Stockholm, Pennsylvania chronicles the story of Leanne (Saoirse Ronan), a girl kidnapped at age four and kept hostage for 17 years. Finally returned to her mother Marcy (Cynthia Nixon), and her father Glenn, they must all readjust to their new situation. However, 17 years with her kidnapper Ben (Jason Isaacs), has left Leanne with a deep attachment to him.
Directed by Nikole Beckwith, Stockholm, Pennsylvania illustrates that sometimes the most interesting part of the story occurs after the happy ending. In most kidnapping cases, the kidnapped are rescued and returned to their loved ones, the end. In reality, these experiences often haunt these children for the rest of their lives and adjusting to normal life can be a very jarring experience. This is the case with Leanne. She spurns her mother's efforts to reconnect and secretly yearns to see Ben again. When she finally does try to reach out to Ben, the fallout is exponential. Having spent her childhood locked in a basement without windows, Leanne soon finds herself imprisoned again, this time by her mother who is trying to protect her.
As the film goes on, things don't get better for Leanne. She slowly begins to realize that her new situation is just another form of imprisonment. As an audience member, it's horrific to watch Leanne's situation go from bad to worse with each second. It takes a hard look at parents who so desperately try to protect their kids from harm. The film essentially compares the parents to Ben, the kidnapper.
Stockholm, Pennsylvania is a bleak look at the extremes of overprotective parenting, and how sometimes, those happy stories we see on the news don't end when the cameras finally stop rolling.
