanitary environment. Elisabeth gave birth to seven children during her time underground: Kristen (1998), Stefan (1990), Lisa (1992), Monica (1994), Alexander (1996), Michael (1996), and Felix (2002). Michael died shortly after birth due to Josef’s neglect.
Kerstin, Stefan, and Felix grew up in the basement while Lisa, Monica, and Alexander grew up upstairs. Josef convinced Rosemarie that Elisabeth had sent the children from abroad because she did not want to raise them. Underground, Kerstin, Stefan and Felix were subjected to the same conditions as Elisabeth. To make matters worse, they had to watch Josef repeatedly tease Elisabeth.
Josef convinced his captives that any attempt to escape would cause the release of poison in the cellar that would kill them instantly. Elisabeth felt the warmth of the sun on her skin for the first time in more than two decades after Kerstin became seriously ill. Concerned for the well-being of the pale-as-death girl, the authorities requested that her mother visit the hospital.
Surprisingly, Josef took Elisabeth to the hospital, where he told the authorities that she had returned from her cult. Elisabeth told the truth about her experience in the horror bunker on the condition that she would never see Josef again. “No one will believe me” was the first thing she said before she spilled the beans.
Elisabeth Fritzl changed her name and lives in an undisclosed location in Austria
Josef Fritzl’s lawyers tried to portray Josef as a doting father, even as Elisabeth’s 11-hour testimony overwhelmed the jury. The court convicted Josef and sentenced him to life imprisonment in the Garsten Abbey prison in Austria.
The children and Elisabeth needed therapy to regain their sanity after years of captivity. The children in the basement had physical and mental problems, while the children upstairs suffered mentally upon learning of the brothers’ ordeal. Elisabeth’s children, currently living under adopted names, will need therapy for the rest of their lives.
Elisabeth eventually won over the three children she had given birth to but not raised. She had fallen out with Rosemarie because she believed Rosemarie could have done more to find out where she was, but they made up before Rosemarie passed away in 2012.
Elisabeth Fritzl was given a new name and identity to ensure her privacy. She lives in an undisclosed city in Austria with her family and is in a relationship with her former bodyguard Thomas Wagner. The family home is specially designed to let in as much light as possible.
Fritzl may have lost the best years of his life in captivity, but today he lives a full and happy life. The family psychiatrist told him Oesterreich:
“This is vivid proof that love is the most powerful force in the world. With the approval of her doctors, she has discontinued psychiatric therapies while she moves on with her life: she learns to drive, helps her children with their schoolwork, and befriends her townspeople. . She lost the best years of her life in that basement; she is determined that every day she has left will be filled with activity.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn