My Kidnapper

Year: 2010
Country: UNITED KINGDOM, COLOMBIA, GERMANY
Run Time: 83 minutes

On September 12, 2003 eight tourists from around the globe were taken from their huts by guerilla forces in Sierra Nevada, Colombia. For 101 days they were held hostage by their kidnappers, members of the ELN-the National Liberation Army fighting the Colombian government and right-wing paramilitaries. As prisoners they were forced to endure horrific conditions hidden deep in the mountains of Colombia, including starvation, exhaustion, and intense psychological damage. One of these tourists was Mark Henderson, a British filmmaker who takes us with him on his return to the jungle six years later, along with three of his fellow hostages. Erez and Ido are two Israelis who are still struggling with their feelings of extreme anger and resentment toward their captors. Reini, from Germany and the only woman of the group, seems to have suffered the most emotionally. Eleven months after their final rescue, Mark and Reini started receiving e-mails from Antonio and Camila, the only guerilla members who showed them any humanity during their captivity, inviting them to return and meet with them so that both sides can attempt to gain some form of closure. MY KIDNAPPER is a harrowing self-exploration that examines the relationship between kidnappers and their hostages. (In English and Spanish with subtitles) – M.M.

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