UNBROKEN (2014)

Starring Jack O'Connell, Garrett Hedlund, Domhnall Gleeson, Miyavi

based on the book 'Unbroken' by Laura Hillenbrand

REEL FACE:	REAL FACE:
Jack O'Connell Born: August 1, 1990 Birthplace: Derby, England, UK	Louis Zamperini Born: January 26, 1917 Birthplace: Olean, New York, USA Death: July 2, 2014, Los Angeles, California, USA(pneumonia)
C.J. Valleroy Birthplace: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA	Young Louis Photo circa 1927
Alex Russell Born: December 11, 1987 Birthplace: Queensland, Australia	Pete Zamperini Born: May 24, 1915 Birthplace: Dunkirk, New York, USA Death: May 15, 2008, San Clemente, California, USA
Miyavi (Takamasa Ishihara) Born: September 14, 1981 Birthplace: Konohana-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan	Mutsuhiro Watanabe (aka "The Bird") Born: circa 1918 Birthplace: Japan Death: April 2003
Domhnall Gleeson Born: May 12, 1983 Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland	Lt. Russell Allen "Phil" Phillips Born: August 1, 1916 Birthplace:Greencastle, Indiana, USA Death: December 18, 1998, Marietta, Georgia, USA
Finn Wittrock Born: October 28, 1984 Birthplace: Lenox, Massachusetts, USA	SSgt. Francis "Mac" McNamara Born: February 19, 1920 Birthplace: Pollagh County Mayo, Ireland Death: June 30, 1943, Pacific Ocean (at sea)(starvation/dehydration)
Garrett Hedlund Born: September 3, 1984 Birthplace: Roseau, Minnesota, USA	LtCdr. John Allison Fitzgerald Born: May 16, 1908 Birthplace:California, USA Death: July 6, 1990
Jai Courtney Born: March 15, 1986 Birthplace: Sydney, Australia	1Lt. Charleton Hugh "Cup" Cuppernell Birthplace:California, USA
Morgan Griffin Born: June 4, 1992 Birthplace: Australia	Cynthia Applewhite Born: January 20, 1926 Birthplace: USA Death: February 21, 2001, Los Angeles, California, USA(cancer)

That's all you do in a raft. I don't care if you're an atheist or what you are. When you reach the end of your rope and you've got nowhere else to turn, your atheism isn't going to help you. You're going to turn and look up. And so that's all we did on the raft was pray morning, noon and night. -Louis Zamperini, CBN Interview



QUESTIONING THE STORY:


Did Louis really start running track to avoid getting into trouble?

Yes. The Unbroken true story reveals that, like in the movie, the real Louis Zamperini had a knack for getting into trouble when he was growing up. Some of his early antics included jumping from the caboose of a train when his family was on their way to California. He also had a penchant for stealing and fighting. He started smoking at age five, picking up discarded cigarette butts while walking to kindergarten. He began drinking when he was eight, hiding under the dinner table sipping glasses of wine. -Unbroken book

His brother Pete thought that getting Louis involved in the high school track team would be a good way for him to embrace something other than mischief. "Pete told me I had to quit drinking and smoking if I wanted to do well," Louis told Running Times Magazine, "and that I had to run, run, run." Pete was already a star on the team. "I decided that summer to go all out. Overnight I became fanatical. I wouldn't even have a milkshake."

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Top: August, 1942, the last Zamperini family photo before Louie went to war. Rear, left to right, Virginia, Sylvia and Anthony Zamperini. Front: Pete, Louise and Louie. Bottom: Their Unbroken movie counterparts.

Did Louis Zamperini meet Adolf Hitler?

Yes. Despite finishing eighth in the men's 5000-meter event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, his final lap was an astonishing 56 seconds. It caught the attention of Adolf Hitler, who requested that Louie come over to his box in the stands. In researching theUnbroken true story, we learned that Hitler reached from his box and shook Louie's hand, saying something in German. A translator interpreted, "Ah, you're the boy with the fast finish." Louie's interaction with Hitler is not shown in the movie. -Unbroken book

Did Louie's brother really tell him, "A moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory"?

Yes. However, unlike the movie, Louie's brother Pete told him this as they sat on their bed years earlier, not right before Louie left for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Louie did remember Pete's words during his race, which helped him to achieve the 56-second final lap in the men's 5000-meter event. The book states the phrase as, "A lifetime of glory is worth a moment of pain."

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Louie (left) crosses the finish line in the 1936 Olympic 5000 meter trial, Randall's Island, New York. Jack O'Connell (right) as Louie in the Unbroken movie.

Exactly how many men died when the B-24 bomber Louie was on crashed?

The B-24 Liberator bomber Louie was on, nicknamed The Green Hornet, had a history of mechanical issues. "The plane was used for salvaging parts from it," Louie said in a CBNinterview. "We were reluctant to take it, but they said it passed inspection and it should be alright." On May 27, 1943, while on a search mission for a lost aircraft and crew, the bomber succumbed to its mechanical woes. Its two left engines cut out, and it crashed into the Pacific Ocean 850 miles south of Oahu, Hawaii, killing eight of the eleven men on board. In addition to Zamperini, pilot Russell Allen "Phil" Phillips and tail gunner Francis "Mac" McNamara survived the crash. -Unbroken book

Did one of the crash survivors really eat all of the chocolate?

