The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (2025)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
The story
In Los Angeles, pregnant attorney Caitlyn Morales is assigned to represent Polly Murphy, a woman facing eviction. After giving birth to her second daughter, Caitlyn struggles to balance her career and her children. When she hires Polly as a nanny, the woman quickly becomes indispensable to the family. However, Polly harbors a hidden malice and begins to subtly manipulate the household. As Caitlyn deals with the demands of motherhood and a volatile older child, she remains unaware of the danger posed by the woman she has invited into her home to help care for her children.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Los Angeles, attorney Caitlyn Morales hires Polly Murphy as a nanny after meeting her during a legal case. Polly quickly gains the trust of Caitlyn's husband, Miguel, and their children, Emma and Josie. Secretly, Polly is poisoning the family and replacing Caitlyn's medication with methamphetamine to destabilize her. When a conflict leads to Caitlyn firing her, Caitlyn later rehires her out of guilt. A neighbor, Stewart, uncovers that both women share a dark past: years earlier, a fire set by Caitlyn destroyed Polly's home. After Stewart is murdered by Polly, Caitlyn discovers the truth. A final confrontation occurs where Polly attempts to steal Caitlyn's identity. After a violent struggle, Caitlyn manages to escape, and Polly is killed in a car crash. The film ends with Caitlyn alive but haunted, while her daughter Emma mimics Polly's gestures.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 105
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Michelle Garza Cervera
- Writers
- Micah Bloomberg · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Mary Elizabeth Winstead · Caitlyn Morales / Jennifer; Maika Monroe · Polly Murphy / Rebecca; Raúl Castillo · Miguel Morales, Caitlyn's husband; Martin Starr · Stewart; Mileiah Vega · Emma Morales, Caitlyn and Miguel's daughter; Nora and Lola Contreras · Josie Morales, Caitlyn and Miguel's infant daughter; Riki Lindhome · Bethany; Shannon Cochran · Rosanna
- Genres
- thriller; psychological thriller
- Themes
- identity theft; maternal protection; shared trauma; revenge
- Tone and mood
- tense; suspenseful
- Premise and plot tags
- legal drama; nanny; psychological thriller; remake
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1992 film
- Reception
- Critical reception was mixed; critics praised the performances and moments of sustained tension, but had more divided opinions on its narrative necessity and tonal execution.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 52 · scale: 100 · review count: 14
- Production trivia
- The film features a queer subtext between the main characters.; The film was shot in Los Angeles.; The soundtrack was released on October 22, 2025.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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