3096 Days is a touching and impressive movie. I think it perfectly portrayed Natascha's situation and the ambiance could not have been displayed any better. The movie's kind of depressing and dark, but that's the way it should be. Some parts do look a bit cheap and I think that a bigger budget would have really improved the movie's overall look.

"Obey me! Obey me! Obey me!"3096 Days is based on the autobiographical book written by Natascha Kampusch, a young Austrian girl who was kidnapped when she was 10 and kept in a cell for over 8 years. The shocking event took place during the late 90's and the title of the film refers to the amount of days Natascha was held captive, so there is no spoiler here. The film was directed by Sherry Hormann (Desert Flower) and the screenplay adapted by Ruth Toma. The premise may sound interesting since this is an extraordinary story, but the truth of the matter is that the film failed to engage me. The film focuses on Natascha and how she struggled to break away from her chains, forgetting about the outside world (there are a few scenes with the mother, but we never get to see her desperation) and the police procedural to try to find her. Because of this the film focused entirely on Natascha's captivity which after a few minutes kind of felt repetitive because there wasn't much they could do with the story. We see the abuse she experiences and clearly her captor is a troubled and sick young man, but there isn't much more that the film has to say about this. Thirty minutes into the film you realize that it doesn't have anything more to offer and the story begins to drag so much you actually feel like you are held captive for years.The film opens with a scene at a local bar in Austria where a 10 year old girl named Natascha (Amelia Pidgeon) is falling asleep while her father (Roeland Wiesnekker) is having a few drinks. The next morning Natascha's mother (Trine Dyrholm) is trying to wake her up for school, but of course she has trouble doing so due to the late night her father put her through. Her mother realizes that her father has taken her to the bar again, but Natascha defends him and is slapped for doing so. Upset, Natascha walks out of her home and heads to school, but on her way there, she is kidnapped by a young man (Thure Lindhart) who hides her in a white van and takes her to a hidden cell under his home. For the next 8 years this will be Natascha's home. The film focuses on those early days and then it jumps forward in time to her teen years (played here by Antonia Campbell-Hughes) where she is abused. She is convinced that only one of them will survive, but she never loses hope that one day she will break free.The most positive note about this film is the impressive transformation that Antonia Campbell- Hughes went through to play Natascha. It was shocking to see her so thin and it allowed us to understand the true impact of the abuse she was receiving. It's just too bad she went through this physical transformation in such a bad film. She delivers a strong performance as well as Thure Lindhart, but the rest of the cast is forgotten. It's a shame that such a talented actress like Trine Dyrholm (In a Better World) is so underused. I believe that if the film gave us a better glimpse of the outside world and the struggle Natascha's parents were going through, it would have engaged the audience more. But since everything takes place almost entirely in captivity the film does get repetitive and dull at times. The story is devastating, but the film never made me feel that way really. Stick with the book and stay away from this movie.

A topic based on the kidnapping of a child is packed with such substance and emotion that it naturally raises expectations for the viewers to experience similar emotions. One would expect to get a glimpse of what it feels and looks like to be in the state of Natascha Kampusch for 8 grueling years. Instead the viewer is given completely erratic scenes one after the other that merely raise the suspicion that the script was created by a 12-year-old and the actors hired off the street. A well written script with capturing directing would have done this emotion-packed story justice, however, the characters are left completely shallow and meaningless to the viewer due to poor directing, senseless dialog, horribly cut scenes and actors with the kind of talent most often seen in infomercials.

This story about the abduction of 10-year-old Austrian girl Natascha Kampusch and her 3096 days in the hands of her kidnapper Wolfgang Priklopil is done without any skill that reaches more than a below-average German TV movie (and that is BAD, for those who are not familiar with such exploits). Not only that it is slow in pace and filmed in a completely bland style without and sense for atmosphere (speaking of "direction" or cinematography - which is, believe it or not - done by world famous cinematographer Michael Ballhaus! - or editing) - it doesn't deliver anything that is even slightly compelling. All attempts at creating a menacing or desperate feel regarding the girl's imprisonment are falling flat and running empty - and these are the only adjectives that come to mind when watching this really unnecessary and awful film.