Yes. Our investigation into the Unbroken true story confirmed that, in an act of panic, tail gunner Francis "Mac" McNamara ate all of the chocolate bars (approximately 6) as the other men slept in the two rafts during the first night. This ruined Louie's plan to allot each man one square of chocolate in the morning and one in the evening, which would last them a few days. Mac had been at his wits end the day before, and Louie had to slap him across the face with the back of his hand to stop him from wailing, "We're going to die!" Louie was disappointed in Mac over the chocolate but figured they would be rescued soon anyway. -Unbroken book

Did they really spot a rescue plane the day after the crash?

Yes. "It's weird," said the real Louis Zamperini. "From the sky a thousand feet up, a raft looks like a whitecap, and they didn't see us." -CBN

How long did Louis Zamperini spend stranded at sea on the raft?

After his plane went down in the Pacific Ocean on May 27, 1943, the real Louis Zamperini spent 47 days stranded at sea on the life raft. Like in the movie, tail gunner Francis McNamara survived 33 days on the raft, eventually succumbing to dehydration and starvation. Zamperini and pilot Russell Allen "Phil" Phillips were picked up by the Japanese on July 13, 1943 (approx.), just before reaching an atoll in the Marshall Islands. They had drifted approximately 2,000 miles. -Unbroken book

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The real Louis Zamperini (right) boards a plane during WWII. Actor Jack O'Connell (left) on board the B-24 Liberator bomber Super Man in the movie.

Did they really catch and eat an albatross raw?

Yes. According to the Unbroken movie true story, the men first killed an albatross that landed on the raft. They cut it open but the stench was so bad they couldn't get the meat into their mouths without gagging. Instead, they used it as bait to catch small fish. "The next thing you know another albatross landed," said Louie, "and I told the guys, 'We got to try to eat it.' So this one, we devoured it like a hot fudge sundae, you know, it was just delicious" (CBN). In Laura Hillenbrand's book, Louie says that the second albatross didn't smell as bad when they cut it open, but they did have to force the meat down.

Were Louis Zamperini and his fellow survivors bombarded by sharks?

Yes. Starting the first day on the raft, sharks were a constant nuisance. They were so close at times that the men would only have to reach out their hands to touch them. Louie described them as varying between six feet and more than twenty feet long (the latter being a great white shark). The three men could feel tremors from the predators rubbing their backs along the bottom of the rafts. The sharks slapped the rafts with their tails, rammed into them, splashed water onto the men, and even jumped at them. The men smacked the sharks away with oars or their bare hands.

Like in the movie, they caught a small shark and killed it, cutting it open with the edge of a mirror and eating the liver for food (the only edible part). They were able to do this twice, after which no more small sharks came around. -Unbroken book

Did a Japanese bomber really shoot at the life raft?

Yes. On their twenty-seventh day adrift, the three men were strafed several times by a Japanese bomber, which left dozens of bullet holes in the life rafts (they would later be told by the Japanese that this was impossible, as it was a violation of their military code of honor). Phil's raft became unusable, and Louie cut up the canvas from it and used it for a canopy. The three men were then confined to the two-man raft they were able to patch. -Unbroken book

Had Louis Zamperini really been declared KIA?

Yes. First he was declared missing at sea, and then on May 28, 1944, a year and a day after his plane crashed, he was mistakenly declared KIA (killed in action). The following month Louie's parents received a death certificate signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

"In grateful memory of First Lieutenant Louis S. Zamperini, A.S. No. 0-663341, who died in the service of his country in the Central Pacific Area, May 28, 1944. He stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live, and grow, and increase its blessings. Freedom lives, and through it, he lives -- in a way that humbles the undertakings of most men."-The New York Times

How much did Louie weigh at the end of the 47 days stranded on the raft?

Both Louis Zamperini and pilot Russell Allen "Phil" Phillips lost half their body weight or more. Prior to crashing at sea, Louie's last recorded body weight was 155 pounds. Upon their capture by the Japanese, Louie weighed 67, 79.5, or 87 pounds, depending on the source. "When they first put us in a cell, I just looked down at my knees, my bones, and my skin, and I just started crying. Now, here I'm an athlete, I remember myself when I was a powerful, physical athlete, and now I'm just skin and bone and a skeleton, that's all, and that brought tears to my eyes."-60 Minutes

Were Louie and Phil really taken to "Execution Island"?

Yes. The Unbroken movie true story verifies that they were taken to the atoll of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. It was nicknamed "Execution Island" due to the fact that nine marines had already been beheaded there. "They took great joy in telling us we were going to be executed," Zamperini told 60 Minutes, "and they'd always go through the motion, you know, samurai sword [swipes hand across neck] and so forth. ... Every morning we woke up and we expected, well this is the day, this is the day they're going to kill us."

Were conditions in the POW cells really as bad as in the movie?

Yes. In a lot of ways, the real-life experiences were much worse. "The worst part I think about being in the cell was [Japanese] submarines," Louie revealed in a CBN interview. "A submarine came in and of course, they never see prisoners. So, they can't wait, so they line up in front of your cell, 75, 80 men lined up like going to a movie premiere. And every one of them is either swearing at ya, throwing rocks at ya, or jabbing ya with sticks, spitting on ya. You know, and here you are 65 pounds, you got constant diarrhea, your starved, they throw a rice ball, they don't give it to ya. It falls on the floor. You have to spend hours picking up every grain of rice mixed in with the dirt. It just seemed like that line would never end."

On three occasions, Louie was injected and used as a guinea pig for medical experiments. He had to describe to his captors what the injection was doing to his body. Louie said that he experienced dizziness and prickly spots all over his body. They only stopped when he told them that he was on the verge of passing out. -CBN

Was the Japanese prison guard known as "The Bird" based on a real person?

