Peacock’s newest true crime present, A Friend of the Family, has a novel perspective because the present is being produced by Jan Broberg, the sufferer of the crime described within the story.
The restricted sequence depicts the harrowing occasions that befell the Broberg household, whose daughter Jan was kidnapped and sexually abused by a person, Robert “B” Berchtold, who they’d believed was a “friend.”
On Thursday, August 18, a trailer was launched for the drama, which stars Anna Paquin, Jake Lacy, Colin Hanks, Hendrix Yancy, and Mckenna Grace, amongst others.
‘A Friend of the Family’ Victim Speaks Out as Peacock Show Trailer Drops
Broberg shared a press release in a press launch in regards to the new present and its teaser trailer, as did present creator Nick Antosca.
Broberg urged viewers to not see her household as “stupid or careless” whereas they watch the present, which is a dramatization of her household’s encounter with Berchtold, who kidnapped her twice and in addition sexually abused her.
In her assertion in regards to the present, Broberg stated: “A Friend of the Family tells our family’s story and my story. We were a loving, trusting, educated family. We were not stupid or careless. So how could this happen in our neighborhood, where we knew everyone, and everyone was a friend?”
“The truth is that most predators are not strangers but people we know — people who can build trust, create special friendships, and separate family members psychologically.” Broberg continued.
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“As little girls, we talked and we listened around the dinner table every night. Mom and Dad were always there. We were so safe, so loved, so carefree,” Broberg stated. “Then, in 1972, we met the nicest new family at church, with children who matched us in age. A deep friendship ensued. Over several years, our families did hundreds of activities together: church parties, family dinners, boating and snowmobile trips, sleepovers, game nights, movies and barbecues.”
“Then on a normal afternoon, the father kidnapped me — and from age 12 to 16 I was sexually assaulted and severely brainwashed by this man who I trusted,” she added. “This story will make you talk, shout, cry — and it will make you angry. Good.”
“The team of writers, actors, designers, directors and producers led by Alex Hedlund, Eliza Hittman, and Nick Antosca have captured the heart of how good people can be manipulated and their children victimized,” Broberg stated. “Our story is relatable because so many families have direct experience with this sort of abuse. I hope that our story will start conversations — because secrets live in darkness and silence.”
‘A Friend of the Family’ Creator Nick Antosca Shares Thoughts on the Show
Showrunner and government producer Antosca additionally shared a press release in regards to the true crime present, which premieres on October 6.
“It’s easy to judge the Broberg family’s story from the outside,” Antosca stated. “Sometimes when people first hear it, they get defensive: How could these parents have let this happen? I’m not like them.
“That’s comprehensible. It’s a surreal story. When I first heard it, I empathized with the household’s vulnerability, and I felt like I understood their story from the skin.
“But it stayed with me, and I wanted to understand from the inside — to know what their lives felt like, to live in each family member’s experience, to see how they were caught in such a bizarre web, and help audiences understand too.
“I hope individuals will come away from the sequence with a deeper understanding of the household and say: In that point, in that place, they had been like me. They made horrible errors, however they cherished their children. And a grasp manipulator took benefit of them.”
“The sequence exists outdoors the standard classes of style. It’s a thriller constructed round obsessive relationships, a household drama, and a nightmarish coming-of-age story,” Antosca continued. “In the course of engaged on this story and speaking with others who’ve labored on it, one factor has turn out to be clear: It’s extra relatable than it first appears. The Brobergs’ story is an excessive level on a continuum that many individuals have been on.”
“The different cause I could not cease occupied with this story is that, in spite of everything of it, the Broberg household grew stronger. They cherished and forgave,” Antosca said. “This is a horror story that is additionally about survival. And a part of what makes the story so distinctive is not how unusual it’s, however the truth that the Brobergs informed it in any respect.
“It was a wrenching, complicated story to work on. In addition to the thousands of pages of trial transcripts, FBI notes, interviews, and childhood diaries that we were able to draw on, we have had the privilege of working with Jan Broberg herself.
“We couldn’t and wouldn’t inform this story with out Jan and her household’s blessing and participation. Thank you for watching.”
A Friend of the Family premieres on Peacock on October 6.
Specialists from the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) sexual assault hotline are available 24/7 via phone (1-800-656-4673) and online chat. Additional support from the group is also accessible via the mobile app.
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