3096 Days

3096 Days is a 2013 film, available to watch on Netflix. It's based on the real life event where in 1998, Wolfgang Priklopil abducted 10 year old Natascha Kampusch and held her in his cellar for 8 years.

3096 Days is a film based on the abduction of Natascha on her way to school in Vienna, held captive for 8 years in a cellar and finally escapes in August 2006.

Once bundled into his white van, she is thrown into a windowless, soundproof cell built beneath his garage, enforced with concrete and requires 3 doors to enter.

Priklopil portrays himself as an unemployed technician, who, when the Police visit him and enquire of the use of his van; he tells them that they are welcome to look. One police officer wanders inside, unbeknown to him that he is just metres away from the missing child, that the entirety of Austria is frantically searching for.

After many years of being kept in the basement, she was allowed upstairs and shared a bed with Wolfgang, where their hands were bound together with tie wraps. He rapes her on multiple occasions, and begins to allow her out of the dark, dingy cellar more frequently. He almost seems to forget that he is currently holding an abducted child, and takes her skiing in Austria. She asks to go the women's toilets, and he stands outside. Natascha approaches a female asking for help, who is Russian and can't understand Kampusch.

The relentless torment and horrendous abuse this child suffered from is stretched over a harrowing 1 hour and 51 minute film. The glimmer of hope I was desperately searching for finally came when Priklopil asks Natascha to help him clean the van, as he decided to sell it. Whilst she is in the back of the white transit van hoovering, he receives a phone call that he wanders inside to hear more clearly. Natascha places the hoover onto the floor of the van and turns around to see that the gate of the house is slightly ajar. Knowing this could be her only opportunity to escape, she flees.

I felt so tense watching this scene. She runs until she arrives in the garden of a woman's house, screaming her name and to call the police. Jump to Wolfgang, who has just realised Natascha has escaped. We see him walking through fields, until he arrives in front of a train track. Just before the train passes him, he throws himself in front of the train and kills himself.

The film ends with an emotional scene of Natascha being reunited with her relieved parents, 3096 days on.