Yes. Louis Zamperini met Corporal Mutsuhiro Watanabe (aka "The Bird") at the Omori POW camp located on an island in Tokyo Bay. When Watanabe was transferred to Naoetsu, the most hellish POW camp in Japan, Louis Zamperini was eventually transferred there too as punishment for not doing the Radio Tokyo propaganda broadcast. Prison guard Mutsuhiro Watanabe was so relentless in his torture of the POWs that it left Louis with nightmares and constant dread.

"I wasn't given military orders," said the real Mutsuhiro Watanabe in a 1998 interview. "Because of my own personal feelings, I treated the prisoners strictly as enemies of Japan. Zamperini was well known to me. If he says he was beaten by Watanabe, then such a thing probably occurred at the camp, if you consider my personal feelings at the time." -CBS Sports

Coming from a wealthy Japanese family of high pedigree, Corporal Watanabe, who had a privileged upbringing, felt humiliated and disgraced when his application to become an officer was rejected. This infuriated him and made him bitterly jealous of officers, including Louis Zamperini. It is believed that this was part of the reason for his cruelty. In 1945, Mutsuhiro Watanabe was ranked number 23 on General Douglas MacArthur's list of the 40 most wanted war criminals in Japan. However, he went into hiding for seven years and never ended up being prosecuted. -Unbroken book

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The real Mutsuhiro Watanabe (aka "The Bird") and his onscreen counterpart, Japanese pop star/actor Miyavi (right).

Was "The Bird" really as deranged as he is in the movie?

Yes. Japanese prison guard Mutsuhiro Watanabe (aka "The Bird") would beat a POW for hours and then moments later he would hug him and give the POW beer, handfuls of candy, and cigarettes. Watanabe would then cry and promise to never mistreat another prisoner. Hours later, he would return to club the POWs. The camp accountant, Yuicho Hatto, stated that Watanabe was a sexual sadist who freely admitted that beating prisoners satisfied his sexual desires. -Unbroken book

As the book states, "Watanabe beat POWs every day, fracturing their windpipes, rupturing their eardrums, shattering their teeth, tearing one man's ear half off, leaving men unconscious. ... He ordered one man to report to him to be punched in the face every night for three weeks. He practiced judo on an appendectomy patient." As he unleashed his madness, Watanabe would howl, drool and sometimes cry. Just before he went into a violent rage, his right eyelid would sag.

Did the Japanese really tear Commander Fitzgerald's fingernails off?

Yes. In the movie, Louie (Jack O'Connell) notices that Commander John Fitzgerald's fingernails had been torn off. In real life, the Japanese clubbed Fitzgerald, stuck penknives under his fingernails, and tore his fingernails off. They also performed the "water cure" method of torture, whereby a prisoner is tipped backwards and water is poured up his nose as his mouth is held shut, causing him to eventually pass out. Like in the movie, Fitzgerald never gave up any information. -Unbroken book

Was Louie really forced to race at the POW camp?

Yes, and like in the Unbroken movie, Louie was trounced in his race against a Japanese runner who had been brought in to the camp. The guards mocked Louie and his own frailty scared him. However, this wasn't his only race at the camp. The following spring a Japanese civilian was brought in and Louie beat him as his fellow captives cheered. He was clubbed in the head for winning but said it was worth it. He threw a third race against yet another Japanese runner, only after the runner told him in English that he wanted to impress his girlfriend who had come to watch. He promised Louie a rice ball and ended up giving him two. -Unbroken book

Was Louie defiant like in the movie?

Yes, and like in the Unbroken movie, the true story confirms that this infuriated guard Mutsuhiro Watanabe (aka "The Bird"), who gave Louie daily beatings. Louie was eventually knocked down by The Bird, but only because, as depicted in the movie, The Bird cracked Louie so hard in the left temple with a belt buckle that Louie's legs collapsed underneath him. The beatings left Louie deaf in his left ear for several weeks. -Unbroken book

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Actor Miyavi (left) and the real Mutsuhiro Watanabe (right) in Japan in 1998.

Did Louie really refuse to read a propaganda message on Radio Tokyo?

Yes. Like in the movie, the real Louis Zamperini was at first allowed to read his own message on Radio Tokyo, in which he included information about fellow POWs so that their families would know they were still alive too. Louie's message is read near verbatim in the movie by actor Jack O'Connell, "Hello mother and father, relatives and friends. This is your Louie talking. ... I am now interned in the Tokyo prisoners' camp and am being treated as well as can be expected under war time conditions..." The latter, of course, was a lie.

Louie was then asked to do a second broadcast. Unlike the movie, this did not happen immediately following the first broadcast. He was sent back to the camp for a period of time before they invited him back to the radio station. He wrote his own message again, but at the last minute, they gave him a prewritten one filled with propaganda. Like in the movie, Louis Zamperini refused to read it, and he had finally realized why he had never been killed earlier. The Japanese saw an American Olympian as a valuable asset. They just needed to weaken him a bit first. It explained why he wasn't beheaded on "Execution Island" and why he was sent to Omori under the ruthless guard Mutsuhiro "The Bird" Watanabe.

Similar to the movie, Louie was given a tasty American-style meal. He was also introduced to a group of American and Australian POWs, who were obeying the Japanese and working as propagandists. Louie tried to shake their hands, but they were too ashamed to make eye contact with him.

Did Zamperini's fellow POWs take turns punching him in the face?

