Sharp Corner

A family consisting of Josh, Rachel, and their 6-year-old son Max moves into a new house. The change in setting unsettles them, and Josh in particular seems on edge as they settle in. The quiet home becomes the backdrop for the strange incidents that follow.

One night, a car swerves off the road and crashes into a tree in the front yard. The incident unsettles the family, especially Josh, who becomes increasingly fixated on the road outside their home. The crash marks the first overt sign that something sinister may be at play.

Josh discovers that he was passed up for a promotion at work, a disappointment Rachel attributes to his lack of ambition. The news deepens his fixation on control and fate, contributing to the tension in the family. Rachel and Josh begin to diverge on how to handle the stress.

Josh continues to watch the road in front of their house with increasing fixation. He scans for danger and seems to project his own anxieties onto the passing traffic. This obsession foreshadows further tragedies linked to the road.

Another car collides nearby, and Josh watches the man die from his injuries. He then takes the dead man's phone and begins to look through its contents, pulling the incident and the man's life into his orbit. The event intensifies his sense of fate and intrusion into others' lives.

At the funeral, Josh speaks with the adult daughter, giving the impression that he knew the man well. She tries to find comfort in faith and says she believes there’s a purpose to suffering. Josh counters softly, suggesting the idea of being in the 'wrong place at the wrong time.'

Motivated by the crashes, Josh begins CPR training and purchases a CPR mannequin to practice at home. This shift toward preparedness reveals his growing urge to control life-and-death outcomes. The act also marks a move toward actively influencing emergencies rather than merely observing them.

Disturbed by the ongoing accidents and anxious for Max, Rachel suggests selling the house and relocating. Josh's reactions imply he may resist change or secretly prefer keeping the house as a stage for his experiment with fate. The couple's plans begin to diverge.

While driving home with Max, Josh sees another accident unfolding as a body is loaded onto a stretcher and responders work nearby. He is told to move aside, which fuels his resentment and resolve about being present for crashes in the future. This moment deepens his fixation and guilt.

During a therapy session, Josh laments not being there to save the victim, insisting the person would still be alive if he had acted earlier. The conversation crystallizes his belief that he could influence outcomes through presence or intention. The theme shifts toward self-blame and the lure of control.

Josh and Rachel place the house on the market, but Josh secretly repels potential buyers, undermining their chance to move. The concealment illustrates Josh's stubborn attachment to the house and to his own narrative about fate. The estrangement between them deepens.

Josh is fired from his job and Rachel ends the marriage, cutting off the life they had built together. The collapse of his career and family life leaves him more isolated, with a belief that events are spiraling toward a fatal pattern. The story moves toward a solitary confrontation with fate.

During a heavy rain, Josh notes the road's slipperiness and wets it with a hose, even sawing down a road sign to encourage another crash. He seems to crave the sense of faultless control over a life-and-death moment. The act marks a dangerous descent into manipulating events.

Shortly after his attempt to influence events, a new accident occurs and a woman is trapped in an overturned car. Josh arrives, performs CPR, and successfully resuscitates her. The event brings a grim culmination to his arc of trying to control fate, showing he can still intervene.