Mothers' Instinct (2024) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Alice spotted Max precariously standing on the balcony trying to hang a birdhouse. She immediately tried to crawl through a small gap in the hedge separating their yards, but her large sunhat got caught and slowed her down. By the time she reached the front door to alert Céline, who was inside vacuuming, it was too late, Max had already fallen to his death.

Foreshadowing: The hedge passage is introduced during the birthday party scene, showing how closely connected yet separated the two properties are.

• max death
• balcony accident
• alice
• hedge
• sunhat

After losing Max, Céline pulled away from Alice and instead formed an intense bond with Alice's son Theo. This shift appears to be driven by Céline's grief and her apparent need to fill the void left by Max's death. She began spending more time with Theo, eventually becoming so close that he invited her to his birthday party, which alarmed Alice significantly.

Foreshadowing: At Max's funeral, Theo lashed out upon discovering one of his own toys in Max's coffin, an early sign of the intertwined dynamics between the two boys.

• celine
• theo
• grief
• bond
• max death

After reconciling, Alice left Theo in Céline's care but panicked when she saw him playing on the same balcony where Max died. She frantically crawled through the narrow hedge passage to reach Céline's house. Céline stepped out and explained she had been watching Theo the entire time, then noted that Alice could physically fit through the hedge, a capability Céline lacked when Max was in danger. Alice interpreted this as a subtle test of her ability to save children, deepening the psychological warfare between them.

Foreshadowing: The hedge passage was first shown during the birthday party, establishing its narrowness and the physical barrier between the two homes.

• hedge test
• celine
• alice
• theo
• balcony
• max

During Theo's birthday party, Alice's mother-in-law collapsed and died of a heart attack. Alice, already paranoid about Céline, ordered an autopsy which revealed no trace of the heart medication that had previously been in her bloodstream. Alice suspected Céline had been replacing the medication with a placebo, though she never obtained definitive proof of this poisoning.

Foreshadowing: This death occurs right after the party, adding another layer of tragedy to an already tense gathering.

• mother-in-law
• heart attack
• medication
• celine
• poisoning
• autopsy

Theo was hospitalized after suffering a severe allergic reaction while at Céline's house. Alice suspected deliberate poisoning or exposure to dangerous foods, believing Céline had intentionally put Theo in harm's way. The film presents this as another incident fueling Alice's growing paranoia and fear for her son's safety around Céline.

Foreshadowing: This incident follows the pattern of increasing danger after Alice and Céline's reconciliation, escalating the conflict between them.

• theo
• allergic reaction
• hospital
• celine
• poisoning

Céline sedated her husband with chloroform and sliced his wrist to stage it as a suicide. This murder demonstrates her escalating willingness to manipulate and eliminate anyone who stands in her way. The act appears to be part of her broader plan to gain complete control, removing obstacles and ultimately positioning herself to take over Alice's family.

Foreshadowing: Céline's pattern of deception and manipulation had been building throughout the film, from her mysterious month-long disappearance to her psychological games with Alice.

• celine husband
• murder
• chloroform
• suicide
• staged

After killing her husband, Céline sedated both Simon and Theo while they were in Alice and Simon's home. When Alice returned and confronted her, Céline overpowered her and staged a gas leak by cutting the boiler, resulting in Alice and Simon's deaths. The entire scene was carefully orchestrated to appear as an accident rather than murder.

Foreshadowing: This final act completes Céline's pattern of staging deaths as suicides or accidents, first her husband, then Alice and Simon.

• celine
• gas leak
• boiler
• murder
• alice
• simon
• sedated

Despite murdering his parents, Céline chose to spare Theo's life and ultimately adopted him. This reveals her ultimate motive: she wanted Theo for herself, likely as a replacement for the son she lost. By taking Theo, she completed her twisted goal of creating a new family after losing Max, adopting him into the life she constructed through deception and violence.

Foreshadowing: Céline's growing attachment to Theo throughout the film, her jealousy of Alice's relationship with him, and her desire to fill the void left by Max all foreshadowed this final take-over.

• theo
• celine
• adoption
• spared
• family
• max replacement

During Max's funeral, Theo noticed one of his own toys tucked inside Max's coffin and lashed out in a raw emotional moment. This suggests the two boys had been close, possibly sharing toys, and highlights how grief exposed the hidden connections between them. The moment also foreshadows the entanglement of both families that would unfold.

Foreshadowing: This incident early in the film establishes the intertwined fates of Max and Theo, setting the psychological stage for Céline's fixation on Theo.

• theo
• max
• toy
• coffin
• funeral
• grief

After Max's funeral, Céline disappeared for a month to an unknown location, leaving Alice and Theo unsettled. When she returned, she reconciled with Alice and the families resumed their tense coexistence. The film never explicitly reveals where she went, adding to the mystery surrounding Céline's actions and mental state during this period.

Foreshadowing: This mysterious disappearance heightens questions about Céline's stability and motives, foreshadowing her later calculated manipulations.

• celine
• disappearance
• month
• grief
• missing