Yes. As a punishment for stealing fish, Mutsuhiro Watanabe (aka "The Bird") had the thieves and the officers, including Louis Zamperini, stand before the enlisted men, who took turns punching each thief and officer in the face (not just Zamperini). Any man who refused would suffer the same fate as the officers and thieves. The Bird reasoned that the officers should have had control of the men, therefore they should be punished too. -Unbroken book

Did Louie's tormentor really force him to hold a beam in the air?

Yes. First, Mutsuhiro Watanabe tried to pin a goat's death on Louis Zamperini, then he set out to punish Louis for going to the camp doctor without permission for severe dysentery. He made Louis hold a six-foot long wooden beam above his head, telling another guard to hit Louis with his gun if he lowered his arms. This differs from the movie, which has Watanabe telling the guard to shoot Louis if he drops the beam. At first, Watanabe mocked Louis and laughed, but as time ticked by, he realized that his punishment had turned into a moment of defiance for Louis. After holding the beam aloft for 37 minutes, Watanabe charged Louis and punched him in the stomach. The beam fell and struck Louis in the head, momentarily knocking him out. This differs from the movie, in which Watanabe continues to beat Louis after the beam falls. -Unbroken book

Did Louie really promise to dedicate his whole life to God if he survived?

Louie married Cynthia Applewhite on May 25, 1946 and credits her with reintroducing him to Christ, saving him from a PTSD-induced downward spiral.

Yes. However, upon returning, Louis Zamperini suffered from nightmares and other forms of PTSD, often dreaming of his guard Mutsuhiro Watanabe. He once even began to strangle his wife as he dreamed of strangling his former tormentor. He began drinking heavily and his 1946 marriage to Cynthia Applewhite was in jeopardy. "That's all I did." said Louie, "I just figured the more I drank the better I'd sleep at night. I was out every night drunk. My wife refused to go with me, and she decided on a divorce, and had every right for a divorce." A born-again Christian, Cynthia convinced Louis to attend a crusade led by evangelist Billy Graham. Louis became a born-again Christian too and embraced the prior promise he had made to God. It was only then that he was able to forgive his captors. "I had nightmares every night about the Bird since the war and after the war, and the night I made my decision for Christ I haven't had a nightmare since. 1949 'til now, and that is some kind of a miracle." -CBN

Did Japanese Nationalists really ask for Unbroken to be banned from their country?

Yes. Japanese nationalists were upset over the way Unbroken portrays the Japanese guards as being ruthless and abusive, saying, "This movie has no credibility and is immoral." However, there is plenty of documentation and forensic evidence to back up the movie. Earlier this year,The Railway Man also depicted the horrors endured by POWs who were held by the Japanese, with one Japanese guard spending a lifetime atoning for his actions during WWII. -EW.com

Did Louis Zamperini ever meet his tormentor "The Bird" again?

No. The real Louis Zamperini was in Japan in 1998 to carry the Olympic torch in Nagano to celebrate the start of the Winter Games. He requested to meet with Mutsuhiro Watanabe (aka "The Bird"), but his former tormentor declined the meeting. Zamperini had even prepared a letter to give to Watanabe, which in part stated, "...I committed my life to Christ. Love replaced the hate I had for you. Christ said, 'Forgive your enemies and pray for them.'" -Unbroken book

This outcome differs from British POW Eric Lomax's story told in The Railway Man movie, which finds Lomax confronting his former Japanese tormentor years later. However, in that case, Lomax's tormentor had already spent years atoning for his actions.

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Louis Zamperini (right) carries the Olympic torch prior to the opening ceremony of the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. Left: Louis represents the University of Southern California in the late 1930s.

TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS (2015)

Starring Kat Dennings, Chad Michael Murray, Rupert Friend
based on Jamie Tworkowski's MySpace Story About Friend Renee Yohe

REEL FACE:	REAL FACE:
Kat Dennings Born: June 13, 1986 Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA	Renee Yohe Born: November 8, 1986 Birthplace: Orlando, Florida, USA
Isabella Iannuzzi Born: 2005 Birthplace: Fort Myers, Florida, USA	Renee Yohe (young)
Chad Michael Murray Born: August 24, 1981 Birthplace: Buffalo, New York, USA	Jamie Tworkowski Born: January 24, 1980 Birthplace:Morehead City, North Carolina, USA
Rupert Friend Born: October 1, 1981 Birthplace: Oxfordshire, England, UK	David McKenna Born: August 6, 1979 Birthplace:Manhasset, New York, USA Death: December 14, 2012, Lake Mary, Florida, USA (car accident)

There are parts of the film that I love and there are moments I wish were different, but overall, knowing that some folks have been waiting years to see this thing, I'm proud and glad that it's finally coming out. -Jamie Tworkowski, TWLOHA.com, February 2015



QUESTIONING THE STORY:


Was Renee Yohe really denied treatment?

Yes. In 2006 at age 19, Renee Yohe was denied entry into a rehabilitation program for being too great of a risk, because she had open wounds on her arms from cutting herself. The treatment center also had no detox. Like in the movie, they told her to come back in five days. "I was too great a risk," says Renee. "They didn't even know if I would make it through the detox." Renee had attempted suicide, was depressed, a self-injurer, and was addicted to marijuana, cocaine, pills and alcohol. So for the next five days, her friends, including David McKenna and Jamie Tworkowski, set out on a mission to help heal her. She detoxed at David McKenna's house. As in the movie, Jamie was David's roommate at the time.

