Mothers' Instinct (2024)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
Two suburban neighbors find their lives intertwined and fractured following a tragic accident involving a child.
The story
In 1960 suburban America, Alice Bradford and Céline Jennings are next-door neighbors and mothers to boys of a similar age. Alice stages a surprise party for Céline's birthday. The next day, Céline's son Max stays home sick from school. Alice, pruning roses in her own garden, spots him standing precariously on a balcony, trying to hang a birdhouse he made at school. Alice, realizing the danger, tries to reach him, but the two are unable to act quickly enough and Max falls to his death. Following the tragedy, the two women's relationship becomes strained as they navigate the aftermath of the accident and the growing proximity of their respective children.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1960 suburban America, neighbors Alice and Céline are both mothers to young boys. After a tragic accident where Céline's son Max falls to his death, the women's relationship becomes strained. Alice begins to suspect Céline of dangerous behavior after several incidents, including the suspicious death of Alice's mother-in-law and a medical emergency involving Alice's son, Theo. Alice believes Céline is intentionally endangering Theo. After a period of tension and a brief reconciliation, Alice and her husband Simon decide to move away from Céline. However, the tension culminates in a violent confrontation. Céline kills her husband, Damian, and later sedates Simon and Theo. In a final confrontation, Alice and Céline fight; Céline eventually overpowers Alice and Simon, staging their deaths as a gas leak. Céline then takes Theo as her own.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 94
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Benoît Delhomme
- Writers
- Sarah Conradt · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Jessica Chastain · Alice; Anne Hathaway · Céline; Anders Danielsen Lie · Simon, Alice's husband; Josh Charles · Damian, Céline's husband; Eamon O'Connell · Theo; Caroline Lagerfelt · Granny Jean; Baylen D. Bielitz · Max
- Genres
- psychological thriller
- Themes
- grief; mother–son relationships
- Tone and mood
- tense
- Setting
- 1960s suburban America
- Premise and plot tags
- psychological thriller; American; 1960s; serial killer
- Source material / true-story basis
- Derrière la haine (2012 novel)
- Reception
- mixed
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 19
- Production trivia
- Benoît Delhomme's directorial debut; Remake of a 2018 French-language film
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…