Now Showing: The Revolution

 

The Revolution

Genre: Thriller

Director: Sam Raimi

Writer: Alex Conn

Cast: Sadie Sink, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Plummer, Caleb McLaughlin, Dylan Minnette, Bruce Greenwood

Plot: The film opens in a dimly lit room with unsettling close-up shots of faceless hands typing on an old flip phone. In the dark silence, text appears on the screen, filled with cryptic messages and promises of a reckoning at Rye High School. A tense exchange unfolds as the unseen texter receives a reply from someone on the other end of the line, their voice distorted beyond recognition. The conversation hints at a carefully orchestrated scheme to reveal the ugly secrets of Rye High’s elite crowd.

This faceless figure is Hannah (Sadie Sink), an introverted artist who finds comfort only in her sketchbook and isolation. Years of being bullied and shunned by Rye High’s social elite have left her resentful and alienated. The chief perpetrators of her suffering are Trevor (Charlie Plummer), Matt (Caleb McLaughlin), and Adam (Dylan Minnette), three popular boys who dominate the school’s social landscape. Each is wealthy, attractive, and self-assured, thriving off the power they hold over others, especially those like Hannah.

Trevor, the ringleader, openly mocks weaker students, promoting a toxic idea that his bullying “builds character.” Beneath his arrogant exterior, however, Trevor hides a secret: he funds his lifestyle by dealing drugs. Matt, the charming athlete, is also masking a deep vulnerability. Behind his easy smile, he grapples with self-worth issues and a history of being bullied, which he hides to maintain his “tough guy” image. Adam, the quietest yet often the cruelest, conceals his own truth: he is gay, hiding his sexuality for fear of losing his popularity and social status. These secrets, carefully hidden, have now been discovered by Hannah and her enigmatic partner on the other end of the phone.

As the school year unfolds, strange events begin to unsettle the boys. An anonymous YouTube channel called The Revolution appears, posting exposés that peel back the boys’ public façades to reveal their darkest secrets. The first video leak exposes Trevor’s drug dealing, throwing his life into chaos. His parents, already struggling financially, are crushed by the shame, and the school board suspends Trevor as rumors of his arrest circulate. Trevor denies everything, but the damage is done, and his once-loyal friends begin to distance themselves. The school is abuzz with scandal, but Trevor, Matt, and Adam refuse to believe anyone could take them down.

Meanwhile, Matt’s father, a prominent lawyer with a reputation to protect, is furious at the threat to his family’s image. He hires Brint (Bruce Greenwood), a hardened private investigator, to uncover the mastermind behind The Revolution. Brint dives deep into the school’s underbelly, meticulously searching for clues. Oblivious to the true danger of the leaks, Trevor, Matt, and Adam meet secretly, convinced they can root out the person responsible. Their meetings are filled with tension and accusation, each suspecting the others of betraying their secrets.

The revelations grow more brutal with each video. The second leak targets Adam, outing his hidden sexuality to the entire school. His girlfriend publicly dumps him, humiliated and devastated, and Adam quickly finds himself isolated from his former friends. The same boys who once followed him now mock him, making him a target for the very bullying he once encouraged. Adam’s self-worth plummets, his reputation destroyed, as he realizes he has become the victim of his own toxic game.

Then, the third leak reveals Matt’s carefully concealed history of being bullied. The irony is painful, as the entire school now views the once-formidable Matt as weak and pitiable. Instead of respect, he now faces ridicule and sympathy — the last thing he wanted. The power dynamic within their friend group crumbles, and paranoia tightens its grip on them. Trevor, Matt, and Adam no longer trust each other, each wondering who might have betrayed them.

In a climactic twist, Trevor’s drug dealings finally catch up with him, leading to his arrest. Principal Henderson (Willem Dafoe), a stern but mysterious authority figure at Rye High, is seemingly behind the crackdown. Trevor’s pleas of innocence fall on deaf ears, and he is led out in handcuffs as whispers of his downfall spread. The boys begin to suspect that The Revolution has access to information beyond what any student could know, heightening the tension and fear of exposure among them.

Hannah, meanwhile, watches from the shadows, a silent spectator as her carefully crafted plan wreaks havoc. Her only confidant remains the distorted voice on the phone, who reassures her of their shared goal. Principal Henderson intensifies his disciplinary efforts, enacting strict anti-bullying policies and heightening surveillance, though his true motives remain clouded. His public condemnation of bullying seems to veil a more personal agenda.

Brint, the investigator, begins to suspect that the culprit may be linked to Rye High’s administration. He follows leads, interviews students and staff, and pores over security footage, yet each clue leads to another dead end. All the while, the voice on the phone keeps Hannah one step ahead, guiding her to evade Brint’s watchful eye. With every step Brint takes, The Revolution grows bolder, escalating the chaos and driving Trevor, Matt, and Adam closer to the edge.

As the boys’ desperation reaches its peak, Brint finally catches a break. He receives an anonymous tip pointing him toward Hannah. Determined to expose her, he confronts Matt, who, in a final act of survival, leads him to Hannah. In a tense showdown, Brint corners Hannah just as she is preparing to release another damning video. Her confident demeanor wavers as Brint reveals the extent of his investigation, exposing her as the mastermind behind The Revolution. Yet, as Brint interrogates her, a shocking twist unfolds.

A new video leaks while they stand there, implicating Principal Henderson himself. The video, containing footage and confidential documents only he could access, hints that he has been manipulating events at the school for his own purposes. Just as Brint begins to process the revelation, Hannah’s phone rings, and the familiar distorted voice resonates through the room.

In a tense climax, Principal Henderson enters, finally revealing himself as the voice guiding Hannah all along. Henderson’s motivations come to light: a frustrated idealist, he despises the elitist culture at Rye High and sees the boys’ downfall as a way to rid the school of its toxic hierarchy. He believed that by using Hannah’s anger and alienation, he could channel her actions toward a vision of “justice.”

Henderson’s downfall comes unexpectedly. Adam, who had been quietly following the events, overhears Henderson’s confession. Overwhelmed by anger, Adam confronts Henderson, and in a desperate struggle, Henderson reaches for a hidden gun. A final, chaotic scuffle ensues, resulting in a gunshot. Henderson falls, leaving a shocked silence in his wake.

In the aftermath, Hannah is forced to confront the consequences of her actions. Though her tormentors have been brought low, she grapples with the realization that she has become complicit in a cycle of cruelty and vengeance. Brint, shaken but resolute, assures her that Henderson’s death will be investigated and kept from tarnishing her further. However, the impact of The Revolution lingers, leaving scars across the school as students and teachers alike face the aftermath of their darkest secrets revealed.

In the final scenes, Hannah walks through the halls of Rye High, her steps filled with the weight of regret and relief. The once-powerful trio of Trevor, Matt, and Adam have been forever changed, stripped of their influence but haunted by their own mistakes. Rye High’s corridors are quieter, the student body subdued, but the lessons of The Revolution linger in their minds.

As the credits roll, the final shot returns to the dimly lit room where it all began, the abandoned flip phone sitting on the table, vibrating with one last message: “The Revolution is far from over.”