Next, they needed money to pay for Renee's treatment. Jamie had typed a two-page story about Renee, titled "To Write Love On Her Arms," which highlighted the details of Renee's struggle. He posted the story on the social networking site MySpace and it quickly went viral. Using his experience in the t-shirt/clothing industry, they created t-shirts to sell from the MySpace page (with the story printed on the inside) and planned to use the proceeds to pay for Renee's treatment. -NBC Nightly News

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Kat Dennings (left) in the To Write Love On Her Arms movie and the real Renee Yohe (right).

Was David McKenna really British?

No. The To Write Love On Her Arms true story reveals that despite being portrayed by British actor Rupert Friend in the movie, the real David McKenna was not British. He was born in Manhasset, New York. -TWLOHA.com


Was David McKenna really a former addict who served jail time?

Yes. In the David McKenna interview for I Am Second, he openly talks about his addiction to cocaine and says that he was arrested many times. His offenses included five DUIs, possession, trafficking, possession with intent to deliver, and burglary. He was arrested in a low-speed chase and found in a pool of his own blood. Once after a 3-day cocaine binge, David drank a bottle of vodka and flatlined. He said it was the lowest point of his life.

Did David McKenna's father really help him to detox?

Yes. In the movie, David (Rupert Friend) places a statue of the Virgin Mary next to Renee's bed and tells her that his father kept it next to him when he detoxed at his parents' house. "I remembered going over to my parents' house, 27 years old or whatever, a few years ago," recalls the real David McKenna. "And literally just lying on the couch at my parents' house, and my father just sitting there, holding my hand, putting his hand on my head like any parent would do for a sick little boy." -I am Second

Did Renee Yohe really give Jamie her last razor blade?

Yes. In the movie, Renee (Kat Dennings) gives Jamie (Chad Michael Murray) her last razor blade because she doesn't want to hurt herself anymore. "It was an important moment in my life," says Jamie, "and it's an important moment in the film. While they were shooting that scene, Chad actually stopped and asked to talk to me. He wanted to know what the moment was like in real life. He wanted to get it right. That meant a lot to me." -TWLOHA.com

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Renee Yohe and Jamie Tworkowski on the set of the To Write Love On Her Arms movie.

Did famous bands help to spread the word about Renee and the TWLOHA movement?

Yes. In a short time, thousands of young people found the MySpace page with Renee's story. They began to share their own struggles with depression, addiction and isolation, and an online community was born. "We had kind of stumbled upon a conversation that felt really significant," says the real Jamie Tworkowski, "and maybe one that represented people everywhere." -NBC Nightly News

Musicians and bands caught on to the TWLOHA movement and started wearing To Write Love On Her Arms t-shirts during performances and in photographs. Some of the first bands to show their support were Anberlin and Switchfoot.

Did Jamie Tworkowski work in the clothing industry prior to founding the TWLOHA organization?

Yes. Prior to founding the non-profit organization To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), Jamie Tworkowski worked in the clothing industry. Born in Morehead City, North Carolina, Jamie's family moved to Melbourne Beach, Florida when he was approximately 6-years-old. His father was a surfer who sold t-shirts for a living, and Jamie followed in his footsteps. At age 18, Jamie was an avid surfer who became an assistant sales rep for the clothing company Quiksilver. He left college midway through his junior year to accept a full-time position as the Florida sales rep for the clothing brand Hurley. Once TWLOHA began to take off, he gave up his six-figure position at Hurley to work on the non-profit full-time. -CNN

How does the TWLOHA organization feel about the movie?

In an article posted on their website, the To Write Love On Her Arms non-profit organization responded to the movie by writing, "It's based on a true story. The broad strokes of the film are true. It's not as if every moment and every sentence is 100% true, but the film definitely gives people a sense of the true story." The organization pointed out that their office space was not nearly as big as it is in the movie.

What does the real Renee Yohe think of the movie?

"...the idea of my story reaching more people through film is beautiful," says Renee. "There were some scenes that were never part of my story but also parts that feel true, and it's kind of beautiful to see it being portrayed. Artistically, it's a good movie, and the soundtrack has some great songs that I personally fought for. ... If I set aside how accurately or inaccurately it depicts me, my story, or the people in it, I would say it carries a message that is significant and powerful." -TWLOHA.com

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Renee Yohe in 2012 (left) and as a child in the early 1990s (right).

Did Jamie Tworkowski and David McKenna remain friends?

No. In researching the To Write Love On Her Arms true story, we discovered that Jamie and David, portrayed by Chad Michael Murray and Rupert Friend in the movie, grew apart in the years following Renee's recovery. "As the years went on, our friendship was challenged," says Jamie. "David managed Renee, because she trusted him and because he knew business. And there was not a handbook for what was happening - how to navigate attention and money and mistakes and sobriety and privacy all mixed together. I was painted the hero as TWLOHA took off. There were highs and lows, arguments and lawyers and entire years of silence. Mostly there was distance."

However, the making of the movie brought Jamie and David back together and helped to repair their broken friendship. "Over the course of the movie being made, our friendship was restored," says Jamie. "Before he died, the last thing that he said to me was that he loved me." Jamie says that the amends he made with David was his favorite part about being involved in the making of the movie. -TWLOHA.com

Did Jamie meet actor Chad Michael Murray prior to filming?

Yes. Prior to the movie's five-week shoot, Jamie Tworkowski and his onscreen counterpart, Chad Michael Murray, met at Starbucks. Chad actually filmed Jamie reading the "Jamie" lines of the script so that he could learn Jamie's voice. Jamie was also often on set during the filming. -TWLOHA.com

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Actor Chad Michael Murray (left) portrays TWLOHA founder Jamie Tworkowski (right) in the movie.

