On June 5, 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted at knifepoint from her Salt Lake City bedroom in the dead of night. For the next nine months she was held captive by Brian David Mitchell — a self-proclaimed prophet — and his wife Wanda Barzee. Raped daily, chained, brainwashed with religious delusions, starved, and forced to live in horrifying isolation in the Utah wilderness, Elizabeth endured unimaginable trauma while her family and the nation desperately searched for her.
Netflix’s 2025 documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart gives her the platform to tell that story in her own raw, unflinching voice — and it is as devastating as it is powerful. Running just under two hours, the film is built almost entirely around Elizabeth’s first extended, no-holds-barred interview since her rescue in March 2003. There are no dramatic reenactments, no celebrity narration, no sensationalized music. Just Elizabeth — now 37, composed, articulate, and still carrying visible scars — speaking directly to the camera about what happened, why she stayed silent for so long, and how she rebuilt her life afterward.
The documentary does not shy away from the brutality. Elizabeth describes the nightly rapes, the psychological manipulation (Mitchell convinced her God wanted her to submit), the starvation, the isolation, and the constant fear that her family would never find her. She explains why she didn’t run when she had chances — fear of being killed, fear for her family’s safety, and the deep brainwashing that made her believe escape would damn her soul. These details are delivered without graphic visuals, but the emotional weight is crushing.
The film also includes never-before-seen home-video footage from before the abduction, showing a bright, happy 14-year-old girl full of life and faith. Intercut with police and news archives, the contrast is devastating. Elizabeth speaks candidly about the rescue — spotted walking with Mitchell and Barzee in Sandy, Utah — and the immediate aftermath: the media frenzy, the trial, the public scrutiny of her “compliance,” and the long, difficult road to healing.
One of the most powerful moments comes when Elizabeth addresses the shame and judgment she faced. “People asked why I didn’t fight harder, why I didn’t run sooner,” she says. “They didn’t understand that survival sometimes looks like obedience. I was a child. I did what I had to do to stay alive.” She also speaks openly about the lasting trauma — PTSD, trust issues, body-image struggles — and the therapy that helped her reclaim her life. Today she is an advocate, author, and mother of three.
Critics have called the documentary “unflinching and essential,” praising its restraint and Elizabeth’s courage in revisiting her worst memories. “This isn’t exploitation — it’s reclamation,” Variety wrote. “Elizabeth Smart finally gets to tell her story on her own terms.” Viewers have been equally moved: “I cried the entire time — her strength is unreal” (@TrueCrimeViewer, 80k likes). Many say it’s the most respectful and impactful survivor-led documentary in years.
Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart is not easy viewing. It forces audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about abduction, grooming, survival psychology, and society’s tendency to blame victims. But it also offers hope — proof that even after unimaginable horror, healing and purpose are possible.
Elizabeth’s final message in the film is simple but powerful: “I survived. I’m here. And I choose to live — not just exist.” That choice — to speak, to heal, to help others — is perhaps the most powerful part of her story.
Stream Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart on Netflix now. Viewer discretion is advised — but her voice is one the world needs to hear.
