Stephanie (2017) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The story unfolds primarily in a quiet suburban house, centered around an eerie attic and a yard where Paul's grave is dug. This domestic setting becomes increasingly unstable as Stephanie's telekinetic powers manifest, and the threat eventually spreads beyond the home to the surrounding neighborhood and the world at large.

• suburban home
• attic
• neighborhood
• setting

The events take place in the present day, as evidenced by news broadcasts and references to contemporary pop culture. The setting juxtaposes ordinary domestic life, parents, a child, and a home, with an extraordinary supernatural power that disrupts everyday reality.

• present day
• modern era
• contemporary

Telekinetic ability drives the plot, fundamentally reshaping family dynamics and triggering escalating violence. Stephanie's gifts oscillate between wonder and danger, isolating her from those around her. The narrative explores how power can corrupt relationships and unleash uncontrollable consequences.

• telekinesis
• power
• family dynamics
• danger

The parents' fear, control, and misguided attempts to 'solve' Stephanie reveal the transmission of trauma within the household. Past wounds surface under pressure and influence choices that escalate the danger. Characters grapple with guilt, blame, and an uncertain future.

• trauma
• guilt
• family
• parents
• fear

The danger scales from a single home to a global crisis as other murderous telekinetic children emerge worldwide. The world is depicted as fragile, with no cure or safe containment for the powers unleashed. The film implies a bleak, inescapable doom spreading across the planet.

• apocalypse
• global threat
• end of world
• children

Stephanie is a young girl with terrifying telekinetic powers who converses with a toy turtle and is haunted by a shadowy force. Her intellect and volatility drive a chilling arc from whimsy to violence, shaping how she interacts with family and surroundings.

• stephanie
• protagonist
• telekinetic
• girl

Eric is Stephanie's father, a wary protector who keeps a gun and wrestles with how to shield his family, ultimately making a drastic decision to kill Stephanie. Jane is her mother, scarred by past injuries, torn between care and fear during the crisis, and participates in the attempt to neutralize Stephanie's powers.

• eric
• jane
• parents
• father
• mother

Paul is Stephanie's brother, whose teasing provokes a lethal act of telekinetic violence. His presence, both alive and dead, motivates guilt, confrontation, and spirals of fear that echo through the family.

• paul
• brother
• death
• sibling