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Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story
8/10
The literal title of this movie leaves no doubt that the husband and father Steven played greatly by Matthew MacCaull is a fleshed-out character that the audience is supposed to hate, and the focus is on Alyssa Pladl.
The movie explains anything that should be explained including giving her a realistic convincing explanation for why exactly Steven and Alyssa give up their daughter Katie, who as a result got raised by parents that aren't her biological parents.
This is a Ripped From The Headlines Lifetime Crime Drama movie that doesn't hold back from showing that Steven is an irredeemable cunning nefarious awful character much like Max Caddy from the great remake of Cape Fear or Freddy Krueger from (1984) A Nightmare on Elm Street.
The movie does give critical information that prevents him from being a terrible written ridiculous irredeemable nefarious character which is needed because this is a Ripped From The Headlines True Crime movie so Steven and the other main characters need to be believable realistic characters.
Even though it's known what is going to happen in the climax that doesn't change this is a well-written True Crime Drama movie that has an entertaining suspenseful climax.
I did enjoy that when the youngest daughter asks why is it against the law as in incest, the older daughter gives a flimsy answer "Because it is" since the youngest daughter calls out this very flimsy answer by saying "That's not a really good answer."
That is why it is not shoehorned in that the mother Alyssa explains to her inquisitive youngest daughter that a parent decides to get together with the child to have a serious relationship which isn't right since it's the parent that is making that decision which makes it the parent's fault.
Alyssa was explaining to her 2 daughters why the move was happening since Steven getting together with his biological daughter Katie is entirely wrong and against the law which is why she reported that information to the local police.
As a result, the youngest daughter got a strong answer involving substance instead of something equally as weak because "I said so" for the reason instead of a person being able to explain his or her answer.
The 2 daughters are distinguishable characters, also the actor playing the youngest daughter succeeds with good acting because she didn't have to carry the movie, and solid screenwriting since the screenwriter didn't make her an unlikable kid character.
This is a crime drama movie that deals with the dark topics of first-degree murder, suicide, incest, an abusive father, and a cunning father who knows how to take advantage of an impressionable teenager that is Katie to get exactly what he wants from her.
It isn't rose-colored glasses or ridiculous that Alyssa does find happiness with the right guy after leaving Steven since she sees the red flags that he is a dangerous man similar to other abusive husbands from Sleeping With The Enemy, Enough, etc.
The casting is great because it's very believable that Katie is Alyssa's daughter since she has the same wavy hair, also her hair is black which is the same hair color as her mother's.
Katie remains a likable character who has to deal with the aftermath after her eyes are opened that her serious relationship with Steven is disreputable, wrong, illegal, and condemnable.
Also, the movie shows her to be angry and sad since she understands that her father took advantage of her using cunning mostly and because she participated in the condemnable incest relationship.
Since she and the father were both arrested which is the believable reason for why her eyes opened is that her father took advantage of her resulting in an incest relationship which is the reason she is made aware of why she and Steve were arrested.
The movie doesn't preach to the audience to dislike Katie after the incest relationship happens, or continue to like her since the screenwriter respects the audience to come to their conclusions even though most likely she'll remain in the likable protagonist category because of being fooled and taken advantage of similar to a Swinder that tricks people to obtain a vast amount of cash illegally with cunning deceit.
Her dad who isn't the biological parent isn't in the movie much, however, he does prove to be a likable character by supporting her during her recovery time since he understands that her biological father took advantage of her.
The stakes are very high, suspense, drama, unique realistic characters that consistently act realistic, good dialogue, memorable lines, high stakes for the main conflict that can't be easily resolved, a suspenseful climax, fast pace, and the open ending is satisfying.
