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An American Crime is split into reflections of contemporary and past settings. The contemporary setting is the trial of Gertrude Baniszewski (Catherine Keener) while the past is the reflection of those at the trial to what happened.¹

She and composer Alan Ari Lazar created this beautiful piece for the closing credits of 2007 film An American Crime. The final result is created by about twenty different tracks of Petra’s voice.²

PARK CITY — Would anyone have greenlighted “An American Crime,” a movie about a real-life female sicko, were it not for the success of “Monster”? The Gertrude Baniszewski case in 1965 is one of those nauseating wonders that somehow attracts artists who want to dig deep into the details to ferret out some truth about American society.³

Based on the true story that riveted the nation in 1965, AN AMERICAN CRIME recounts one of the most shocking crimes ever committed against a single victim. The daughters of traveling carnival workers, Sylvia Liken (Ellen Page) and her younger sister Jennie (Hayley McFarland) are left for an extended stay at the suburban Indiana home of single-mother Gertrude Baniszewski (Catherine Keener, in a tour-de-force performance) and her seven children.⁴

So the word is out, and it is true — An American Crime will be premiering on Showtime later this year. Many seem disappointed that there will be no theatrical release — this was certainly not the original plan, after all.⁵

While based on the court transcripts from the trial, “American Crime” is not a simple recreation of the facts, which is understandable. However, O?Haver?s quest to imagine Gertrude?s circumstances, motivations and feelings is utterly disappointing.⁶