Based on the original book CHOKE, by Diana Lopez. I was very happy to see Lane Shefter Bishop tackle this tough topic. So many parents aren't aware that their own children are playing this deadly game. Why do kids do it? It's a combination of impulsivity, risk-taking behavior and the fact that teens think they are immortal. The "choking game" produces an immediate high--they fail to appreciate the dangerous consequences. I enjoyed both the book and movie--it was good to see Peri Gilpin again and Freya Tingley was terrific as Taryn, her daughter. It's always difficult to handle sensitive material in a way that audiences of all ages will appreciate, but I think this was achieved in The Choking Game. It's easy to see why Taryn--a girl from a great home and loving parents--would be tempted to try the Choking Game. As the movie opens, we see her insecurity, her vulnerability and how she questions her own attractiveness. In a scene in a coffee house, she reveals that she feels that she has "nothing to say," and her feelings are ruffled when a classmate pointedly fails to invite her to a party. She yearns to belong, but always feels she is an "outsider looking in." A boy she's interested in doesn't seem to get the message that she'd like a romantic relationship--not just a friendship--and this is another blow to her self-esteem. Put all these facts together and you've got the perfect storm. A vulnerable, highly sensitive young teen-age girl who succumbs to peer pressure from the exciting, "new girl" in school. A great movie from Lifetime.