I Was Lorena Bobbitt – Lifetime – 2 hours and 9 minutes

Lorena drove down the Virginia streets with tears streaming down her face and blood on her hands.  Not being able to grasp the steering wheel properly, she saw something in her hands and threw it out the window.  She went to her job and discovered it was locked.  That’s when she saw the knife in her hand and threw it in the trash.  Lorena went to the home of her boss, Janet.  Janet saw Lorena’s appearance and asked what happened.  Lorena commented, “I think I hurt John“.  At the hospital, the police want to know what happened.  But not what happened to her.  What happened to John’s penis.  While he slept, she cut it off and left the house with it.  As she described years of abuse to the police, the police went on a manhood hunt for John.  In months, John Bobbitt would be on trial for marital sexual assault, and Lorena would be on trial for malicious wounding.  If found guilty, John could face up to four years in prison.  If Lorena is found guilty, she could get up to 20 years in prison and be deported.

As Lorena tells her story, she wants domestic violence victims to learn one thing: Silence is not an option.  Born in Ecuador and raised in Venezuela, Lorena had the dream of coming to America, owning a business, and starting a family.  At 18, she was swept off her feet by a young marine.  They got married and her dream became a nightmare.  Her host family could see the warning signs, but Lorena loved John.  As the abuse got worse, Lorena learned there was little to no protection in the 80s and 90s for abuse victims.  There was only one shelter with a few beds and no contact information.   The Violence Against Women Act didn’t exist.  Lorena had police documentation, witnesses, and pictures but it still ended as a ‘he said-she said’ battle that made Lorena a punchline.  While this movie focuses on Lorena’s point of view, it only mentions the hurdles she had to face because of the laws, the media, and gender.  For those issues, watch an amazing and in-depth documentary of Lorena Bobbitt’s story on Amazon. (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer).  While hard to watch, this movie covers a lot of tough topics that are still relevant today like abuse against immigrant spouses, military spouses, and young spouses.  You will see Lorena go from victim to survivor to citizen.  And with that, she created an organization to help others survive. If you are a victim of domestic violence, here are resources to help.

I give it 5 out of 5 stars

Such a bad boy – Mrs. Castro

I want you, Lorena, all to myself – John

John is here. Please don’t let him find me – Lorena

All couples argue sometimes. It’s part of the package – Janet

This is a family matter Lorena – Elvia Gallo

Find, shop for, and watch Lifetime movies on Amazon TV (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer)