Lifetime ventures into true-crime territory with “Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story,” a dramatization of a family’s harrowing home invasion. Dascha Polanco stars as Marcela Borges, whose quiet Florida weekend is shattered by masked gunmen demanding an exorbitant sum of money. The fact that the Borges family doesn’t have the $200,000 they’re after doesn’t deter the criminals, naturally, because where’s the drama in a polite request for spare change?
With Marcela newly pregnant, the stakes are even higher. The film focuses on her resilience and quick thinking as she tries to protect her husband, young son, and unborn child from the increasingly volatile situation. Expect tense standoffs, frantic negotiations, and the kind of edge-of-your-seat suspense Lifetime excels at delivering, albeit with the usual made-for-TV gloss.
While the true-crime genre can often feel exploitative, “Terror Comes Knocking” at least attempts to center the story on Marcela’s strength and courage. Whether it succeeds in doing so without sensationalizing the violence remains to be seen. Let’s just hope it doesn’t devolve into a gratuitous display of victimhood or a clumsy attempt at empowerment. Either way, it’s bound to be a difficult but compelling watch.
“Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story” airs Saturday, January 11, 2025, at 8:00 PM on Lifetime.
