| Director: | Gail Harvey |
| Runtime: | 90 minutes |
| Country: | United States Canada |
| Language: | English |
| Network: | Lifetime |
No One Would Tell is a 2018 film that aired on Lifetime and is a true-story remake of the 1996 film of the same name. It features Shannen Doherty, Matreya Scarrwener, Callan Potter, Chanelle Peloso, Louriza Tronco, Trezzo Mahoro, Ricky He, Sarah Grey, Avery Konrad, Ona Grauer, and Mira Sorvino.
The plot differs from the original film, but both are based on the true story of Jamie Fuller, a 16-year-old high school student who murdered his 14-year-old girlfriend, Amy Carnevale, on August 23, 1991, in Beverly, Massachusetts.[1]
At a school wrestling match, student Sarah Collins catches the attention of classmate, Rob Tennison, and they start dating. Rob becomes jealous and controlling. During a get-together at his family lake house, Sarah reads aloud a romantic text he sent her. He angrily throws her phone at her, breaking it, before apologizing and insisting he loves her. Sarah's best friend, Nikki Farrow, waves to a girl next door, who waves back then panics upon seeing Rob.
One night, Sarah ends a phone call from Rob as she needs to study, before accepting a call from Nikki, who needs to get away from her alcoholic mother. Rob is furious that Sarah ignored him in favor of Nikki. Nikki learns from Rob's friend Gus that Rob once dated the girl next door to the lake house.
Sarah tells her mother, Laura, about Rob's possessive behavior. Laura speculates that Rob is just afraid of losing her. Rob buys Sarah an expensive dress for an upcoming school dance. The dress is too tight; he urges her to lose weight before the dance.
At school, Sarah's friend Alexa does not ask about bruising on Sarah's shoulder, instead helping her hide it with hair and makeup. Rob berates Sarah in the hallway for wearing a revealing outfit. Sarah later visits his house to apologize and is greeted by his mother. Rob accuses her of orchestrating the visit to meet his mother without his knowledge. He punches her so hard that she collapses. She breaks up with him and demands that he never speak to her again.
At home, Laura reveals that her own boyfriend broke up with her. As Sarah prepares to confide the truth, Laura takes a work call; Sarah retreats to her room. Laura notices Sarah's injuries, but Sarah lies and says she fell, then lashes out at Laura for insinuating that Rob is abusive. She reconciles with Rob after he promises to stop abusing her and gifts her a promise ring.
When Nikki urges Sarah to break up with Rob, Sarah angrily ends their friendship. Nikki consults Rob's ex-girlfriend, who describes the abuse she suffered at Rob's hands, which she never reported out of shame. She advises Nikki to be present for Sarah.
Nikki and Sarah reconcile at the dance. Rob drags Sarah outside after noticing her speaking to another boy. Nikki and Gus intervene. With Nikki's support, Sarah breaks up with Rob for good.
The following day, Sarah ignores Rob's attempts to contact her until he eventually gets her friend Jacqueline to convince her to converse with him. She reluctantly lets him give her a ride home, but once in the car, he reveals he is taking her not home, but for a drive.
Sarah's friends and family are alarmed to discover she is missing the next day. Nikki tells Laura about Rob's abuse. Laura questions Rob but he denies it. She and Nikki find Sarah's ring at the lake house. A police search team find her body in the lake.
Rob is charged with first degree murder. At the trial, Laura implores Nikki not to blame herself and urges the court to look into Rob's actions - he accidentally asphyxiated her. Judge Elizabeth Hanover reads the guilty verdict, and tells the witnesses to speak up next time they witness a friend being abused. A memorial for Sarah is created in the school hallway. Nikki and Laura console one another in Sarah's room.
Danielle von Zerneck, Lisa Richardson, and Martin Fisher served as executive producers with Canadians Shawn Angelski and Paddy Bickerton serving as producers on the film. Gail Harvey directed from a script written by Caitlin D. Fryers.[2]
Lifetime announced the film as part of a fall movie lineup focused on young adults, and tackling a number of social and mental health issues. The announced cast included Shannen Doherty as "Laura" Collins, Matreya Scarrwener as "Sarah" Collins, and Callan Potter as "Rob" Tennison.[1] [3]
As a remake of the 1996 film, the film was fairly well-received, ranking ninth out of the Top 150 cable shows when it premiered on Sunday, September 16, 2018.[4]
Harvey won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction in a TV Movie at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards in 2020.[5]