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Lifetime Review: 'My Daughter Must Live'

Pedestrian action and a poorly used antagonist could prove divisive for this well-acted family drama.

By Trevor WellsPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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With her troubling grades and withdrawn demeanor, Regan O'Malley (Joelle Carter) has become increasingly concerned with her 16-year-old daughter Katie (Madeleine Martin). While Regan initially suspects drugs to be the culprit behind Katie's change, the true cause is revealed after two frightening incidents land the teen in the hospital: she's suffering from liver failure, and is in need of a transplant if she has any hope of survival.

Regan and her husband Hugh (Paul Popowich) both have tests done to see if they can provide the transplant their daughter needs, but not only do the results come back negative, they reveal a shocking secret: Hugh is not Katie's biological father. It's then that Regan realizes that Katie's biological father is actually her old high school boyfriend Dan Travis (Sergio Di Zio), who she had an affair with years prior while she and Hugh were having martial troubles. As the revelation strikes a hard blow to Regan and her family, she gets back into contact with Dan in an effort to convince him to help Katie. But with Dan in hiding from crooked businessman Wagner (Maurice Dean Wint), an already complicated situation could turn dangerous...

To start off this review, there is one thing that must be said to anyone who has yet to see this film: if you go into My Daughter Must Live expecting the typical Lifetime-ian thrills, you will come out disappointed. If one didn't have any foreknowledge of this film, reading the above plot synopsis would lead them to believe the film's events would center around Dan's conflict with Wagner and how they effect the operation Katie needs, on top of the drama from the revelation of Regan's infidelity. Instead, however, the latter gets most of the spotlight, with the threat Wagner plays to Dan's (and by extension, Katie's) life mainly serving as a subplot. It's a disappointing waste of what could've been a stronger story and is a disappointment that is sure to turn off viewers.

But for what it does accomplish with the way it takes its story, My Daughter Must Live is a solid drama, with the fumbled plot elements being made up for mostly by a solid cast. Joelle Carter does well as a loving but problematic wife and mother, allowing the audience to believe in Regan's regret for her past indiscretion and her desperation and willingness to fight and risk everything—and even resort to deeds unlike her—to save her daughter's life. As the film unfolds, Regan has her share of emotional scenes, with Carter delivering them with impassioned strength. Paul Popowich similarly excels as Hugh, bringing palpable heartbreak to the scene where he finds out about Katie's true parentage and reacts with a combination of devastation, justified anger against Regan, and firm declaration of fatherhood.

Madeleine Martin rounds out the O'Malley family as teenage daughter Katie, keeping Katie's opening scenes of brattiness contained so that they never go too far and detract from Katie's likability. While there's not much change in Katie's dour demeanor before and after she's faced with the prospect of dying, Martin brings her all to the few scenes where a true melancholy arises from Katie's snark and when Katie allows her inner emotions to come out. Martin also develops strong chemistry with Kyle Mac as Katie forms a friendship with fellow patient Trevor that alternates between goofy banter and genuine heartfelt emotion. The duo's scenes are fun and sincere enough to watch, though their "pizza heist" scene feels like it should be in a Hallmark rom-com rather than a Lifetime drama.

Finally, there's Sergio Di Zio as Dan Travis, who does well as Dan goes through many emotions over the course of the film, bringing his best to the table when Dan is forced to question what he should do about the predicament he finds himself in. Rachel Wilson also gives a strong performance as Dan's wife Amelia, throwing herself into Amelia's emotional scenes in a way that allows you to understand and feel for her, even when her actions regarding her husband's predicament border on callous.

The film contains a surprise powerhouse performance, and in this case, it's unfortunate due to how little My Daughter Must Live utilizes this performer: Maurice Dean Wint as dangerous businessman Wagner. In addition to being played with perfectly histrionic menace by Wint, Wagner has the distinction of being an intense hypochondriac; a unique trait that is juxtaposed against Wagner's understated menace and sadistic turns of phrase. But as stated before, despite serving as the most direct obstacle to Katie's survival, Wagner hardly factors into the story, leaving Wint's excellent performance tragically underused.

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW

Then there's the matter of how his character leaves the story. Following his successful transplant surgery, Dan is visited by the threatening-looking Wagner, who appears ready to take his revenge on Dan for stealing from him. With this happening in the last few minutes of the movie, it's not surprising that this exchange doesn't get the screen time it deserves, but what makes it truly unsatisfying is how it's resolved. After Regan runs in to save Dan, Wagner reveals he was simply there to ensure that Dan leave town now that the surgery is complete before exiting without another word. After the film builds up Wagner to be a violent and unstable psychopath, having him let Dan go so easily is at best anticlimactic and at worst audience-insulting.

SPOILERS OVER

The different pace and tone of My Daughter Must Live are potentially alienating, as is the film's brutal misuse of its "main" antagonist. But once the viewer adjusts to the film's style, the solidly developed story and strong characters are sure to keep more than a few viewers watching. It's not a thrill ride in the same vein as Deadly Excursion or Left for Dead, but My Daughter Must Live is an enjoyable watch nonetheless.

Score: 7 out of 10 gloved handgags

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About the Creator

Trevor Wells

Aspiring writer and film lover: Lifetime, Hallmark, indie, and anything else that strikes my interest. He/him.

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Twitter: @TrevorWells98

Instagram: @trevorwells_16

Email: [email protected]

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