Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Ari Aster
Writer: Chad Taylor
Cast: Russell Crowe, Rachel Weisz, Lucas Hedges, Laura Dern, Sarah Gadon, Angourie Rice, Macon Blair, Merritt Wever, Lukas Haas
Plot: Laurel (Sarah Gadon) is the third (and youngest) wife of Delaney James (Russell Crowe), a lieutenant in the Fundamentalist Church of the Latter-Day Saints (a conservative sect of the larger LDS Church). Laurel hears from hearsay that Delaney is pleased with the “development” of Laurel’s 16-year-old sister Jessa (Angourie Rice) and is considering her to be his fourth wife. Laurel approaches Delaney’s second wife Sarah (Rachel Weisz), whom she looks up to as a mentor, and Sarah reluctantly confirms this rumor.
Laurel is both heartbroken and protective of her little sister. She feels that, despite being in her late 20s, she is already viewed as an also-ran and doesn’t want her sister to feel the same pain. She comes to the decision that she must leave the sect and take her three young children with her. She tells her sister that she is going to leave (but not why) and Jessa is supportive. This is the only person she tells, including leaving her children in the dark. Meanwhile, Jessa tells Laurel that she has fallen for David (Lucas Hedges) and she dreams that they may see Laurel on the outside some day. Laurel bites her tongue and doesn’t tell her sister about Delaney’s yearnings.
Afterwards, Jessa and David confess their feelings for each other. They decide to wait to have sex in hopes that David will be selected as her husband. They promise that they will stay true to this, kiss and say goodbye.
The next morning, Laurel says that she is leaving the sect and taking her children with her. Delaney emerges and announces his objection and the kids want to stay with him. Jessa stands up for Laurel and says they should allow her and the children to leave. Delaney’s first wife Ruth (Laura Dern) emerges and asks Laurel why she is leaving. Before she can respond, Ruth answers her own question and says that she is jealous of Delaney’s newfound lust for Jessa. Jessa – who has been raised since birth to believe pleasing the likes of Delaney is a top priority – is blindsided by this news and asks Laurel if this is true. Laurel confirms and Jessa says that she is staying behind.
Laurel is heartbroken and things start to become hostile. Multiple of other families as well as dozens of kids, including Laurel’s own, become verbally abusive and start shooing her away. Ruth’s eldest son David is instructed to put live chickens into the car until it leaves. Laurel is distraught and decides she has to leave for her own safety. She asks for the driver to stop at a nearby lake. Having hardly ever left the compound, she has never learned how to swim. With tears still running down her cheeks, she makes her descent into the water and the camera lingers in a long take (with her never coming back up).
Back at the compound, things start to return to normal. Sarah and Ruth, Delaney’s remaining wives, have a discussion about Laurel’s exit. Sarah is empathetic, saying she understands Laurel’s reaction to the Jessa news. Ruth says that Delaney picking Jessa is necessary given for child-bearing given Laurel’s departure, Ruth’s age, and Sarah’s long-known infertility. Sarah internalizes this as a dig at her but stays silent, knowing to keep on Ruth’s good side. She says that her and Delaney have decided it is best for her to assume parenting duties of Laurel’s abandoned children.
In private, Jessa voices her mixed feelings about Laurel’s exit to Sarah. They play with Laurel’s children as well as Jessa’s younger siblings. A call is made to the community and they exit the house. This sound signifies it is time for the kids to pick the corn fields. Delaney calls Jessa into his home and says that their leader has selected her to be his new wife. She is pleased to hear this (although hardly surprised) and they have sex.
Meanwhile, Ruth is visited by local cop Officer Arnold (Macon Blair) and told that Laurel’s body was found in the lake. She decides to keep this news to herself. He takes Ruth’s hand, indicating past intimacy, but she tells him “not right now”. She says that things are too hectic at the compound lately. Afterwards, she is confronted by her son David, who asks if it is true that Delaney has set his eyes on Jessa. Ruth tries to calm him down and says that she has talked to Delaney and he has big plans in store for David. He tells his mom that he feels bad about his actions during Laurel’s departure but she ensures him that it was the right thing to do. Laurel made an embarrassment of his father Delaney and to their religion as a whole.
The next day, Delaney is set for his monthly address to the compound. He starts off by addressing Laurel’s departure and downplays it. He then announces his newly-minted engagement to Jessa. Finally, he reveals that David has been deemed suitable to become the sect’s latest “Seed-Bearer” – the select group of males allowed to impregnate the women of the community. This includes some married women, who’s husbands have not been deemed worthy.
