Woman who pretended to be a child in Joinville remembers film; know which

A 37-year-old woman was arrested, this Tuesday (2), for the crimes of embezzlement and ideological falsehood after pretending to be a 12-year-old teenager, in Joinville, Santa Catarina. The suspect was adopted by a family, but it was a relative who became suspicious of the story and took the case to the authorities.

According to the PCSC (Civil Police of Santa Catarina), the woman used the false name "Gabriele" and pretended to be a teenager. The arrest in the act took place at the victims' residence, in the district of Pirabeiraba, where she had lived for around 14 months.

The story drew attention due to its similarity to a Hollywood film script. On social networks, internet users commented on the similarity of the story with a famous horror film.

Released in 2009, "The Orphan" became known as one of the most intriguing psychological horrors in cinema. The story follows the couple Kate and John who, after losing a baby, adopt the strange Esther, a seemingly sweet and polite 9-year-old girl. Over time, her behavior becomes manipulative and violent.

As the script unfolds, Esther's big secret comes to light: she is, in fact, Leena Klammer, a 33-year-old woman with a rare growth condition (hypopituitarism) that makes her look like a child.

The feature film, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, was inspired by a true story, which is similar to the case of the woman from Joinville. The script was inspired by the life of Barbora Skrlová, a woman from the Czech Republic whose appearance allowed her to infiltrate families to manipulate them. She was also arrested in January 2008 in Norway after police discovered that the "13-year-old boy" who attended a local school was her.

"Orphan 3" is being developed intensively, says director

Source: CNN