Amanda Knox blasts film Stillwater for exploiting her case

30 July 2021, 17:14

Amanda Knox
Film-Stillwater-Amanda Knox. Picture: PA

Ms Knox was the subject of worldwide headlines after the murder in Perugia, Italy, of British student Meredith Kercher in 2007.

Amanda Knox has spoken out about her name being associated with the new film Stillwater, saying that any connection ripped off “my story without my consent at the expense of my reputation”.

Stillwater stars Matt Damon as a father who flies to France to help his estranged daughter, Allison, played by Abigail Breslin. She has been convicted and imprisoned for murdering her girlfriend in Marseille, in a case that has generated lurid headlines.

Ms Knox is never named on screen, but in interviews the filmmakers have noted her sensational case was an initial jumping off point for the script.

In tweets and an essay on the site Medium, Ms Knox called out various publications and director Tom McCarthy for using her name to promote the film.

She wrote that his “fictionalised version of me is just the tabloid conspiracy guiltier version of me”.

“Does my name belong to me? Does my face? What about my life? My story? Why is my name used to refer to events I had no hand in? I return to these questions because others continue to profit off my name, face, and story without my consent,” she wrote.

Ms Knox was the subject of worldwide headlines after the murder in Perugia, Italy, of British student Meredith Kercher in 2007.

Ms Knox and Ms Knox’s then-boyfriend were placed under suspicion.

Both were initially convicted, but after a series of flip-flop decisions, Italy’s highest court threw out the convictions in 2015.

An unrelated man is serving a 16-year sentence for the murder.

Abigail Breslin, left, and Matt Damon in a scene from Stillwater
Abigail Breslin, left, and Matt Damon in a scene from Stillwater (Jessica Forde/Focus Features via AP)

“By fictionalising away my innocence, my total lack of involvement, by erasing the role of the authorities in my wrongful conviction, Mr McCarthy reinforces an image of me as a guilty and untrustworthy person,” Ms Knox wrote.

At the Cannes Film Festival earlier this month, where Stillwater was screened, Mr McCarthy said Ms Knox’s case served as an “initial inspiration point but not much beyond that. I just had a daughter then and I thought how it would be like”.

In a later interview, Mr McCarthy said he “didn’t want to kind of copy or mimic” Ms Knox’s legal ordeal.

“It’s loosely inspired by that case, so I didn’t want to try and do a recreation of that. I want Allison to kind of be her own standalone character, but it was definitely great to have that for a reference.”

Many reviews and feature stories about Stillwater have mentioned MS Knox as an inspiration for the plot.

The film opens on Friday.

By Press Association

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

Live
US Presidential Election 2024 LIVE: Millions of Americans head to the polls as election day arrives

US Presidential Election 2024 LIVE: Millions of Americans head to the polls in the final race for the White House

Kris Finney has been missing since Thursday

British man missing in Tenerife not seen for three days as Foreign Office issues statement

Barcelona issued with 'extreme danger' flood warning - as fresh rain leaves airport submerged and flights cancelled

Barcelona issued with 'extreme danger' flood warning - as fresh rain leaves airport submerged and flights cancelled

Coco Gauff performs in front of a small crowd at the WTA finals in Saudia Arabia

Tim Henman hits out at ‘disappointing’ crowd after 400 watch women’s finals in Saudi Arabia

Dr Florian Willet, president of Sarco operator The Last Resort, and the suicide pod

First person to use Sarco 'suicide pod' heard three chilling words before death

A British couple were found dead in their car as floods devastated parts of Spain

British couple missing in Spain floods found dead in car after 'popping out' to buy gas

Meredith Kercher's family blast 'lack of sensitivity' over Disney-backed Amanda Knox drama

Amanda Knox accused of 'profiting from murder' by Meredith Kercher's family over Disney-backed trial drama

Kamala Harris moves key rally over Secret Service safety concerns as White House race enters final 24 hours

Kamala Harris moves key rally over Secret Service safety concerns as White House race enters final 24 hours

Former President Trump and Vice President Harris make final pitches

Harris and Trump make closing pitches with two days to election

The Israeli military has said it carried out its first ground operation into Syria - as it announced it had captured a man who has links to Iran (stock images)

IDF confirms first ground operation into Syria of war - and says it has seized a man 'with links to Iran'

Iranian authorities have arrested a woman who was filmed stripping down to her underwear to protest harassment by the regime's morality police.

Iran arrests woman who stripped to underwear to protest morality police harassed over 'improper hijab'

King Felipe

King of Spain and Queen Letizia pelted with mud as angry crowds heckle royals during visit to flash flooded Valencia

TOPSHOT-US-VOTE-POLITICS-EARLY VOTING

Key swing states to watch out for in the 2024 US Election – and why they matter

Donald Trump brands Kamala Harris a 'low IQ person' during Salem rally

Donald Trump brands Kamala Harris a 'low IQ person' during Salem rally

'I've got one vote, I'm going to use it': Harrison Ford backs Kamala Harris in rare presidential endorsement

'I've got one vote, I'm going to use it': Harrison Ford backs Kamala Harris in rare presidential endorsement

Flooding And Heavy Rain In Valencia Region Of Spain

What we have seen in Spain these last days is a preview of the future if we do not take action on climate change