Was the real Renee Yohe involved in the making of the movie?

Renee says that she was initially very involved with the script, but once filming started she didn't have much input. "I didn't actually watch a lot of the scenes that [Kat Dennings] filmed," says Renee. "I think she may have asked that certain scenes not be open to the public or that I wasn't there, which I respect wholeheartedly. It makes complete sense... it would be so hard to get into that space in front of the person you're portraying, you know?" -TWLOHA.com

Has music really been a big part of Renee's life?

Yes. She credits her favorite bands with helping her to get through some of her darkest times. Later on, the To Write Love On Her Arms organization (often abbreviated TWLOHA) would receive its biggest initial support from bands that would wear TWLOHA t-shirts. -Official TWLOHA Movie Website

Did Renee Yohe start a band?

Yes. The real Renee Yohe signed with Working Group Artist Management, and she released an EP in June 2012 as part of her music project Bearcat. It is available on iTunes. An acoustic version of the EP was released in December 2013.

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The real Renee Yohe (right) credits music with getting her through tough times. She performs and has recorded an EP as part of her music project Bearcat.

What is the real Renee Yohe doing today (at the time of the movie's release)?

Renee is writing and recording new songs for her music project Bearcat. She has also developed an interest in jewelry making and sells some of her creations, in addition to wearing them herself. You can see her jewelry creations on her Facebook page Maudeduam Jewelry. She also devotes time to sharing her story and helping those struggling with depression, addiction, self-harm and other similar struggles to those that she has endured. "It feels really good for people to be able to see and know other parts of me as my story continues," says Renee, "and I think that in itself offers hope... that I'm still here, and though I'm far from perfect, I keep showing up and it matters." -TWLOHA.com

Did David McKenna, portrayed by Rupert Friend in the movie, die after the filming of the movie?

Yes. "David passed away after the filming of the movie," says Jamie Tworkowski. "Knowing that people will be introduced to his life (when they see the movie), that means the world to me." In 2006, after the treatment center wouldn't let Renee in, she went back to David's house anddetoxed with the help of David and her friends. Jamie and David were roommates at the time. -TWLOHA.com

David McKenna was killed in a car accident on December 14, 2012 when his Infiniti SUV, travelling in excess of 100 miles per hour, crashed into the back of a box truck that was traveling roughly 65 miles per hour. This happened several months after the To Write Love On Her Arms movie, on which David was a producer, premiered at the 2012 Florida Film Festival. -Orlando Sentinel

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Renee Yohe and David McKenna prior to David's death in 2012. David is portrayed by British actor Rupert Friend in the movie.

Can I still read Jamie Tworkowski's original 2006 story about Renee Yohe?

Yes. Jamie Tworkowski's two-page story about Renee Yohe, which went viral on MySpace in 2006, is available to read on the TWLOHA website. Read Jamie Tworkowski's Original Story "To Write Love On Her Arms".

ANNABELLE (2014)

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The real Annabelle doll (right) was actually a Raggedy Ann Doll, not the porcelain doll shown in the Annabelle movie (left).

QUESTIONING THE STORY:


How does the Annabelle movie relate to The Conjuring?

The Annabelle movie is a spin-off/prequel to The Conjuring. It doesn't feature any of the human characters from The Conjuring. It instead focuses on the backstory of the doll that was in the possession of paranormal researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) in The Conjuring movie. This origin story includes a fictionalized explanation of how a demon became attached to the doll. It also reveals how the doll came to be named after a deceased young girl named Annabelle Higgins. Lorraine Warren is pictured below with the real Annabelle doll.

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Left: Lorraine Warren holds the real Annabelle doll outside of her home in Connecticut in the 1970s. Right: Lorraine poses next to the doll inside the Warrens' Occult Museum in more recent years.

Was the real Annabelle doll a vintage porcelain doll?

No. As indicated in the photos above, the real Annabelle doll was actually a normal looking Raggedy Ann Doll, not the creepy looking porcelain doll seen in theAnnabelle movie and The Conjuring.

Did a husband really give the Annabelle doll to his pregnant wife as a present?

No. In the Annabelle movie, husband John Form (Eric Laden) gives the doll to his pregnant wife Mia (Annabelle Wallis) as a present. Through our research into the Annabelle true story, we learned that John and Mia Form are fictional characters. The real Annabelle doll was given as a birthday present by a mother to her daughter, Donna, a nursing student who was turning 28. Donna's mother purchased the antique Raggedy Ann Doll from a hobby store in 1970. The Annabelle movie focuses on the vintage doll's existence prior to Donna's mother purchasing it second-hand at the hobby store, offering a fictional account of how the demon could have entered the doll.

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John Form (Ward Horton) and his pregnant wife Mia (Annabelle Wallis) are entirely fictional characters.

Were the previous owners of the doll really attacked by members of a satanic cult?

No. As we investigated the Annabelle true story, we discovered that the doll's former owners, nursing students Donna and Angie, had never been attacked by members of a satanic cult who intruded into their home and subsequently passed a malevolent entity into the doll. This part of the movie is pure fiction, which takes place in 1969, the year before Donna comes into possession of the doll. It was created to provide a fictionalized explanation as to how the demonic spirit became attached to the doll. In real life, the spirit pretends to be that of an innocent young girl named Annabelle Higgins (the real Annabelle Higgins supposedly died when she was still a child, not as an adult who is a member of a satanic cult).

