Alison (2016)
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A South African woman recounts her survival of a horrific ordeal and her journey toward healing.
The story
Based on the real-life experiences of Alison Botha in 1994, this documentary explores the harrowing events of her abduction, gang rape, and stabbing. Utilizing a hybrid style that combines re-enactments with intimate interview sessions, the film moves beyond the initial trauma to explore the woman's identity and her subsequent journey of survival. The narrative is framed with a fairytale quality, transforming the experience into a story of miracles and hope, focusing on how she helped others throughout her life after enduring a horrific incident.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Based on the real-life experiences of Alison Botha in 1994, this documentary explores the harrowing events of her abduction, gang rape, and stabbing. Utilizing a hybrid style that combines re-enactments with intimate interview sessions, the film moves beyond the initial trauma to explore the woman's identity and her subsequent journey of survival. The narrative is framed with a fairytale quality, transforming the experience into a story of miracles and hope, focusing on how she helped others throughout her life after enduring a horrific incident.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 80
- Production countries
- South Africa
- Directors
- Uga Carlini
- Writers
- Uga Carlini · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Alison Botha · herself; Christia Visser · Young Alison
- Genres
- documentary
- Themes
- survival; hope; resilience
- Tone and mood
- fairytale; intimate
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; true story
- Source material / true-story basis
- I Have Life: Alison's journey
- Production trivia
- The film premiered at the Dances with Films Festival in 2016.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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