''Kidnapping Stella'' is a 2019 German
thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
directed and written by Thomas Sieben, and is a remake of the 2009 British thriller ''
The Disappearance of Alice Creed
''The Disappearance of Alice Creed '' is a 2009 British neo-noir film written and directed by J Blakeson. It is about the kidnapping of a young woman (Gemma Arterton) by two ex-convicts (Martin Compston and Eddie Marsan). The film was shot on th ...
''. The plot revolves around two men, Vic (
Clemens Schick
Clemens Schick (born 15 February 1972) is a German actor, model, political activist and human rights advocate.
He has appeared in more than seventy films since 1998, including leading roles in both German and international productions. He has ap ...
) and Tom (
Max von der Groeben
Maximilian "Max" von der Groeben (born 15 January 1992) is a German actor.
His father Alexander von der Groeben is a former judoka, sports journalist and also an actor. His mother Ulrike von der Groeben is also a sports journalist. He has o ...
), who kidnap Stella (
Jella Haase
Jella Haase (born 27 October 1992) is a German actress. She began acting in theatre at a very early age. Her film credits include ', '' Fack ju Göhte'' and '' Combat Girls''. She has also appeared on the television shows ''Polizeiruf 110'' an ...
), and shows how she tries to escape the clutches of her two masked kidnappers.
The film was released on Netflix on July 12, 2019.
Plot
Two former convicts named Vic (
Clemens Schick
Clemens Schick (born 15 February 1972) is a German actor, model, political activist and human rights advocate.
He has appeared in more than seventy films since 1998, including leading roles in both German and international productions. He has ap ...
) and Tom (
Max von der Groeben
Maximilian "Max" von der Groeben (born 15 January 1992) is a German actor.
His father Alexander von der Groeben is a former judoka, sports journalist and also an actor. His mother Ulrike von der Groeben is also a sports journalist. He has o ...
) kidnap Stella (
Jella Haase
Jella Haase (born 27 October 1992) is a German actress. She began acting in theatre at a very early age. Her film credits include ', '' Fack ju Göhte'' and '' Combat Girls''. She has also appeared on the television shows ''Polizeiruf 110'' an ...
), the estranged daughter of a wealthy businessman, as part of a get-rich scheme.
The men take Stella to a run-down flat, in which they have previously soundproofed a room. They strip off her clothes and dress her in a tracksuit, blindfold and gag her, and tie her to a bed. To conceal their identities, Vic and Tom wear masks when interacting with Stella.
It is later revealed that Tom was Stella’s lover and that she is four months pregnant with their child.
Stella’s father initially refuses to pay her ransom. Tom becomes disillusioned with the plan after Vic threatens to cut off one of Stella's fingers, during a video broadcast intended to convince her father to hand over the money.
Stella discovers that Tom is one of her kidnappers. During an escape attempt, she fires a pistol and manages to obtain one of their cellphones. Stella tries to call the police but is subdued by Tom, who is increasingly guilt-ridden about hurting his former girlfriend.
Vic learns from Stella about Tom's failure to prevent her escape attempt. Under the pretext of collecting ransom from Stella's father, Vic lures Tom into a trap in the forest. Tom is wounded during a shootout but manages to escape.
Vic later collects the ransom but decides to kill Stella at their second hiding place, a boathouse, where the men have left her chained up. However, Tom returns in time to kill Vic, and pass the keys to Stella, enabling her to release herself.
As Tom lies dying, Stella gets into the men’s car, which is parked near the boathouse. In the passenger seat is the bag containing the ransom money. Stella drives off with the money, to start a wealthy new life with her expected baby.
Cast
*
Jella Haase
Jella Haase (born 27 October 1992) is a German actress. She began acting in theatre at a very early age. Her film credits include ', '' Fack ju Göhte'' and '' Combat Girls''. She has also appeared on the television shows ''Polizeiruf 110'' an ...
as Stella
*
Clemens Schick
Clemens Schick (born 15 February 1972) is a German actor, model, political activist and human rights advocate.
He has appeared in more than seventy films since 1998, including leading roles in both German and international productions. He has ap ...
as Vic
*
Max von der Groeben
Maximilian "Max" von der Groeben (born 15 January 1992) is a German actor.
His father Alexander von der Groeben is a former judoka, sports journalist and also an actor. His mother Ulrike von der Groeben is also a sports journalist. He has o ...
as Tom
Release
It was released on July 12, 2019 on Netflix streaming. According to Netflix, over 18 million accounts watched Kidnapping Stella within the first week of release.
Home media
This released on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
&
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
on TBA by
Studio Distribution Services
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Video, MCA/Universal Home Video, MCA Home Video, MCA Videodisc and MCA Videocassette, Inc.) is the home video distribution division of Am ...
.
Reception
Nafees Ahmed of the website "High on Films" awarded the film three out of five stars. While finding the story unimaginative and predictable, Ahmed praised ''Kidnapping Stella'' for focusing on the organic character development between Tom and Stella while taking fault with the underdevelopment of Vic's character.
References
External links
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* {{Rotten Tomatoes, kidnapping_stella
2019 films
2019 thriller films
2010s German-language films
German thriller films
Remakes of British films
Netflix original films
Films about kidnapping
2010s German films
Three-handers