In her home, Sarah has grown anxious to know what has happened to Laurel, who she considered a close friend (despite them sharing a husband). She is unsure if she will be able to adjust to the outside world. As one of the senior and trusted members of the community, she is one of the few people who can go on need-related runs outside of the ranch. On her next trip to the grocery store, she decides deviate from her usual path and drives around to look for any sign of Laurel. She ends up being pulled over by Officer Arnold, who is surprised to see her. She knows that he (and other local authorities) is in the church’s pocket and so she lies and says she momentarily got lost. At the grocery store, she sees one of the headlines in the local paper: “Area Woman Found Drowned in Lake”. Her heart drops when she reads the name.
Back at the compound, David is tasked with his first seed-bearing assignment with middle-aged husband (Lukas Haas) and wife (Merritt Wever). The woman’s husband sits in the corner of the room and observes, as he is mandated to do. David is very uncomfortable with the whole situation, especially given his devotion to Jessa (and him wanting to hold out for her). The wife senses his nerves and tells him that she is ok and to just get it over with. If it is not him, one of the other chosen ones will assume the role and at least David seems more gentle. Knowing the husband will report him if he does not go through with the act, David has quick sex with the woman.
The following day, the horn sounds and the younger people descend upon the fields. David runs into Jessa and it is immediately awkward between them – being their first encounter since Delaney’s announcement. David finds it hard to come up with words and Jessa doesn’t say anything either. He finally says “I miss you”. After a lingering silence, she says she is sorry and continues on with her work. She looks like she wanted to say more but held it in.
Sarah comes to Ruth and tells her about Laurel’s suicide. Ruth feigns shock and sadness. Sarah says that she is going to inform Delaney but Ruth shoots that down quickly and says she will deliver the news herself. One thing Sarah doesn’t get Ruth’s approval on is telling Jessa. She visits Jessa’s apartment and is momentarily flummoxed to find a half-clothed Delaney there. She turns around and leaves before he can say anything. He tells Jessa that Sarah must be bitter since they have not made love in a long time. He then tells her they plan on getting married the next week.
On her way back, Sarah sees a figure out in the field. She goes to it and find that it is David, venting his frustration by working on the land. She asks him what is wrong and he explains his heartbreak over Jessa. He feels like he has let her down by breaking their covenant. He then asks what the punishment is if seed-bearing is not carried through. She fumbles around an answer before he finally admits that he can’t help but feel that seed-bearing is rape. While typical sect protocol would be to downplay that association, Sarah does no such thing. She instead opens up about her own insecurities. She talks about how she feels unwanted by her husband because of her inability to bear children. She has long felt this way but she has always bitten her tongue and stayed silent as he never dissolved their marriage – which she found admirable in a way.
She reminisces about Laurel and how she lived vicariously through her, seeing her as a protégé instead of a rival. She says it’s been different since she has been gone. David says that he also misses Laurel as she always had an open ear anytime he needed advice, citing multiple specific examples. Sarah stares at the ground, unsure of what to do. Finally, she tells him: Laurel died after the leaving the sect. And she feels like it is a direct result of the constrictive culture that they were raised in here. David, still naïve at times, asks what she means by that. She explains to him how marriage and relationships work on the outside and the relative rarity of polygamy. And, of course, rape has nowhere near the social acceptance that it does in this community. David is shaken by hearing all of this.
Delaney leaves the next day for a meeting with the other higher-ups in the FLDS. Sarah is startled awake by David entering her room. At first she wonders if he has come there to do something unwanted, but he instead voices his concern. He wants to follow Laurel’s lead and leave the church and sect behind. But he also wants to help Jessa leave to, so as that they will have a support system on the outside. Sarah, who has lived in the community for 45 long years, is extremely hesitant to this idea. However, she does say that she feels like she owes it to Laurel to help her children escape this cycle of abuse and that Laurel would also want her to help Jessa.
They then discuss the multiple roadblocks they face. First, the incredible backlash and abuse that Laurel faced – including by David, himself. Second, the local authorities are mostly members of the church themselves and will likely turn away from helping in any way. And lastly, Jessa and the brainwashed children have already chosen to stay once and there is a high likelihood that they will again. David says that they should tell Jessa about Laurel but Sarah says they should wait.
Ruth notices David leaving Sarah’s apartment and grows immediately suspicious. She considers confronting her son about it but decides against it. Sarah plays in the yard with Laurel’s children and Jessa joins them. Sarah goes about things as if all is normal. She decides to lie down on the grass and look up into the sky. As she does, a thought sparks into her head but she doesn’t say anything.
Later that night, Delaney returns to the compound. While away, he has bought a new tuxedo for his wedding the next day. Meanwhile, Sarah pays a visit to David this time in a common area and tells him of her new plan. Firstly, they need to let the wedding go on as planned. This saddens David but she insists that he keep listening. This will then make Delaney vulnerable to arrest for marrying a minor. David points out what she said earlier about local authorities. She says that on her grocery tip, she will go a level higher and tip off the FBI. David lightens up and starts connecting with her idea. He says then they tell Jessa about her sister’s death and this should convince her to leave. Sarah says that the whole thing is a risk but one worth taking. From her window, Ruth watches Sarah and David leave the same building but again doesn’t say anything when he returns home.
