Abducted at an HBCU: A Black Girl Missing Movie (2024) – Written Review

Naturi Naughton and Tanyell Quian star in “Abducted at an HBCU: A Black Girl Missing Movie,” which explores a fictionalized story of a young woman who gets kidnapped.

Plot Summary

At a fictional HBCU (Historically Black College or University) named Errington, Shannon has recently transferred from a local community college, and so far, her grades have been good. Mind you, this is despite being on her own, as her mother and father aren’t around, and she has no other family. On top of that, she doesn’t have any notable financial support either.

Thankfully, however, she has Ms. Ellen, her advisor, who looks out for her. But, this is only so much one person can do when there are rules and beliefs in place in terms of getting too close to students. Thus opening Shannon up to guys like King, who traffics local girls, and Shannon ends up the latest one.

Noted Cast and Characters Of “Abducted at an HBCU: A Black Girl Missing Movie”

Character’s Name	Actor’s Name
Shannon Tomlison	Tanyell Quian
Ellen Hampton	Naturi Naughton
Eric King	Mark J.P. Hood
Alex	Essynce Moore

Shannon

Sharon was raised in an auto shop and knows how to fix cars. So, between the tutelage of the auto mechanic and her studies at Errington, she hopes to invent a solar car and ride the EV revolution wave.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Christmas Revisited.”

Ellen

Ellen is a veteran, a former marine, who has largely set aside having a personal life to be of service in one way or another. Currently, it is by working at Errington as an advisor who takes their job seriously and isn’t as dismissive as her peers.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Call Her King.”

King

King is a human trafficker who takes advantage of young ladies who don’t have much or can be easily manipulated in his 12-day program where, after those 12 days, they are either sold or killed.

Alex

Alex is Shannon’s only friend at school, who is queer and is part of Errington’s Art Society.

Content Information

• Dialog: Cursing
• Violence: Gun Violence
• Sexual Content: Sexual Situations (Implied)
• Miscellaneous: (Forced) Drug Use

Review

Our Rating: Positive (Worth Seeing)

Similar To This

1. Gift of Fear: In this movie featuring Indigenous people and stories, a young woman played by Isa Antonetti, is trying to adjust to her new foster home as her girlfriend is kidnapped by people from her past.
2. Trunk – Locked In: “Trunk – Locked In” reminds you of one of the many irrational fears a person can have, and why not prepping for the worst and hoping for the best can mean whether you live or die.
3. The Boy Behind The Door: While immensely frustrating sometimes, it is because The Boy Behind The Door gets you so invested that you hope for the best but expect the worst.

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Highlights

Depiction Of How People Can Become Victims

“Abducted at an HBCU: A Black Girl Missing Movie” paints the picture of how someone can become a victim of human trafficking in multiple ways. The most glaring issue is through the staff of Errington who, from Shannon’s professor to campus security, brushed off Shannon disappearance and didn’t take it seriously. Following that is, when she initially disappeared, her friend, Alex, suffering from paralysis due to over-analysis. She knew something was wrong but didn’t speak up.

That last one is the major issue for indifference is bad enough, but then add in not speaking up when you know something is wrong? It is what separates Alex from Ellen – and Ellen wasn’t even Shannon’s friend! But, in Alex’s defense, she did warn Shannon about King and she ignored her. On top of that, Shannon didn’t follow any of the usual safety protocols regarding her dates with King. There wasn’t telling anyone who she was going to be with, where she was going, and she pretty much laid it out there she was on her own.

I don’t know about you, but Shannon set up the prime example of how there are multiple intelligences. While she is book smart and could create wonderful poetry, she was socially inept. Which isn’t to victim blame, for many have stories like Shannon. However, as the phrase goes, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

On The Fence

The Lifetime Tone

Lifetime often gets a bad rep as a channel, especially from those who aren’t consistent viewers of the station. But I’d say it would be like Tubi if Tubi were on cable. It platforms movies and sometimes shows other platforms wouldn’t take, and while Tubi doesn’t do much in the way of marketing, Lifetime does push for often dramatized stories, with the idea that the story needs to be heard, seen or features the type of talent who deserve shine.

In terms of “Abducted at an HBCU: A Black Girl Missing Movie,” you could argue that the cast is good enough, but what about the tone? Maybe not so much. It doesn’t feel as serious as you’d expect it to be, but it hits the beats you’d find appropriate. It hints at the abuse, physical and sexual, and how men like King wear down women like Shannon until they lose the will to fight back and focus on survival.

However, something about Ellen’s storyline about finding Shannon seems off. Granted, they can’t present the full difficulty of finding someone who has gone missing and the frustration that comes with that. But, between Shannon’s dad having drug and mental health issues, making Ellen a marine, and the consistent indifference she faced, everything felt too lined up to make Ellen a hero and not a real person.

So, while you have to appreciate the push regarding what to keep in mind to avoid being abducted and noting how Black women and girls don’t get the same press and push to be found, there are one too many things about “Abducted at an HBCU: A Black Girl Missing Movie” that could give you pause.

General Information

Film Length	1 Hour 27 Minutes
Date Released	July 20, 2024
How To Watch	Lifetime | Stream Here/ Official Site
Distributor	Lifetime
Director(s)	Delmar Washington
Writer(s)	Avery O. Williams
Genre(s)	Crime Drama Thriller Young Adult
Content Rating	Rated TV-14