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Plot Summary

Alice (2022) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2022 · 100 min · English
Echo score 44
Directed by
Krystin Ver Linden
Starring
Common, Keke Palmer, Jonny Lee Miller, Craig Stark, Alicia Witt, Shiquita James
Budget
$4M

A determined young woman named Alice, portrayed by Keke Palmer, escapes from a rural Georgia plantation where she’s been held in servitude. After a violent encounter, she finds herself on a highway in 1973 and is aided by Frank, a disillusioned activist played by Common. Together, they navigate the complexities of her past, exploring the realities of enslavement and the fight for black liberation.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 What happens: full plot
  2. 2 Plot questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Movies like Alice
  5. 5 Every angle

Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in Alice: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of Alice (2022) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

Simon permits Alice a rare night out at a bar with her close friends, Tess and Sophie. Throughout the evening, it becomes apparent that Alice is preoccupied, often flinching at notifications from her phone and nervously running her fingers through her hair. In a casual revelation, it is hinted that Alice and Simon have met through Tess' circle. However, despite this connection, Simon seems intent on isolating Alice from her friends. When Sophie proposes a celebratory trip to her family's cottage for Tess' birthday, Alice eagerly agrees but opts to lie to Simon, telling him it’s a work trip to Minneapolis instead.

During their drive to the cottage, the trio stops at a convenience store where Alice spots a flyer for a missing girl named Andrea, sparking an obsession within her. The three women spend their time enjoying the beauty of the rural town and the lake. Unbeknownst to Alice, Simon discovers their location through emails and demands she return home, prompting Alice to pack. However, Tess cleverly hides Alice's phone and wallet to give them more time together, and Sophie makes a trip to the store as an excuse for their outing.

While at the lake, Tess attempts to teach Alice how to paddleboard but playfully tips the board, causing Alice to fall and lose an earring— a gift from Simon. In a frantic attempt to retrieve the earring, Alice dives into the water but comes back empty-handed, only to be hit with panic attacks, repeating the distressing thought that she "can't do another thing wrong." An argument breaks out when Tess confronts Alice about her mental state, leading to a confession that she had kept their getaway from Simon. Concerned for her friend, Tess questions Alice's well-being, prompting Alice to reconsider her plans to leave. The following morning, she joins the search party for Andrea and discovers lipstick near an abandoned cottage, believing it may belong to the missing girl.

As the women reconnect and strengthen their friendship, Alice begins to confide in Tess and Sophie about Simon. She shares that while he has never physically harmed her, the emotional abuse she experiences is deeply damaging. Gradually, Alice stops responding to Simon’s texts, which leads to his unexpected arrival with groceries. Tensions rise during dinner when Simon reveals that the body of the missing girl has been found, prompting Alice to disclose her thoughts about the lipstick. Simon, dismissively condescending, tries to silence her.

The next day, Alice surprises her friends by packing her things and leaving the cottage. En route to the main road, Simon halts his car for a line of cyclists, during which Sophie catches up and dramatically shatters the back windshield with a maul. As Alice steps out to make eye contact with Sophie, she silently signals her reluctance to return to Simon. Despite Simon’s angry commands for her to re-enter the car, Alice stands her ground. Tess intervenes, positioning herself between them and compelling Simon to back off. Frustrated, Simon returns to his vehicle, angrily throwing Alice's belongings out before speeding away.

The film concludes with Alice confidently paddling on the lake, diving in, symbolizing her newfound freedom and resolve.

Last updated: October 25, 2024 at 12:41

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Plot questions answered

Alice Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about Alice (2022): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why is Alice so anxious and distracted during the trip with her friends?

Alice is anxious because she is trapped in an emotionally abusive relationship with Simon. Throughout the trip, she is constantly checking her phone for his messages and lying to him about her whereabouts. Simon has been isolating her from her friends, and his controlling behavior has caused her to feel afraid and on edge even while trying to enjoy time away from him.

Foreshadowing: Early in the film, Simon tries to isolate Alice from her friends at the bar, foreshadowing the toxic control he exerts over her.

  • alice
  • simon
  • anxiety
  • emotional abuse
  • controlling relationship
Q2

Why does Alice become obsessed with the missing girl Andrea?

Alice becomes obsessed with Andrea because the missing girl represents her own trapped situation. Seeing the flyer triggers a deep identification with Andrea, someone who is missing, unseen, and possibly in danger. Alice's fixation on finding Andrea mirrors her own desire to be found and rescued from her own captivity within the abusive relationship.

  • andrea
  • missing girl
  • obsession
  • flyer
  • alice
Q3

Why does Alice have a panic attack after losing Simon's earring?

Alice has a panic attack because the lost earring represents her fear of Simon's reaction and her belief that she cannot do anything right. The earring was a gift from Simon, and losing it triggers her underlying anxiety about disappointing him. Her distressed statement that she "can't do another thing wrong" reveals how Simon's constant criticism has eroded her self-worth and created constant fear of making mistakes.

Foreshadowing: The paddleboarding incident where she loses the earring was foreshadowed by her earlier nervous behavior and flinching at phone notifications.

  • panic attack
  • earring
  • simon
  • fear
  • mistake
Q4

What causes Alice to finally decide to leave Simon?

