In Finding Nicole, director Harley Wallen takes us into true-life story of Nicole Beverly, as seen on Inside Evil with Chris Cuomo, ‘Til Death Do Us Part’, and the top-selling book with the same title. Nicole and her children survive and overcome domestic violence.

What Is The Film About?

Finding Nicole takes us through the stages of what at first appears to be a fairytale romance to its devolution into a toxic, violent relationship. Nicole (Kaiti Wallen) meets Warren Beverly (Mari G) in college, where they were both athletes. Warren sweeps Nicole ‘off her feet’ with his romantic gestures and overt declarations of love. They marry soon after college and Warren gives up being a cop for a more ‘corporate job’ to be a good provider. Around this time signs of extreme jealousy on his part become apparent, but Nicole makes efforts to reinforce their love.

As they start a family and two sons are born, the jealousy turns into violent outbursts, especially after Warren goes drinking after work. Things worsen to the point that Nicole seeks a restraining order. When Warren trespasses into the house and assaults Nicole, the cops do not do much as one of them is one of his former colleagues and close friend. The assaults and trespassing escalate to the point of death threats and it is then, that the cops arrest Warren and a trial takes place.

What happens during the trial is even more infuriating to watch, as the defence team aims to discredit Nicole’s story. They paint her as a liar who exaggerates her story to get attention. The judge appears to not care much for Nicole’s side of the story either. It is up to Nicole and her lawyer to get more evidence and use Nicole’s high impact testimony to break ground and force the jury and the judge to see the gravity of the abuse and the impact it has on the whole family.

Hye’s Thougths On The Film

Finding Nicole has the look and feel of a made-for-TV film with its modest production value and limited number of locations. At times, we notice moments of uneven pacing, some stiff dialogue, and a bit of overacting from supporting characters. The repeated appearance of the same two police officers responding to domestic incidents also becomes quite noticeable, and unintentionally takes away from the film’s focus. Nonetheless, these shortcomings do not erase the heart behind the film.

Finding Nicole attempts to shed light on the cycle of domestic violence, a subject that remains difficult to portray and even harder to watch. Kaiti Wallen and Mari G take on the emotionally intense roles of a married couple caught in a dangerous and toxic relationship. While not every scene rings perfectly true, both actors bring an energy of sincerity that grounds the film for me. The film might appeal to those who value intention and purpose in storytelling, since its efforts to raise awareness is clear.

In a media landscape where stories of trauma are often sensationalized or ignored, this film at least makes the effort to remind of us of these very real stories. That in itself deserves some credit.

In Canada, those experiencing abuse or know of someone who is, can reach out to the Assaulted Women’s Helpline, free at 1-866-863-0511 or TTY 1-866-863-7868.