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The Day Stockholm Became a Syndrome Now Streaming on iwonder
On August 23, 1973, a criminal entered a bank in the heart of Stockholm, Sweden while decked out in makeup, a ladies’ wig, and sunglasses. “The party starts”, he yelled as he pulled out a submachine gun and fired a round into the ceiling. The psychological impact he had on the six hostages he took during the subsequent six-day siege gave rise to a brand-new phenomenon, which is examined in The Day Stockholm Became a Syndrome, which is now streaming on iWonder.
Stockholm Syndrome is a way of describing the emotional bonds which some people can form with a captor or abuser. And it all started in that bank in Stockholm.
During the siege, despite being held against their will in a dangerous situation, the four hostages bonded with the bank robbers and turned against the police. They continued to defend their captors after their release and refused to testify against them. In fact, they even raised money for the bank robbers’ defence. This survival mechanism came to be known as “Stockholm Syndrome.”
In this film, fifty years after the events, we hear directly from the hostages, the bank robbers and the police, to understand more about what happened during those six eventful days.
The Day Stockholm Became a Syndrome Premiered Thursday 18 August on iwonder.