Taglines: When You Think The Worst Has Happened….Think Worse.
Captivity movie storyline. Top cover girl and fashion model, Jennifer Tree has it all – beauty, fame, money and power. Her face appears on covers of hundreds of magazines. At the top of her game, Jennifer is America’s sweetheart. She is loved and adored and sought after. Everyone wants her. But someone out there has been watching and waiting. Someone wants her in the worst way.
Out alone at a charity event in Soho, Jennifer is drugged and taken. Held captive in a cell, Jennifer is subjected to a series of terrifying, life-threatening tortures that could only be conceived by a twisted, sadistic mind. It follows the story of one woman who is abducted and tortured, held against her will in a place where days turn into weeks.
Inspired by the fact that over 850,000 people are reported missing every year in the United States, many of whom are never seen again, CAPTIVITY, follows the story of one woman who is abducted and tortured, held against her will in a place where days turn into weeks. Her will to escape and survive is challenged every moment by a maniac’s desire to demoralize innocent victims and play out his sick game that has been played many times before Jennifer was taken.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Roland Joffe, CAPTIVITY delves deeply into the minds of both captor and victim with a fresh and terrifying view of this epidemic horror. Being released this summer in theatres nation-wide, CAPTIVITY has been called one of the most controversial films of the year. It’s a disturbing and raw, yet classy and thought provoking film which will leave you terrified, and looking over your shoulder.
About the Production
For the first US and Russian co-production, RAMCO producers Leonid Minkovski and Serge Konov knew the burden to impress was looming above them and the right script would be critical. A few months after veteran Hollywood producer Mark Damon visited them in Russia in September of 2004, he sent them the script of Captivity which was first brought to Damon’s attention by producer and longtime friend, Gary Mehlman.
After being in the film industry for over 50 years and credited with having invented the foreign sales business, Damon was intrigued by the possible Russian collaboration. “I knew that up till that point this had not been done, and was impressed with the three principals I met: Leonid Minkovski, Valery Chumak and Serge Konov,” said Damon.
Always looking for the next challenge in an already illustrious career, Damon saw this opportunity as a new frontier. “I realized that there were great possibilities here for an inroad into Russia for American producers, and I thought this would be a challenge to be the first.” Staying true to his independent roots although always striving for the mainstream, Mr. Damon saw the potential in Captivity to be more than just another thriller, and RAMCO’s Russian co-producers agreed as did Academy Award nominated director, Roland Joffe.
The choice of Joffe as director certainly seemed unconventional at the time as he is best known for dramatic films such as the Academy-Award nominated The Killings Fields and the critically acclaimed The Mission. Konov speaking of Joffe reflects, “I realized that it could be a great chance for us to produce a very unusual genre movie.” Minkovski agreed. “Roland Joffe involved as a director made me look at this script a little bit different than just another horror movie, I came to realize this will be not just another scary movie, this will be a very interesting psychological thriller.”
As Joffe had never made a genre picture at that point, Damon set aside time for the both of them to watch genre film after genre film to study the techniques that were necessary. As pre-production continued on, it became clear that Joffe would indeed add a welcome complexity to the already intriguing script, and would bring with him the focus and intensity of many of his earlier films. Minkovski states, “creatively he’s an incredible director, making everybody around him, the whole crew excited,” says Leonid. “But he’s also tough… tough to work with because he has very specific wishes. And it’s really hard to fight him especially when you see the final product we’re getting, when you look at the dailies.” It was clear to the whole cast and crew that Joffe had a certain vision for the film that has become even more palpable as post-production progresses.
The story, crafted by the writer of Cellular and Phone Booth, is filled with the requisite scares and suspense, but the plot delves much deeper, probing into private fears such as isolation and separation. In regards to the depth of the plot Damon states, “I would hope the audience will take home with them a myriad of emotions: a great love story, having been frightened to death many times in the movie; having gone through a harrowing experience with Jennifer Tree; 90 to 100 minutes of tension and terror.”
The multiple facets of the characters allowed the actors to become more attached to their roles, taking guidance from the director who went to the extent of creating a diary for the lead actress, Elisha Cuthbert. Cuthbert recalls “I had a lot of back story to go off of which sort of helped me through the course of the film.” Known for her roles in the acclaimed television series 24 and films such as The Girl Next Door, and a Teen Choice Award nominee in 2002, Cuthbert was a perfect to play the lead role.
She has talent as well as a strong audience following particularly among the younger generations. “While admittedly very beautiful,” starts Damon, “Elisha’s strength is in her fan base and that was a key reason for approaching her for the role of Jennifer Tree in Captivity. No matter what kind of role she plays there’s an identification that audiences have with the characters that she plays.”
And Minkovski states, “It’s been a pleasure to work with her.” Both lead actors shared a comfortable relationship, feeding off of each other to make the scenes better. Gillies recalls, “my experience with [Elisha] was great because we create well together, we’re both ready to acknowledge whatever form the scene takes rather than trying to control it and dominate it.”
Cuthbert agrees. “A lot of the moments in the movie that were supposed to be little scenes ended up becoming these really poignant, powerful things that sort of just happened with Roland’s vision, and also Daniel and I coming together. I think that will translate as something really special in the end.”
It is this blending of genre that interested actors such as Daniel Gillies who plays the lead role of Gary. Gillies observes, “It’s just very interesting the whole psychology, it’s a very dark premise. Having said that, contextually it’s kind of a love story set within the genre of a psychological thriller.”
Continue Reading and View the Theatrical Trailer
Captivity (2007)
Directed by: Roland Joffé
Starring: Elisha Cuthbert, Daniel Gillies, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Laz Alonso, Olivia Negron, Anelia Dyoulgerova, Maggie Damon, Chrysta Olson, Michael Harney
Screenplay by: Larry Cohen, Joseph Tura
Production Design by: Addis Gadzhiyev
Cinematography by: Daniel Pearl
Film Editing by: Richard Nord
Costume Design by: Jennifer Marlin
Music by: Marco Beltrami
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, torture, pervasive terror, grizzly images, language, sexual material.
Distributed by: Lionsgate Films, After Dark Films
Release Date: July 13, 2007
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