Movies News Talk
Lindsay Ratliff, J.d. Vance's sister, was integral in Ron Howard's Netflix film Hillbilly Elegy. Based on J.D. Vance's memoir, the movie explores the hardships of his Appalachian family—especially with relation to their mother's addiction. Haley Bennett's Lindsay represents J.D.'s source of encouragement as they negotiate their turbulent family dynamics. The epilogue of the movie shows Lindsay's life following the Hillbilly Elegy release.
Living in Middletown, Ohio, Lindsay Ratliff is wed to Kevin. 2017 saw her graduate from Miami University bearing a bachelor's degree in social work. Lindsay, five years her brother's older, began a family while J.D. was still living with his grandparents. Lindsay's character development in the movie revolves mostly on her three children, which Kevin has with her. Lindsay and Kevin still are married as of 2024.
Lindsay stayed firmly by her brother despite the controversy surrounding Hillbilly Elegy and how it portrayed Appalachia. Lindsay said in a 2020 Dayton Daily News story, "JD has a part of my soul that nobody will ever have and I'll protect him until the day I die. My first thought always was him, whenever things were falling apart." Saying, "What the title of the book means is that he's telling the story of his people," she also defended her brother's use of the word "hillbilly." His hillbillies were Mamaw and Papaw."
Lindsay has opted to keep a rather low profile even while J.d. Vance's life has grown more and more public. About her and her family, there is little public knowledge accessible. Lindsay has concentrated on her family life even though the movie affects their community and way of life.
Lindsay and J.D. Vance's family's hardships are faithfully portrayed in Hillbilly Elegy. Though the movie has spurred discussions on how Appalachia is portrayed, it is still a very personal and autobiographical narrative of the Vance family's experiences. Though divisive, the release of the movie has surely had a significant influence on the Vance family's life—including Lindsay.