After my grandmother was held hostage, she shocked her small town by declaring that she felt more threatened by the police than by the men holding her hostage – and she wasn’t the only woman that year to do so. A thrilling piece of family lore intersects with the famous kidnapping of Patty Hearst and a dramatic bank heist in Sweden in this investigation into the pernicious origins of Stockholm Syndrome.
“Mimi Wilcox’s brilliant Bad Hostage is one of those documentary shorts that illuminates a subject that I hadn’t considered but becomes so obvious in retrospect: the inherent sexism in the very concept of Stockholm Syndrome…She does so through personal filmmaking against a backdrop of international storytelling. It’s great.” - Brian Tallerico | RogerEbert.com
“Paradigm-shifting.” – Kirsten Johnson (Dick Johnson is Dead, Cameraperson)
“Rarely does a documentary short film manage to be so elegant, so disturbing, and so necessary at the same time." - El Cinefilo Latino ✯✯✯✯✯
“An urgent and fascinating exploration of misogyny and state oppression” - Cinerama ✯✯✯✯
"Simultaneously entertaining and eye-opening!" - Film Carnage ✯✯✯✯½
“The more she reveals blatant misogyny and judgement hurled at all three of these women, the more we want to explore why our culture is so comfortable with putting women down.” – Joey Moser, The Contending
“A slam dunk of a documentary".” – Andreas Babiloakis, Films Fatale
“One of the most riveting documentary shorts on this years shortlist.” – Pedro Lima, ShortStick Films
“A story that has stayed with us since we watched it” – Bend Film Festival Jury
“Through interviews, reenactments, psychological analysis, and meticulous editing, Bad Hostage reexamines the concept of Stockholm Syndrome, challenging the notion that authorities always act in our best interests. The film offers fresh perspective that critiques patriarchal systems prevalent in our society.” – Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival Jury