Alice decides to leave Simon after a combination of experiences: reconnecting with her friends strengthens her sense of self, confiding in Tess and Sophie about the emotional abuse validates her feelings, and her panic attack forces her to confront how much the relationship has damaged her mental health. When Simon dismissively tries to silence her concerns about Andrea during dinner, she realizes she cannot continue living under his control.

  • alice
  • leave simon
  • breakup
  • decision
  • friends
Q5

Why does Sophie smash Simon's car window with a maul?

Sophie smashes the car window as an act of defiance and to protect Alice from returning to Simon. When Simon stops his car for cyclists, Sophie sees an opportunity to create a dramatic break. By shattering the window, she physically demonstrates the destruction of Simon's control over Alice and gives Alice the chance to make a clear choice about her future.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Tess and Sophie hide Alice's phone and wallet to give her more time away from Simon, showing their willingness to help her escape.

  • sophie
  • car window
  • maul
  • confrontation
  • escape
Q6

What does the ending scene where Alice paddleboards symbolize?

The ending paddleboarding scene symbolizes Alice's newfound freedom, confidence, and emotional revitalization. Earlier in the film, she struggled with paddleboarding and lost an earring while trying to retrieve it. By the end, she paddles out confidently on her own and dives into the water willingly, representing her regained autonomy, her willingness to face challenges, and her embrace of a new chapter beyond Simon's control.

Foreshadowing: The earlier paddleboarding lesson where Alice fell into the water directly foreshadows her triumphant return to the water at the end.

  • ending
  • paddleboarding
  • freedom
  • symbolism
  • water
Q7

How does Simon find out where Alice is staying at the cottage?

Simon discovers Alice's location by reading her emails. After Tess hides Alice's phone and wallet to buy more time, Simon somehow accesses Alice's email account and learns she is at Sophie's family cottage instead of on a work trip to Minneapolis as she claimed. He then shows up unannounced with groceries, demanding she return home.

  • simon
  • location
  • email
  • cottage
  • confrontation
Q8

What does Alice reveal to Tess and Sophie about her relationship with Simon?

Alice reveals to Tess and Sophie that while Simon has never physically harmed her, he consistently subjects her to emotional abuse. She describes the psychological damage his control has caused, including her constant fear of making mistakes and her diminished sense of self-worth. This confession marks a turning point where Alice begins to break her silence about the abuse.

  • alice
  • tess
  • sophie
  • confession
  • emotional abuse
Q9

What is the significance of the lipstick Alice finds near the abandoned cottage?

Alice finds lipstick near the abandoned cottage while searching for Andrea and becomes convinced it belongs to the missing girl. This discovery intensifies her fear that something terrible has happened to Andrea and fuels her determination to help find her. When Alice shares this theory with Simon during dinner, he dismissively tries to silence her, treating her concerns as unimportant.

  • lipstick
  • andrea
  • abandoned cottage
  • search
Q10

What happens when Tess intervenes during the confrontation with Simon?

When Tess intervenes during the confrontation, she physically positions herself between Alice and Simon, forcing him to back off. This protective act gives Alice the space to stand her ground. Faced with the unified resistance of Alice's friends, Simon ultimately backs down, throws Alice's belongings out of the car in anger, and drives away, signifying the end of his control over her.

  • tess
  • intervention
  • confrontation
  • simon
  • protection

Movie threads

More Movies Like Alice, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Alice tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies about breaking free from psychological oppression like Alice

Intense journeys of reclaiming selfhood from psychological manipulation. If you liked Alice's powerful story of escaping psychological servitude, this thread features similar movies about characters overcoming emotional abuse and manipulation. These intense dramas explore the fight for personal freedom and the cathartic feeling of reclaiming one's life.

  • psychological
  • oppressive
  • tense
  • cathartic
  • liberating
  • anxious
  • Tone: tense, oppressive, cathartic
  • Pacing: steady, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows a protagonist trapped in a situation of psychological control, often marked by gaslighting and manipulation. Through a steady build-up of tension, the story escalates towards a breaking point or confrontation, leading to a climax that is both liberating and emotionally cathartic.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their shared focus on the psychological effects of oppression and the powerful, uplifting arc of breaking free. They create a similar viewing experience of anxious tension followed by emotional release.

Slow burn character dramas with tense atmospheres like Alice

Stories where subtle details build an atmosphere of quiet dread. For viewers who appreciated the steady, tense build-up in Alice, this thread collects movies with a similar slow burn pacing. These character-driven stories use subtle psychological pressure and an oppressive mood to create a deeply immersive and anxious viewing experience.

  • slow burn
  • tense
  • psychological
  • character-driven
  • atmospheric
  • uneasy
  • Tone: tense, psychological, dark
  • Pacing: steady, slow burn
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative unfolds patiently, focusing on character psychology and the accumulation of small, telling details. The tension is psychological and atmospheric rather than physical, creating a sense of unease that steadily escalates until it reaches a breaking point.

Why they belong together: These movies share a specific pacing and tone: a steady build of psychological tension that creates a palpable sense of dread. They are connected by their immersive, character-focused approach to generating suspense and emotional weight.

If you liked this

Movies Like Alice

Similar movies to Alice: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

Browse all movie summaries

Every angle

Alice (2022) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Alice in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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