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The Annabelle movie's satanic intruders (top) are pure fiction, as is the method by which the demonic spirit is passed into the doll via a drop of blood from one of the dying intruders (bottom).

Did the owners really try to unsuccessfully throw away the doll?

No. In the movie, husband John Form (Eric Laden) puts the doll in the trash before the couple moves, but his wife Mia later discovers it while unpacking one of the moving boxes. According to the real Annabelle doll story, the owners never tried to throw away the doll. Their home had never been broken into by satanic intruders who passed a demon into the doll, nor had the paranormal activity associated with the doll ever gotten bad enough that they wanted to throw the doll away prior to passing it along to researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren.

Did they find the real Annabelle doll in different positions and rooms?

According to the Warrens' story, Donna, the nursing student who shared a tiny apartment with her roommate Angie, a fellow nurse, would come home to find that the doll had shifted positions. At first, its movements were subtle and confined to the bed where Donna had left the doll. However, in time the movements became more noticeable. Donna and Angie began to discover the doll in different rooms than they had left it. It would even appear back in Donna's room with the door shut. Sometimes they found the doll with its legs crossed and its arms folded, while on other occasions it was found standing on its feet, leaning against a dining room chair. They even discovered it kneeling on a chair, which was strange because if they tried to make the doll kneel on its own, it would fall over. It couldn't kneel.

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Like in the movie, the owner is said to have discovered the doll in different positions and rooms. However, the owner was a nursing student who lived with a roommate, not a pregnant married couple.

How long had the paranormal activity surrounding the Annabelle doll been going on?

As stated in The Demonologist book, strange activity involving the real Annabelle doll had been going on for about a year before paranormal researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren became involved in the case and eventually took the doll into their possession. Ed and Lorraine's meeting with the doll's owner, her roommate, and her roommate's fiancé is depicted at the beginning of both the The Conjuring and Annabelle.

Did the Annabelle doll leave messages?

Yes. According to the story told by Ed and Lorraine Warren, a former owner of the Annabelle doll, Donna, claimed that she would come home to find penciled messages written in childlike writing on parchment paper. The messages read "Help Us" and "Help Lou" (Lou was Donna's roommate Angie's fiancé and had been staying with them). What made the messages even more strange was that Donna did not have parchment paper in the apartment and had no idea where it came from.

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Like what is shown in The Conjuring movie, the real Annabelle doll supposedly left messages on scraps of parchment paper. In real life, they were said to have been written in pencil, not crayon.

Did blood appear on the Annabelle doll?

Yes, at least according to the Warrens' story, it did. Demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren claim that the doll's original owner, Donna, a nursing student, came home from work to find what looked like blood on the back of the doll's hand and three drops of blood on its chest. There was no explanation for how the red substance had gotten there. This event is what prompted the doll's owner, Donna, to contact a medium for help. In a somewhat unrelated event in the Annabelle movie, we see blood from a dying cult member drip into the doll's eye socket (pictured earlier).

Did the owner of the doll ever contact a medium and have a séance?

Yes. Although there is no medium or séance depicted in the movie, according to the Annabelle doll true story, as told by Ed and Lorraine Warren, the doll's owner, Donna, contacted a medium after noticing that three drops of blood had mysteriously appeared on the doll's chest and more blood was on the back of the doll's hand. The medium became involved 4-6 weeks after the paranormal activity first began.

The medium held a séance and introduced Donna and her roommate Angie to the spirit of Annabelle Higgins, a seven-year-old girl who had played in the fields that existed where Donna and Angie's apartment complex now stood. Apparently, Annabelle Higgin's lifeless body had been discovered in the fields. Out of compassion, Donna and Angie permitted the spirit that they thought was that of Annabelle Higgins to stay with them and possess the doll.

It should be noted here that the above version of the story, which is presented in The Demonologist book and is currently featured on the website of paranormal researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren, differs from the version of the story told by Ed Warren in a 1980s video tour of his Occult Museum. In the video, Ed states that the medium told Donna that Annabelle Higgins had died in an automobile accident outside Donna and Angie's apartment. Ed states that Annabelle Higgins was six, not seven. During the video, he also says that the Raggedy Ann Doll was given to Donna by her mother as a Christmas present, not a birthday present as The Demonologist book states. Are these contradictions enough to raise doubt with regard to the authenticity of the Warrens' story?

Did the demon attached to the Annabelle doll really start a kitchen fire?

No. The Annabelle movie true story reveals no evidence that the possessed doll was ever responsible for starting a kitchen fire. In fact, the entire sequence involving the fire is fictional. The demon never caused a stove to turn on, resulting in a bag of stove top popcorn to overcook and explode into flames. At the same time, the doll's owner never injured her finger on a sewing machine. The demon also never dragged the owner across the floor back toward the fire.

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The demon attached to the Annabelle doll never started a kitchen fire.

Has the real Annabelle doll inflicted physical harm on anyone?

Yes, but not to the degree shown in the movie. A man named Lou was the fiancé of Donna's roommate Angie and had been staying with them since the doll had arrived. Lou wasn't fond of the doll and warned Donna that it was evil. One night, Lou awoke suddenly from a deep sleep and realized that he was unable to move. He saw the Annabelle doll at his feet and watched as it slowly glided up his leg and over his chest. Before he knew it, the doll had begun to strangle him until he blacked out. He woke up the next morning certain that his experience wasn't a dream.

