Past Never Dies

What an intense thrill ride that totally keeps you guessing until the end! Larissa Dias stars as Casey Marsh and Erin Karpluk as Lena Winters in this powerful psychological thriller, an edge of your seat suspense. This movie has an element of fear that coats the movie and the director did a terrific job telling the story from the first 7 minutes that sticks with you giving you a feeling of fear like you were part of the plot. I thought the scenes had some dark elements to it and draws you in. I loved the acting of both characters as mother and daughter and the way they interacted. Actor Andrew Francis as Jacob, plays too much on the characters. There's some slow parts, but eventually you enjoy every minute. I didn't give this a high rating because it could've been better, but it's still good!

MY FATHER, MY KIDNAPPER/PAST NEVER DIES (TV movie) 2019 4 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 1:57 min

BASIC PLOT: Jane Marsh (Erin Karpluk) was kidnapped while still a young woman, by the sadistic serial killer, Timothy Fast (Brent Stait). She had a daughter, Charlotte (Larissa Dias), by Timothy, while still in captivity. Jane not only managed to survive, but also escape with her life, and the life of her young daughter.

Twenty years later, and the two women have moved on under assumed names. Jane and Charlotte are now Lena and Casey Winters, living as normally as they can, with the events of the past never really gone. Casey is plagued by nightmares of two figures, stalking her. She feels there's truth in these dreams, but her mother refuses to talk about the past.

But when women in their town start going missing in a similar way to Lena/Jane's abduction, Casey finally insists her mother answer her question about the two figures in her dreams. Did Timothy Fast have an accomplice after all? Is he still out there kidnapping women? And will he let the two who got away, stay hidden?

WHAT WORKS: *THIS IS A CAUTIONARY TALE TO WOMEN Never turn your back on a stranger, help other women when they're in a bad situation, and don't put off victim energy, even when you're afraid.

(However, Casey opens the door, at night, without looking out the peephole, a big no no.)

*EXCELLENT COVER ART A rarity these days, and worth a mention.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *THERE ARE SOME REALLY ODD SHOTS, where it looks like the filmmakers are trying to shoot a street scene, instead of a conversation between two people. The blocking, and shot choices make for a very visually awkward film.

*WHY IS CASEY TO BLAME FOR THEIR IDENTITIES BEING RELEASED TO THE PRESS? She says it's because Casey embarrassed the reporter, Bryce (Dylan Sloane), but that doesn't make sense in any kind of real world scenario. We're supposed to believe because he was embarrassed, he decides to blow two crime victim's lives? And how would he find out, especially if the courts sealed the records? It's a stupid plotline, unneeded, and clunky. It also makes Lena/Jane (mother) less likeable, and that's a fail in a melodrama.

*PEOPLE ARE SO NON CONFRONTATIONAL THESE DAYS, NO ONE WOULD ADDRESS CASEY WITH SUCH VITRIOL There's a press conference, and the audience members are hateful and abusive to Casey! WHY?! There's no reason to treat a crime victim so shamefully. Women who have come out of these types of situations are NEVER treated this way, quite the opposite. So, it's a fail by Shevon Singh (writer), because my belief is no longer suspended.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *This one is iffy. Most of the acting is decent (for a low budget made-for-tv movie), and the story had potential. But it falls short in a lot of areas, and also moves into torture porn, which is unneeded in my opinion. It's not terrible, there are some decent moments, and if you can ignore the glaring plotholes, and stupid, useless storylines, it could be an ok time waster. It is what it is - a Lifetime movie. If you enjoy these types of movies, you may like this. It's darker than most, and the subject matter is disturbing, so if sexual assault, or the brutalization of women bothers you, I'd give this one a pass. But if you're looking for a way to turn your brain off for a couple of hours, you could do a lot worse (like any Lifetime movie made after 2021).

CLOSING NOTES: *This is a made-for-tv movie, please keep that in mind before you watch/rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.

Interesting yet unpleasant story told straightforwardly - at times the movie was pretty intense.

The ending was satisfying and I was glad that everyone got what they deserved (both good and bad).

Seriously? So bad. The 90s films were good with good actors. Total flop.

Charlotte was born from Jane Marsh (Erin Karpluk) who was kidnapped and raped by disturbed woodsman Timothy Fast. After eight years in captivity, Lena escapes with six year old Charlotte and Timothy is sent to prison. They changed their names to Casey Winters and mother Lena. It's 20 years later and young women are being kidnapped in a similar fashion.

As those of the women-in-danger genre, this is par for the course. This is fine for the most part. I would have liked Casey to do this by herself. The investigators aren't that well developed. I get a sense that Nate Bishop and Landon Phillips are doing their own movie. Quite frankly, Nate is better doing this alone and there could be a misdirection with his character. The graffiti kid is extra stupid. The ending doesn't have enough tension. This is not good enough.