Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story

Donna Yaklich thinks she may have found stability when she meets Dennis, a local police officer who seems steady at first. As their relationship develops, Donna notices Dennis becoming obsessed with weight-lifting and using steroids, changes that coincide with growing anger and controlling behavior. What begins as unsettling incidents turns into escalating abuse, and Donna's attempts to leave are met with harassment and intimidation. The film follows her attempts to protect herself and her family while the options available to her shrink, until she reaches a crossroads and must make a desperate decision to try to regain safety.

This made-for-television drama premiered in 1994, directed by Armand Mastroianni and created by Christopher Canaan. Jaclyn Smith headlines as Donna, with Brad Johnson as Dennis, and early screen appearances by Hilary Swank and David Lascher rounding out the main cast.

As a TV movie it didn't have a theatrical box office, its audience came through broadcast airings and later home video or syndication. There are no theatrical gross figures to report, and its reach was shaped by television scheduling and word of mouth rather than box office performance.

The film has lingered in viewers' memories partly because it paired a familiar TV star, Jaclyn Smith, with a then up-and-coming Hilary Swank in a serious dramatic setting. In the 1990s it contributed to TV conversations about domestic abuse and drew attention to how substance misuse, including steroids, can affect behavior. Certain scenes were discussed in media coverage at the time for their blunt depiction of control and fear.

Critical and audience reactions were mixed, reflected in a modest user score around 6.3 out of 10 from a small number of votes. Reviewers and viewers tended to single out the performances, especially Smith's, while noting the limitations of made-for-TV pacing and melodrama. The movie centers on themes of power, control, the intersection of substance abuse and violence, and the constrained choices many survivors face.