Directed by Tommy O'Haver
Starring Ellen Page, Catherine Keener
Rated R
92min.


Have you ever heard of the bystander effect? The bystander effect is a phenomenon that help does not come when bystanders are just watching a situation unfold. It is often referred to as genovese syndrome. This effect is easy to occur when many people are involved in any accident. We call it diffusion of responsibility. When many people are involved in an accident, they think that their responsibility can be given to other person, and so they believe that ‘another person will do that.’ There is a movie in which a girl died because of the bystander effect. It is called An American Crime.

The movie is based on a true story, in which Sylvia Likens was abused and killed by Gertrude Baniszewski who took care of her in the state of Indiana. Sylvia and her sister Jenny lead a nomadic life because their parents were vagabond theatrical troupe members. While their parents had troubles during their wandering life, they had to entrust the Likens sisters with Gertrude whom they met in church and had six children, paying 20 dollars every week. Gertrude gave a warm welcome to the Likens sisters for several weeks. However, as their parents were slightly late in payments, she started to abuse them. Paula - Gertrude’s first child - has a boyfriend, a married man, and she is pregnant with his baby. This fact is spread at school, and she tells a lie to Gertrude about Sylvia. Gertrude knows her daughter is lying, but nevertheless her abuse intensifies. Gertrude burned Sylvia with cigarettes, sexually humiliated her and confined her in a basement. In addition, not only Gertrude but also her children and her friends participated in abusing her. Finally, she was killed. Almost 150 scars from cigarettes on her body and the sentence, “I’M A PROSTITUTE AND PROUD OF IT”, was found inscribed with fire on her stomach when the police found her corpse.

At the trial scene, the prosecutor asks Gertrude’s children and their friends, who participated in the abuse, “Why did you do this?”, and all of them answered, “I don’t know, sir.” That is the only reason they gave. From this, we can ascertain the power of mob psychology.

Even though this movie is based in the past, situations similar to it still occur nowadays. The bystander effect can cause such extreme results as death. Compared with the past, the concern for neighbors is lower, but competition still exists. In these desolate circumstances, deeper concerns are needed to prevent such tragedies from happening. We need to look around to find another Sylvia or Gertrude around us.