Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart on Netflix — her 2002 abduction told firsthand

Netflix released Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart, a feature documentary under two hours that chronicles Elizabeth Smart’s 2002 abduction in Salt Lake City from her own perspective. The film includes Smart’s account alongside family members who fill in gaps about what happened at home. Smart was 14 when she was taken from her bedroom at knifepoint; her nine-year-old sister was the only witness in the house.

The documentary recounts how family members and investigators initially followed false leads, and how Smart’s sister Mary Katherine later identified the kidnapper as “Emmanuel,” a man who had done odd jobs for the family. The abductor, who presented himself as a preacher, took Smart to a campsite in the mountains where she endured assaults for almost a year.

The film emphasizes sensitivity over sensationalism and notes Smart’s heavy involvement in the project. On Netflix’s podcast Skip Intro, Smart said, “They wanted to be so sensitive to me. Well, I didn’t go on vacation... I definitely wasn’t just sunbathing up in the mountains waiting for someone to come and rescue me.” She added that when she saw the final cut she felt the filmmakers “made me proud.

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