I Was Lorena Bobbitt

Like another reviewer, I went into this movie with high expectations. I will say it was very entertaining but it was also very one sided. Lorena Gallo, as she goes by these days, works very hard to paint herself in the perfect light. She never did anything wrong, she only tried to please her husband, and was very naive/innocent throughout the entirety of the movie.

What the movie doesn't mention is that she stole $7000 from the woman that gave her the job as a nanny and at the nail salon. Or that she was arrested for assault, (albeit years after the incident) for striking her own mother. I'm not stating this to judge Miss Gallo, because we've all done things we aren't proud of; I'm merely pointing out that she's not as innocent as the movie portrays her. At the end of the day, she was still the victim of abuse and that should never be tolerated. I just wish they would have done a better job of showing both sides of the story. FYI This is coming from a woman who's on her side.

Lorena Bobbitt Gallo, an immigrant from Ecuador, where she was having sex with her uncle Ronald when they were 15 her mother and her father Elvia and Carlos had moved to Caracas Venezuela which was 1100 miles north to separate them. Lorena and her uncle stayed in contact so the mother Elvia and Carlos sent Lorena to stay with her aunt in Virginia Irma Castro. Where Lorena it had the opportunity to go to the Marine corps ball with her cousins. That's where John and Lorena met. Later she cut off her husband's penis with a 12 inch fillet knife while he was asleep in bed. The penis was subsequently surgically reattached. John Wayne Bobbitt was charged with marital sexual abuse without proper evidence. And later acquitted on all charges. It was found later that her and a co-conspirator Jana Busitti now Jana Holden had several hours before questioning at her home to come up with a story that was false. It was later found out through forensics that they had cut her panties with scissors and ripped them. It appeared that Lorena was the aggressor and John kept leaving her the case later attributed to abandonment and Lorena's thought of John having an affair that night at the (Holiday Inn). With a girl named Devon that hit him on his bicycle 4 days prior on John and Lorena's wedding anniversary Friday morning June 18th 1993 approximately 9 a.m.she drove him to work after stopping off at home, her and her mother bandaged him up and Devon drove him home after work she later came by Monday with a new bike to replace the bike that she ran over and to pick up her bike that she loaned him. That's when she gave John a hug invited him and his friend to a party right it was pacing back and forth between the balcony in the bedroom window watching this mysterious girl and John in the parking lot. Lorena was off work that day and the day before when John's friend Robbie arrived from New York. That's when John told Lorena he wanted a divorce. John has been working three jobs to save money to get his own place before his friend arrived landscaping,warehouse unloading trucks and working at a new nightclub across the street from their apartment which Lorena didn't want him to work at. she also said she would spys on him during the grand opening on their wedding anniversary it was reported that girls were actually flirting with him both Friday and Saturday night. And gave John their phone numbers. John and his friend began working together at the warehouse. Monday morning they came back early and met Devon with the new bike in the parking lot Lorena was home she was a little upset to see another woman there and she wanted to be alone with John to talk to him about why he wanted a divorce. It's known that Lorena had asked John to marry him because her student visa was expiring 4 years prior. Apparently she only had one year left to go to get her citizenship. John was insistent on getting divorced and moving on and being single. So Tuesday morning John and his friend went to work at the warehouse they worked hard all day came home John had to check in at the nightclub they said they were slow and John could have the night off. Then went home and ask his friend if he wanted to go out and see the town his friend agreed but John told him they had to hurry up and get ready before Lorena got home. Their first stop was the (Holiday inn) there was to be A live band there but they were too early and decided to go to different clubs they had very little to drink all night and then to go home after stopping at Denny's for breakfast. Appeared that they were extremely exhausted when they got home. They went right to sleep Robbie on the couch John folded up his clothes and they were still sleeping together in the same bed as. She was waiting for him all night wanting to talk about why he wanted a divorce. She asked him where he was he replied the (Holiday inn) and that's all he said. He was extremely exhausting and can barely keep his eyes open. Was trying to make a long story short. Lorena then went into the kitchen got a glass of water and picked up a knife went back into the bedroom and sat by his side and asked him while he was sleeping you hurt my feelings... you did it again, and again, and again are you happy ? (And this is John leaving her for the third and final time.) John did not reply to her verbal and sexual advances. So she cut his penis off. Because she knew she lost him. If I can't have you no one will. Apparently Lorena misinterpreted and thought John was at the Holiday inn all night. Apparently John was too exhausted to carry on a conversation and had already fallen asleep so the only thing Lorena got was the Holiday inn. Also noted there was no sign or real evidence of Lorena ever being abused. Paul Ebert and Mary Grace O'Brien prosecuting attorney's on the case, Didn't get the proper information. They failed to get a conviction because they were manipulated by the perpetrator. (Lorena Bobbitt) with the help and aid of her long time friend and employer Jana Holden. (Stalling for time to get away with the crime.)

It's sad that this kind of domestic violence against women still happens. I thought the movie was good but the actor portraying a Marine had long hair and Marines don't have hair that long. They usually have a skin fade or high and tight and have strict weight requirements as well as being extremely physically fit. He didn't look like a Marine. John was a disgrace to the Marines dressed in that uniform as well as his behavior.

This story was one of the first I heard about domestic violence and right now considering how cooped up all of us are, it couldn't have aired at a better time! Couples trapped in their homes can lead to abuse although not this extreme. Dani Montalvo and Luke Humphrey gave strong performances on very graphic and violent subject matter. Lorena's showed herself to be a very courageous woman and still is against all odds. Loved how they had her narrate her own story and what she's doing now to help other battered women!!!

Overall, this is pretty well made for Lifetime. There is a lot of care in depicting the early 90s and having the actual Lorena Bobbitt narrate is a nice touch.

However! Any time the lead actress, Dani Montalvo, needs to show "emotional vulnerability" it's just simpering, stammering, and drawing out the delivery of lines. Maybe it was the director's choice, but it was the wrong one. Consequently, the movie starts out pretty good but becomes increasingly annoying and you're ready for it to be over.