Sexting in Suburbia

In the present, Dina Van Cleve's mother Rachel returns home to find Dina has hanged herself. This shocking event prompts Rachel to question the online bullying that surrounded her daughter. The scene sets up the moral investigation that drives the rest of the film.

Six weeks earlier Dina is a popular field hockey player and Homecoming Queen. She enjoys high school fame and respect from her peers. A looming sense of trouble foreshadows the coming crisis.

On Homecoming night Dina changes her mind about having sex with Mark, who reacts with anger. He goes to an after party and cheats on Dina with Skylar. The night ends with Dina facing a growing web of betrayal.

Next morning Dina sends naked photos to Mark. At school she is initially met with applause, then learns the pictures have circulated widely. Dina demands to know who saw them, but Mark swears he did not share them.

Dina records a video diary in her bedroom as the online harassment escalates. Cruel posts and rumors spread through the campus, intensifying her isolation. The diaries later become crucial evidence for Rachel's investigation.

Rachel goes to the school administration to demand action, but they refuse to help and try to cover up the bullying. The backlash against the school grows after Rachel publishes a damning article. Her professional life and credibility suffer as the case becomes national news.

Rachel becomes the target of a revenge campaign. Mailbox letters with the phrase Leave It Alone and a noose image intimidate her. Dina's grave is vandalized, her trophy is torn, and a brick is thrown through the living room window.

Mark is arrested for possession of child pornography. The school administrator urges Rachel to drop the investigation, but she persists in seeking accountability. Police reveal that the bullying connected to Dina extends beyond Mark and Skylar.

Claire reveals that Skylar and Mark attended the after party and that Dina begged Mark to stop circulating the photos. The police later reveal that Skylar sent the pictures to Claire, who then forwarded them to many others, spreading the harm further. The truth about who shared the images grows increasingly tangled.

Rachel finds Dina's final video diary in Dina's room, recording how the coach was told about Dina and how her scholarship was lost. A flashback shows Skylar belittling Dina while Claire accuses her of setting things in motion. Dina ends up losing her future as a consequence of the bullying.

Patricia, Skylar's mother, defends her daughter but eventually admits she manipulated events to protect Skylar's future. Skylar drives away with the family car and crashes into a tree while texting a message of forgiveness. Patricia is later arrested for possession of child pornography.

Rachel visits Skylar in the hospital to offer empathy while acknowledging the consequences of the bullying. She vows to pursue justice for Dina through the courts. The families reckon with the consequences of their actions as Skylar begins to recover and Patricia faces legal consequences.

Claire delivers a powerful school wide speech about bullying and Dina's death. The students vow to give up cell phones for the rest of the semester and to prevent further bullying. Rachel watches Dina's video diaries with Claire and contemplates what has been learned.