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Plot Summary

The Automatic Hate (2016) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2016 · 97 min · English
JustWatch #29,571 3
Directed by
Justin Lerner

When his mysterious cousin Alexis arrives, Davis Green's life is upended, revealing hidden secrets from his family’s history. Defying his father's cautions, he travels to rural New York, where he finds himself entangled in a web of unspoken desires and deeply rooted family conflicts. Davis must confront a painful truth that risks tearing his family apart and reshaping his understanding of his own past.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like The Automatic Hate
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch The Automatic Hate (2016)

Where can you watch The Automatic Hate? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Fawesome, Hoopla and Kanopy: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in The Automatic Hate: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of The Automatic Hate (2016) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

In the midst of a tumultuous relationship with Cassie, Boston chef Davis Green finds his world turned upside down when a mysterious woman unexpectedly follows him home from the bar. This enigmatic figure introduces herself as Alexis Green, claiming to be his cousin—a revelation that sends shockwaves through Davis' understanding of his family tree. This encounter leaves Davis feeling increasingly uneasy and uncertain, especially after Cassie witnesses their conversation and insists that Alexis leave.

In search of solace, Davis immerses himself in the world of behavioral psychology, attending a lecture by his father, Ronald Green, where he grapples with the age-old debate of nature versus nurture. However, his efforts to connect with his parents are met with resistance. Ronald dismissively declines Davis's offer to cook for them, prompting him to delve into his father's belongings, where he discovers a photograph hinting at the existence of a long-lost sibling.

Driven by curiosity, Davis decides to investigate further and follows Alexis's cryptic clues to upstate New York. There, he meets her two sisters, who greet him with a blend of warmth and caution. As they explore their shared family history, Davis learns of the complicated relationships each sister has had with a local man, characterized by a prominent braided beard, which leads to a tense confrontation.

As tensions simmer, Davis becomes more entwined in Alexis's life, staying the night and finding comfort in her presence. However, when Aunt Josh reveals knowledge of the family's secrets, Davis is forced to confront the truth about his own identity. Amidst a whirlwind of emotions, he asks Alexis to take him into town, embarking on a journey that challenges everything he believed about himself and his role in the family.

During a heart-to-heart, Alexis confronts Davis about the true nature of his departure, probing him with insightful questions that hint at a mutual attraction. Taken aback, Davis reveals that Cassie's recent confession of terminating their pregnancy has thrown him into turmoil. While acknowledging the undeniable chemistry with Alexis, he insists it isn't the cause of his leaving. Nevertheless, Alexis's persistence leads Davis to explore the mysterious hunting lodge, showcasing their mutual curiosity.

As they uncover family secrets, the bond between Davis and Alexis deepens as they stumble upon 16mm footage of their fathers with a young woman, eliciting mutual attraction. The moment is interrupted by Cassie's arrival in New York with heartbreaking news: Davis's grandfather has passed away.

In the aftermath, the trio gathers in Boston for a funeral fraught with emotional tension. Alexis and Cassie engage in power struggles, each vying for Davis's attention. However, when Alexis tempts him with the thrill of secrecy, it triggers Davis's anger, leading to a harsh confrontation.

A tense dinner follows, with everyone struggling to find common ground amidst their simmering conflicts. As they gather around the meal Davis has prepared, familial animosities momentarily fade as the men are encouraged to share a plate. But when Alexis reveals a bracelet discovered at her father's lodge, it ignites another explosive confrontation, resulting in a brutal fistfight between Josh and Ronald.

After this clash, Davis seizes the moment to establish his dominance by punching Alexis, leaving her humiliated. Cassie exits Boston silently, leaving Davis, Josh, and Alexis to confront the aftermath of their revelations.

In the days that follow, Davis is pulled into Josh's cycle of grief as they work together to lay their grandfather to rest. During their task, Josh discloses the tragic details of Rebecca, their sister who died under a shroud of guilt, further deepening the rift between the brothers as each blames the other for her death.

Ronald’s scathing evaluation of Josh's family as "mentally ill" resonates with Davis, fostering a growing revulsion towards them. Yet, in a moment of clarity alone with Alexis, he reveals his feelings with a tender kiss before urging her to leave.

Meanwhile, Cassie patiently listens as Davis admits his feelings for her, accepting him back into their relationship without condition. As this turbulent narrative unfolds, Davis is left to ponder the complexities of loyalty and love, along with the devastating consequences that emerge when one dares to uncover deeply buried truths.

Last updated: November 17, 2024 at 21:56

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Plot questions answered

The Automatic Hate Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about The Automatic Hate (2016): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why does Alexis follow Davis home and claim to be his cousin?

Alexis reveals herself as Davis's cousin after tracking him down, claiming she found him through a mutual family connection. Her arrival shocks Davis because he had no knowledge of her existence, which stems from a hidden family secret involving his father's brother Josh and a woman outside their immediate family.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Davis discovers a photograph in his father's belongings hinting at a lost sibling, which prompts his curiosity to investigate further.

