MovieChat Forums > Estranged (2016) Discussion > Can someone explain this movie to me? S...

Can someone explain this movie to me? Spoilers in responses

posted 8 years ago by writerchick89
17 replies | jump to latest

I got to the end and still didn't understand what the heck was going on there. Someone got her mother pregnant...was she married to the psycho dad at the time? And why did they want revenge on her? I didn't understand any of it. Were they all just psychos? Or did the father make the brother & sister psychos? And the mother just feel she couldn't do anything about it?

This was one disturbing movie. I also didn't understand why January wouldn't have left with the butler after she'd killed them. I mean she could've told him to wait. She really hadn't done anything wrong. She was tortured & kidnapped & raped by these psychos. And most likely no one would discover the people were dead for ages since no one ever went there.

Fiction is a lie, and good fiction is the truth inside the lie.--Stephen King

[–] Deej551 8 years ago

I feel very stupid, but I didn't understand what was happening either. The site I saw this on had some sound problems, and I couldn't understand what the butler was telling her during his "reveals." The only thing I think I heard is that the father had an affair with January's mother,who worked at a coal mine (?) and bore his child. The mother killed herself out of guilt, but I couldn't fire out what SHE had to be guilty about. I also didn't understand the revenge thing, unless it was because her existence brought upon the 1st wife's suicide, and they blamed her?

It was mentioned once that the house was hers, though I can't see how that would be. Either she was going to stay there since her family was no longer a threat, or she was going to leave at some later date. Was the child she was carrying her father's? So the "brother" was a half-brother?

I hope someone sees this thread and can explain this. I almost never watch horror films, but this was more psychological suspense and horror. I honestly don't quite understand why precious money is spent on films like this, but I watched it so who am I to criticize? 😀

[–] linidaph 8 years ago

The family who January thought was her real family is actually the staff of the mansion. The real Lord Dunfield raped one for the house staff Marilyn (probably a maid) who then gave birth to his bastard child January. Lord Dunfield then adopted that child as his own and his wife who is of course not January's real mother killed herself out of guilt.

The day that Callum reported January's accident was when the staff turned against Lord Dunfield and killed him before January arrived. Albert (who was probably the mansion's caretaker) only pretended to be January's real father because his wife (Marilyn, January's real mother) who wanted her back. But since she kept wanting to leave, Albert ensures that she becomes a real part of his family by trying to get her pregnant while also taking revenge by raping her just as her real father raped his wife.

[–] caroleanne 8 years ago

Thx for clearing something up. So the mother really WAS her mother. I should have known that since she said "she's mine".

[–] ChefLucretia 8 years ago

Linidaph, thank you. I think that was a clear and concise summary. Although I feel that I have a good understanding of what was going on in the film, I still am left saying, "huh?!" because it was so odd. I could not understand why the ending just her sitting on the step. I mean, I thought she would kill herself, herself and her baby, just the baby......something! Why did the stupid wimpy butler just leave? Good flick until about half way through. Then the wheels kinda fell off.

[–] trish722 8 years ago

Thank you linidaph. At some point I thought the butler was going to say, "I'm your father." Especially when he indicated that THEY made HIM serve, so it sounded like some humiliation thing with them. It made no sense for him to stay there and not report them. What did they have to hold him?

Next, they lost me when she escaped the room and instead of looking for a car she starts sprinting across the grounds like a champion runner. Uh, exactly how long was she in the room to recover enough to run like that? Then, instead of playing along until she has a chance to escape, she reveals to the psychos that she knows everything about them. The son had access to enough drugs that she could have cooked them a nice dinner and slip mickey's in it.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] BlackDog123 8 years ago

Thanks for the concise summary! I wasn't confused about the status of her "father" and mother, but what I didn't understand was why the butler stayed around to be beaten and humiliated? It seems he could have sneaked out, had he wanted to. This wasn't Elizabethan England, it was modern day, so he could have escaped to town and reported the crime, especially so he wouldn't be implicated - I was very puzzled by this. Overall, I did enjoy it (3 out of 5 on Netflix), but that part was more than a little difficult to swallow - also, her sudden ability to run like a gazelle across the fields. Anyways, thanks for your post:)

They're coming to get you, Barbara!

[–] Grrl.com 8 years ago

Thanks for clearing up the backstory! It was driving me crazy that I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on.
Still not sure why and how January left in the first place BEFORE she got in the scooter accident and all this happened.
A VERY confusing movie, which makes it hard to appreciate if nothing is really clear as to how this all came to be. None of this makes sense... especially why would they hurt her when she had zero to do with the sins of her father other than existing?

[–] mcolby-125-523976 8 years ago

So were the other two staff as well or were they really Albert's kids?

[–] blairbitchproject 7 years ago

They were really his kids.

[–] pondlass1 8 years ago

I watched on Netflix and had the same issues with sound when the butler revealed all. So I was in the dark too. Why didn't the butler leave and report to police that she had been raped and was being kept in the cellar. Everyone's intentions seemed so unclear.

Good acting and that was one creepy mansion but January seemed her own worst enemy.

Be happy while you're living, for you're a long time dead.

[–] Jenni_D 8 years ago

Even after reading this I had to create a flow chart to try and figure out who was who and wtf was going on. LOL

[–] jeffeastwood2000-628-193804 8 years ago

LOL flow chart. If ever a movie needed one, it was this one.

[–] katdussell 8 years ago

The butler had no other place to go. With his employer dead, he would be homeless. He also wanted to keep an eye on January, and after she arrived,they threatened him with her death if he told her or the police.
I don't understand why she had him drive off either , maybe so he wasn't implicated in the revenge spree she went in?
Anywqys I loved this movie

[–] Lizard51867 8 years ago

To be fair, I think her revenge spree would be considered justified or in self defense or anything. She's been raped, kidnapped, and tortured for many months, and she knows they killed her father and her boyfriend.

I viewed her staying as a way to spite them; the family tried to steal her home, and Albert impregnated her not just for revenge, but to legitimate his stake in it with an heir. That's referenced several times. So killing them all in "their house" and then staying in *her* house is a fairly "how do you like them apples" moment.

[–] thesweetestpea_777 8 years ago

So... in that newspaper clipping it said survived by father and 2 children, right? Was the butler Jan's brother? And that's how they guilted him by saying they'd kill her? Because sometimes my brothers really suck, but I'm pretty sure they'd do what they have to keep me from getting killed. Although, that doesn't really explain why he let the drugging/raping go on.

[–] Decouvrirs 8 years ago

The newspaper said that there was only one child, which was Jan. I was actually confused about the other "siblings". Were they Albert and Marilyn's children or were they also just staff? If they were staff why would they stay?