Lifetime
The Lifetime network brings us another of its ‘Ripped from the Headlines’ movies … even if they are intentionally vague about said headlines and where or when the events depicted in the movie occurred. But unlike the recent spate of Lifetime movies, this one is actually … good!
Buried Alive and Survived stars Eva Marcille as Alicia, a single mother raising her son Malcolm, doing the best she can even though she is more than a bit over-protective. After apologizing to Malcolm for embarrassing him in front of his school friends, Alicia gives him a new pair of sneakers as gift but he discovers an Air Tag in one of the shoes, now angry again that his mother seems to not trust him. Her helicopter parenting comes into full focus when Victor shows up — her formerly incarcerated husband who was released unexpectedly after serving eight of his fifteen year sentence. His first visit is to one of his old pals who didn’t face any legal problems, but seems to have benefited greatly from Victor not ratting him out. Coming to claim the money he’s owed, Victor absconds with everything his old friend has from new TVs (in cartons) to a new pick-up truck as re-payment. Victor then tracks down his son and makes himself known. Malcolm is thrilled to have his father home and quickly takes him back to the house. When Alicia arrives, she’s none too pleased to see the man she considers her ex. He, however, still considers them married and wants to have dinner with his wife and son to rekindle the relationship. Alicia reluctantly agrees and it goes as well as it could, but when she turns down his request to spend the night, she promises to give him a call the next day. He leaves and Alicia quickly goes into panic mode, ordering Malcolm to pack everything he can because they are leaving ASAP. Malcolm thinks his mom is just being a bit too dramatic, but as she’s packing the car Victor returns, knowing that she was going to run again.
He forces her into the truck and asks Malcolm to just hang tight at the house while he and his mom have a chat. As they drive away, it’s clear Victor has other plans than a simple chat and before she can make her escape, Alicia finds herself buried alive in the middle of the woods. Victor heads back to pick up Malcolm hours later, but Alicia’s sister has arrived first, concerned that she hasn’t been able to reach Alicia. She tells Malcolm the same thing Alicia did, that Victor is a bad and violent man, but before she can get the boy out of the house, Victor arrives, smacks her hard enough to knock her out, and revealing his true nature to his son, who is now very concerned about his mother’s well-being. Before they leave, Malcolm says he wants to put on his new shoes and slips the tracking device back into the shoe with the hope that someone will be able to find them. Alicia fights as hard as she can to get out of the shipping crate she’s buried in, and when she does she heads to her friends Jo’s house and logs in to the Air Tag with the hope of finding her son. But will she be able to track them down before Victor gets too far out of the area? She knows Malcolm’s life is hanging in the balance.
Lifetime
Buried Alive and Survived briefly reminds one of the Ryan Reynolds movie Buried. He too was stuck in a box for nearly the entirety of the film. Luckily the one Alicia was in was more poorly constructed and she made her way out with only some minor struggles, aided by the rain that loosened the soil (but somehow did not muddy her clothing as she crawled out of the muck). The combination of the tense ‘will she get out’ with the terror of Victor taking Malcolm and the cat-and-mouse game Alicia and Victor play after she does find them really ratchets up the tension for a TV movie. Director Manu Boyer really builds the tension to a crescendo that ends with some pretty shocking moments of violence.
The film is also aided by some masterful performances from its cast. Eva Marcille is outstanding as Alicia. We see her trying to put on a brave face and an ‘F You’ attitude when dealing with Victor, desperately trying to convince him that she’s not as terrified of him as he believes she is (but we know she is). Her desperate attempt to get out of her grave puts you on the edge of your seat, and her battle with Victor is harrowing and painful to watch. Marcille goes through a range of emotions with great skill and her performance truly elevates the film far above what we’ve come to expect from a Lifetime movie. Tyler Lepley is also great as Victor, making him appear like a changed man while his truly menacing nature bubbles just below the surface, often switching from loving to deranged with just the turn of his head. It’s an utterly believable performance and it may certainly trigger anyone who has been in a similar situation (and having known someone in a similarly toxic relationship, it did bring back some long dormant memories). Jaeden White is also fantastic as Malcolm, portraying a perfectly natural teen-aged boy resentful that his father isn’t around, and more resentful when he learns his mother never told him Victor was in prison. But he becomes a scared, but resilient, little boy when he realizes his and his mother’s lives are in jeopardy. All three actors put in the work to make this movie a cut above the rest.
The supporting cast including Christie Leverette as Alicia’s sister Kamlyn, Cocoa Brown as her co-worker Jo, Lamar K. Cheston as Victor’s pal Stevie G, and Tim Plum as the poor farmer Victor encounters after burying Alicia, all turning in good performances despite their small screen time.
Buried Alive and Survived, whether it’s based on a true event or not, is still a taut domestic thriller touching on some very sensitive subject matter so it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But it’s still one of Lifetime’s better produced movies that keeps you riveted from start to finish, with a great cast that completely elevates the material.
Buried Alive and Survived has a run time of 1 hour 26 minutes, and is rated TV-14 for violence and frightening & intense sequences.
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