On a later occasion, Lou and Angie were studying maps to prepare for a trip Lou was embarking on the next day when they heard rustling noises coming from Donna's room. Lou approached the closed door and waited for the noises to stop before entering. He turned on the light and saw Annabelle laying on the floor in a corner. He walked over to the doll, but as he did, he began to sense that someone was behind him. He spun around but no one was there. In an instant, he found himself doubled over, grabbing his chest, which was now bleeding. Upon inspection, he discovered seven claw-like scratches on his chest (four horizontal and three vertical) that were hot like burns. The scratches healed rapidly and were fully gone in two days.

Is Alfre Woodard's character, Evelyn, based on a real person?

No. In the movie, John and Mia's neighbor, Evelyn (Alfre Woodard), owns a local bookstore where Mia looks for books on ghosts. Evelyn is an entirely fictional character. Furthermore, no one ever sacrificed themselves in order to offer their soul to the demon that was supposedly controlling the doll.

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Alfre Woodard's character, Evelyn, is entirely fictional. No one ever sacrificed themselves to give their soul to the demon.

Have there been any deaths associated with the real Annabelle doll?

Paranormal researcher Ed Warren believes that the doll has been responsible for at least one death. During a video tour of Ed and Lorraine Warren's Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut, Ed pointed out the Raggedy Ann doll in its case, "Many of the objects in this room here have had dire effects on people. People have been maimed, have been killed. People have wound up in mental institutions because of many of the things that are right in this building here. You have the voodoo dolls, you have the Raggedy Ann Doll, which was responsible for the death of a young man who came in here one time, who challenged the doll to do its worst and it did."

The young man had apparently come to The Occult Museum on his motorcycle with his girlfriend for a tour. As Ed Warren was giving the tour, the young man started to mock the doll and while doing so, he ran up and began tapping on the glass of the case that the doll is enclosed in. He challenged the doll to put scratches on him like it had supposedly done in the past to a man named Lou, who had been friends with the doll's former owner, Donna. Ed kicked the young man out of the museum. Approximately three hours later, the young man died when he lost control of his motorcycle and hit a tree. His girlfriend survived but remained hospitalized for over a year. -Warrens Occult Museum Tour

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Actor Patrick Wilson (left), who portrayed Ed Warren in the 2013 movie The Conjuring, poses with the real Annabelle doll. Right: The real Ed Warren is pictured admiring the cursed doll in the 1970s.

Can I visit the real Annabelle doll?

Yes. As stated at the end of the movie, the actual doll is located in Ed and Lorraine Warren's Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut. At present, tours of the Warrens' Occult Museum are limited and are only being given via an intimate event called Warrenology. To learn more, head over to the Warrens' website.

Was the spirit of a dead seven-year-old girl named Annabelle Higgins really linked to the doll?

According to the Warrens, Donna, who owned the doll, along with her roommate Angie, contacted a medium who held a séance with the doll present. "The woman had told them, the medium, that there was a spirit of a seven-year-old child in the doll by the name of Annabelle [Higgins]," says Ed Warren, "who had been killed outside of their apartment house in an automobile accident. Well, there was such a child, but God does not allow a child's spirit to go into a doll. This was a devil, a demon, inside the doll, which was impersonating the spirit of a child" (Seekers of the Supernatural). Unlike the movie, the doll's owner never saw what appeared to be the ghost of the seven-year-old girl, Annabelle Higgins (pictured below).

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The medium believed that the spirit in the doll was that of a young girl named Annabelle Higgins. Paranormal researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren believed that it was instead a demon posing as a child.

How did paranormal researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren end up in possession of the Annabelle doll?

According to the Annabelle true story, after the demon that was attached to the doll inflicted physical harm upon Donna's roommate's fiancé Lou, it was then that Donna, the doll's owner, came to the realization that the spirit might not be all that innocent. Donna contacted an Episcopal priest named Father Hegan, who contacted a superior, Father Cooke, who immediately got in touch with paranormal researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Warrens convinced Father Cooke to perform an exorcism on the apartment in order to cleanse the home. He also blessed the individuals who were there. At Donna's request, the Warrens took the Raggedy Ann Doll with them when they departed. It has been in their possession ever since.

Are there any other cases of haunted dolls?

Yes. If you've ever visited Key West, Florida, then you're probably aware of one of the more well-known haunted dolls, Robert the Doll, which was the inspiration for Chucky from the horror movie Child's Play (pictured below). As the story goes, the doll had been given to Key West painter and author Robert Eugene Otto in 1906 by a Bahamian servant who worked for the Otto family. The servant was skilled in voodoo and black magic and was reported to have been displeased with the family.

Young Eugene became inseparable from his doll, which he named Robert, after himself. His parents could often overhear Eugene talking to the doll. They assumed Eugene was changing his voice to make the doll talk back, but eventually they suspected that the doll was actually speaking. Over the years, passersby reported seeing the doll move from window to window. The family caught glimpses of Robert the Doll running from room to room, and others claim it emitted a terrifying giggle. When Eugene's parents heard loud noises from his bedroom during the night, they would enter only to hear Eugene say, "Robert did it!"

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The possessed Good Guys doll Chucky (left) from the horror movie Child's Play was inspired by Robert the Doll (right). However, Robert was far less diabolical than Chucky and never killed anybody.

I had the privilege of seeing Robert the Doll (above, right) in person during a 2011 trip to Key West. He is housed in a glass case in the Fort East Martello Museum. Hundreds of fan-written letters adorn the wall next to Robert, and before taking a picture, you are instructed to ask Robert for permission. Learn more about the doll via this short Robert the Doll Documentary.