Jake Gyllenhaal's latest Netflix film The Guilty premiered on the streaming service on October 1, 2021. Fans are now wondering if the movie is based on a true story.
The Guilty, led by Jake Gyllenhaal as LAPD officer Joe Baylor, is the newest Netflix original movie to baffle viewers.
Joe operates at a 911 call center, and the movie depicts him through a night of fielding urgent phone calls while evading a LA Times correspondent who wants to question him about an eight-month-old event.
What makes the picture fascinating is that it is completely set in a call center, which means that the bulk of the movie's big-name stars are only heard through their voices.
But are the incidents depicted in the film based on real-life events? Here's everything we know so far.
The Guilty is a Remake of a Danish Film from 2018
The Guilty is originally based on the story of Danish director Gustav Möller, who served as a co-writer and director for the original in 2018.
Gustav made his directorial debut with The Guilty, which was premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and shortlisted for Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Oscars.
Gustav told Variety that his inspiration to create the picture came from two key sources. The first was a YouTube video of a real-life 911 call following an abduction. The next was named Serial, a podcast about the 1999 killing of a Maryland student.
The 20-minute 911 conversation on YouTube included an abducted woman communicating in code to the receiver while her captor sat close to her in the passenger seat.
Speaking of the experience, Gustav said:
Felt like I was seeing images just listening to sound. It felt like I had seen this woman; I had an idea of the car she was sitting in and the road they were driving on.
However, after noting that numerous listeners envisioned distinct places during the length of the clip, Gustav and co-writer Emil Nygaard Albertsen sought to compose a storyline that would roll out in diverse ways, in which everybody would have a special experience, like viewing their own film.
So, Is The Guilty Based on a True Story?
Based on what we've stated earlier, what does it entail for the Netflix adaptation of the film? Because of the original background, The Guilty is based largely on a real story, although the characters of Joe Baylor, Emily Lighton, and others are most likely made up.
Gustav stated that he would not want to make a rendition of the picture in a different language (the original was in Danish), but Jake Gyllenhaal purchased the distribution rights later in 2018 and preserved the fundamentals of the plot while adding new characters.
Therefore, The Guilty is a tense story based on true events, although the rest of it is made up, including the ending, which Jake believes is a fantasy!
While many have commended the film's innovative format of sharing only the call center and the callers' voices, others have expressed concern that Jake's remake does not live up to the original.
Needless to say, fans will have to wait and see for themselves before making any type of conclusion.
The Guilty premiered on Netflix on 1st October 2021.
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