Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

Solace (2016) movie poster

Spoiler-Free Summary

Solace (2016) Spoiler-Free Summary – What It's About

Release, runtime and language
2016 · 101 min · English
JustWatch #4,662 3
Directed by
Afonso Poyart
Starring
Abbie Cornish, Anthony Hopkins, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

FBI Special Agent Joe Merriwether seeks the help of Dr. John Clancy, a psychic troubled by a personal tragedy that led him to suppress his abilities. As they investigate a series of murders, Clancy is haunted by visions connected to the case and drawn into a dangerous game with a cunning killer. He must overcome his past trauma to help catch the murderer and prevent further loss.

On this page (7)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What it is about
  3. 3 Is it worth watching?
  4. 4 After you watch
  5. 5 Movie threads
  6. 6 Movies like Solace
  7. 7 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Solace (2016)

Where can you watch Solace? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Lionsgate+ Amazon Channels, Fawesome and Hoopla: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

Streaming availability powered by JustWatch

Spoiler-free summary · safe to read

What Is Solace About? (No Spoilers)

The plot of Solace (2016) without spoilers: what it is about, who it follows and where it takes place, told without the twists or the ending. Enough to decide whether it is your next watch, not enough to ruin it.

In the shadowed corridors of a restless city, Joe Merriwether leads an FBI unit that is drawn into a baffling pattern of violent incidents that defy ordinary logic. To break the stalemate, he turns to a former colleague whose reputation rests on an unsettling gift—he can glimpse possible futures with a single touch. This gifted yet reclusive figure has retreated from the world after a personal tragedy that left his extraordinary abilities dormant and his spirit broken.

When John Clancy finally agrees to lend his insight, he is paired with Katherine Cowles, a sharp‑minded criminal psychologist whose skepticism masks a deeper curiosity about the limits of the human mind. The trio forms an uneasy alliance: the seasoned agent brings procedural rigor, the psychologist offers analytical rigor, and the withdrawn seer provides flashes of intuition that feel both haunting and hopeful. Their interactions are charged with tension, as each grapples with their own ghosts while probing the mystery that slides just out of reach.

The film builds a mood of quiet dread and fragile hope, weaving together procedural thriller beats with a haunting, almost lyrical exploration of loss and redemption. As the investigation deepens, the fragile balance between rational deduction and uncanny perception becomes the story’s pulse, inviting viewers to wonder how far one will go to confront the unknown and what sacrifices are required when the line between seeing the future and being consumed by it begins to blur.

Last updated: October 05, 2025 at 16:54

Was this helpful?

What to expect

Is Solace Worth Watching? What It Feels Like

Is it dark, sad, slow, intense or confusing? The mood of Solace (2016) in a few tags, without a word about how it ends. Each tag opens a list of movies that feel the same.

After you watch

Seen Solace? Now Read the Spoilers

Once you have watched Solace (2016), come back for the full story: the plot summary with spoilers, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning.

Movie threads

More Movies Like Solace, by Mood & Story

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

Psychic Crime Thrillers like Solace

Gifted investigators use supernatural insight to track killers, at great personal cost. For viewers looking for movies like Solace, this section features thrillers where psychic investigators use their gifts to hunt killers. These stories blend police procedure with supernatural elements, creating a tense and often melancholic atmosphere as the heroes grapple with the burden of their visions.

  • psychic
  • suspenseful
  • hunted
  • foreboding
  • morally conflicted
  • intuitive
  • Tone: dark, tense, melancholic
  • Pacing: steady, investigative
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories typically follow a gifted but troubled protagonist—a psychic, empath, or hyper-intuitive individual—who is enlisted to help solve a series of crimes. Their unique perspective becomes crucial, but also puts them in direct psychological conflict with the antagonist, leading to high-stakes confrontations that force them to face their own past traumas.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped together because they share a core premise of supernatural or enhanced investigation, a consistently dark and tense tone, and a focus on the emotional and psychological weight carried by the protagonist. The blend of crime mystery with psychic elements creates a distinct subgenre of thriller.

Moral Philosophy Thrillers like Solace

Hunters and prey are bound by a shared, troubling philosophy. If you liked the ethical dilemmas in Solace, explore these movies where cat-and-mouse chases are deepened by philosophical conflict. These thrillers pit heroes against cunning antagonists whose motives challenge conventional morality, leading to heavy themes and bittersweet resolutions.

  • morally conflicted
  • tense
  • philosophical
  • heavy
  • thought-provoking
  • cat-and-mouse
  • Tone: dark, morally complex, heavy
  • Pacing: steady, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a detective or investigator pursuing a killer who operates on a twisted but internally consistent moral code, such as mercy killing or vigilante justice. This forces the hero to question their own beliefs and actions, often revealing a personal connection or parallel to the antagonist's philosophy, which elevates the conflict beyond a simple good vs. evil dynamic.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their focus on moral ambiguity within a thriller framework. They share a high emotional weight, a dark tone, and a plot that engages with complex philosophical questions about life, death, and justice, making the climax as much an ideological resolution as a physical one.

If you liked this

Movies Like Solace

Similar movies to Solace: 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

Solace (2016) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Solace 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.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app