Sarah goes on her trip to the grocery store. Before she can get to a payphone, her car is approached by multiple masked men. They take her to another car where Ruth is waiting in the backseat. She tells Sarah that she is so disappointed to know that Sarah has tried to corrupt her son. Sarah denies this but Ruth says that she has seen evidence of their “meetings” and knows they have been having an affair. Sarah tries to get down but the Sect security members prevent it and Ruth strangles her with her own hands. Afterwards, she cleans off her hands and calls Officer Arnold and says that his help is needed.
Back at the compound, preparations are underway for the wedding later that night. David is helping while keeping an eye out for Sarah’s return to confirm that their plan is in motion. He instead sees his mother come back from the outside. He runs into Jessa and tells her that she looks beautiful on her wedding day. Again, there is a lot he wants to tell her but he keeps it at that. She takes his hands and with sincerity says “I really thought it would be with you.” Moments later, he is approached by his father. Delaney tells him that he is sorry to tell him this but he has been assigned with a seed-bearing job tonight (with the same couple as before) and so he will have to miss the wedding. David seems panicked but Delaney gives him a nudge and says not to be too upset – this likely won’t be his last chance to attend a wedding of his father’s. Walking away, David is visibly angry.
As the wedding nears, David grows anxious by Sarah’s absence. He visits the home of the couple to initiate the seed-bearing process. However, this time, he decides that he cannot do it. The husband becomes angered and says that he will not be punished for David’s insecurity. As David tries to leave again, a fight ensues where David clearly overpowered. However, he is able to get ahold of a lamp and bash it over the man’s head. The wife comes out of the home screaming for authorities while David takes off running. After a lengthy run, he finds himself exhausted and collapses in the middle of a field, miles away from the compound.
He wakes up the next day in a hospital, being treated for dehydration. The nurse, noting his age, asks him for a relative to contact. He tells them Sarah’s name and that that is his aunt. When she leaves, he looks out the window and sees Officer Arnold talking to another nurse. When David’s nurse comes back, she finds that he discovers that he has left the hospital.
We find that David has stolen a bike and is riding it out of town. He arrives in a neighboring town, where no one is on alert He finds out that there is a Greyhound bus stop nearby and decides to buy a ticket. He takes it to Las Vegas. With the little money he has left, he gets a cheap motel room. While he is in awe of how much different this city is to where he’s from, he decides to stay inside.
He is relieved to have escaped but is unsure what to do next. He has no money, no home, and no family. He knows he can’t go back now. He falls face first into the bed and screams as loud as he can into the mattress. The next morning, he finds himself directionless and ends up at a lake adjoined to the Colorado River. He approaches the shore and dips his toes in, knowing full well that he cannot swim. He stares deeply at his reflection. He then comes to a realization and quickly runs away from the lake. He asks someone nearby where the local police station is.
At the station, the first thing he asks is what the officer’s religion is. The officer seems offput (and somewhat offended) by the question but his befuddlement is enough to tell David that he is not an FLDS member. He tells the officer about the sect’s practices: an underage marriage, young children working the fields, police corruption, unreported rape, etc. The officer suddenly becomes alert and immediately goes to talk to his superiors. Alone in the police station lobby, David sobs uncontrollably.
Twelve Days Later
A police car pulls up at the compound and David gets out of the car. The officers provide him an escort through the community so that he can collect his belongings. We find out that several top figures in the sect, including his father Delaney, have been arrested by the FBI. It is clear that David is seen as the pariah of the village and not the savior.
He sees Jessa and – against the advice of the officers – decides to talk to her. He professes his love for her and asks for forgiveness for breaking their promise. He begs that she leave with him and they can live a happy long life outside of the sect. She says he knows she can’t do that. He then drops the bombshell of Laurel’s death. She looks unfazed, clearly having already learned of this news. She says that Laurel made a mockery of Delaney and their religion and that they will now remain in the ranch until his return. David has heard something like this before and begins frantically looking around. Finally, he spots his mother watching from a nearby balcony.
He becomes irate and begins shouting obscenities at Ruth and tells her how terrible she is (even while unaware of Sarah’s fate). The officers, trying to prevent any altercation, start to escort him off of the property. He shames all of the people remaining and says their beloved leaders are never coming back. Jessa has a look of slight concern, as if what he is saying is catching on. Laurel’s children look at her and ask if what he is saying is true. David looks Jessa straight in the eyes and mouths “please”. She looks to the ground and then back up and shakes her head no.
David is taken into foster care far away from the FLDS ranch.
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