Affliction

Rolfe Whitehouse opens the film by narrating the story of his brother Wade's 'strange criminal behavior' and his eventual disappearance. The narration frames Wade as driven by a dangerous obsession that will unfold in a small New Hampshire town. The stage is set for a personal investigation that will define the rest of the story.

On Halloween, Wade's late arrival to meet his daughter Jill disrupts the evening. Jill calls her mother to pick her up, and Wade's confrontation with her husband ends with him shoving him against a car. He then vows to hire a lawyer to win custody.

The next day Wade rushes to the crime scene where Jack Hewitt claims Evan Twombley accidentally shot and killed himself. The police accept Jack's version, but Wade grows suspicious that Jack is covering up a murder. His investigation marks the start of a descent into obsession.

Wade learns that Twombley was scheduled to testify in a lawsuit, which deepens his conviction that Jack is involved in a conspiracy. The idea of foul play becomes central to his quest, shifting from a custody dispute to a broader sense of injustice. His obsession grows as he pieces together fragments of town life into a single narrative.

Wade and his girlfriend Margie Fogg go to his alcoholic father Glen's house for the funeral of Wade's mother. Wade discovers her body, hypothermia causing her death, and Glen reacts with little surprise. The mood of the funeral is overshadowed by fear and old family resentments.

Rolfe returns home for the funeral and initially suspects Wade's theory may be correct, but he later withdraws from the notion. Wade's obsession grows as his mental state deteriorates, and his behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Flashbacks reveal the abusive dynamics between Wade and his father.

Wade learns about Gordon Lariviere's buy-up of local property with help from Mel Gordon, Twombley's son-in-law. The schemes feed Wade's resolve to 'solve' the incidents and connect them to a larger conspiracy. His mission broadens from a custody case to a town-wide mystery.

Suffering from a painful toothache and social withdrawal, Wade follows Jack Hewitt, convinced he is hiding something. A tense car chase ensues as Jack pulls over, threatens Wade with a rifle, shoots out his tires, and drives away. Wade's fixation intensifies as he pursues the perceived conspiracy.

Wade is fired for harassing Jack and trashing Lariviere's office, marking a professional collapse. He collects Jill from her mother's house, where his ex-wife rebukes his custody plans in front of their daughter. The tension explodes as Wade's instability becomes public knowledge.

At a local restaurant, Wade is verbally abused by patrons and then attacks a bartender in front of Jill. The incident exposes Wade's unraveling to the public and deepens the rift with his daughter. The scene marks a dramatic public breakdown.

Wade returns home to find Margie leaving him, while Jill watches in shock. He grabs Margie and begs her to stay, but Jill rushes forward to intervene. Wade's escalating aggression culminates in a violent domestic moment that fractures the family.

Glen taunts Wade for finally acting as a 'real man,' and the latent aggression erupts in a brutal fight. Wade hits his father with the butt of a rifle, unintentionally killing him. He then burns the corpse in the barn and sits at the kitchen table to drink away the night.

Rolfe reveals that Wade likely murdered Jack and left town, never to return. He notes the town later becomes part of a huge ski resort, developed with money from Gordon Lariviere, though he claims to have had nothing to do with Jack or Twombley. Rolfe imagines that someday a vagrant resembling Wade might be found frozen to death, bringing the story to a quiet, haunting close.