  • alexis green
  • cousin
  • family secret
  • davis green
Q2

Why does Ronald keep Alexis and her family hidden from Davis?

Ronald deliberately avoids discussing his brother Josh's family, refusing Davis's offer to cook for them and dismissing any connection to them. The tension stems from a deep rift between the brothers, rooted in the tragic death of their sister Rebecca, for whom each brother blames the other.

Foreshadowing: Davis discovers the photograph suggesting a lost sibling, which first hints at the hidden family branch.

  • ronald green
  • josh
  • family secrets
  • brotherly conflict
Q3

What happened to Rebecca and why do the brothers blame each other?

Rebecca was Davis and Josh's sister who died under tragic circumstances. During the funeral preparations, Josh reveals to Davis that Rebecca died and that each brother holds the other responsible for her death, creating a devastating rift between them.

Foreshadowing: The tension between Josh and Ronald is evident from their explosive fistfight during the dinner confrontation.

  • rebecca
  • sister death
  • josh
  • ronald
  • blame
Q4

Why does Davis punch Alexis after the dinner confrontation?

Davis punches Alexis in a moment of heightened emotional chaos after the bracelet revelation triggers a brutal fistfight between Josh and Ronald. This outburst appears to be Davis's way of exerting dominance and releasing overwhelming tension, though it leaves Alexis humiliated and represents a significant turning point in their relationship.

Foreshadowing: The tension has been building throughout the family gatherings, with Alexis tempting Davis with secrecy and power struggles intensifying.

  • davis
  • alexis
  • violence
  • outburst
  • humiliation
Q5

What is the 16mm footage that Davis and Alexis discover?

While exploring the hunting lodge, Davis and Alexis find 16mm footage showing their fathers, Ronald and Josh, with a young woman. This discovery connects to the family secrets and hints at the complicated relationships that led to the hidden family branch.

Foreshadowing: Earlier clues about the lost sibling and cryptic references to family secrets build toward this revelation.

  • 16mm footage
  • hunting lodge
  • ronald
  • josh
  • family secrets
Q6

Why does Davis leave Alexis after kissing her?

After sharing a tender kiss with Alexis, Davis urges her to leave. This moment of intimacy is complicated by the taboo nature of their attraction as cousins, the ongoing chaos with Cassie, and Davis's internal conflict about loyalty and family boundaries.

Foreshadowing: Alexis earlier questions Davis about his true reasons for leaving Cassie, hinting at their mutual attraction.

  • davis
  • alexis
  • kiss
  • departure
  • conflicted feelings
Q7

Why does Cassie terminate her pregnancy and how does it affect Davis?

Cassie confesses to Davis that she terminated their pregnancy, throwing him into emotional turmoil. This revelation occurs during a heart-to-heart with Alexis, where Davis admits the pregnancy termination has deeply affected him, contributing to his instability throughout the story.

Foreshadowing: Davis's emotional state is already fragile from the family revelations, making this personal loss even more devastating.

  • cassie
  • pregnancy
  • termination
  • davis
  • emotional turmoil
Q8

Why do Josh and Ronald have a brutal fistfight at dinner?

The fistfight erupts when Alexis reveals a bracelet she discovered at her father's lodge. This triggers explosive tensions between the brothers, bringing years of accumulated resentment, blame over Rebecca's death, and family secrets to the surface in a violent confrontation.

Foreshadowing: Tensions have been simmering throughout the family gatherings in Boston, with the brothers maintaining cold civility.

  • josh
  • ronald
  • fistfight
  • bracelet
  • family conflict
Q9

Why does Davis reconcile with Cassie after everything?

Davis ultimately reconciles with Cassie despite his complicated feelings for Alexis. Cassie accepts him back without condition, offering stability and loyalty. Davis chooses this relationship as a return to normalcy after the emotional chaos of discovering his family's buried truths.

Foreshadowing: Throughout the story, Cassie represents safety and normalcy, while Alexis represents dangerous truth-seeking.

  • davis
  • cassie
  • reconciliation
  • loyalty
  • stability
Q10

What secret does Aunt Josh reveal about the family?

Aunt Josh reveals knowledge of the family's buried secrets when Davis is staying with them, forcing Davis to confront truths about his own identity and the hidden branch of his family tree involving his father Ronald and his brother Josh.

Foreshadowing: Alexis has been gradually revealing clues about their shared family history throughout Davis's visit.

  • aunt josh
  • family secret
  • revelation
  • identity
Q11

Why do Alexis and Cassie compete for Davis's attention?

After the grandfather's funeral in Boston, both Alexis and Cassie engage in power struggles, each vying for Davis's attention. Alexis tempts Davis with the thrill of secrecy and taboo attraction, while Cassie represents his established life and loyalty.

Foreshadowing: Alexis's earlier heart-to-heart with Davis hints at their mutual attraction that complicates the dynamic.

  • alexis
  • cassie
  • competition
  • davis
  • attention
Q12

Why does the grandfather's death bring everyone together?

The grandfather's death forces the fractured family to gather in Boston for the funeral, bringing together Davis, Alexis, Cassie, Josh, and Ronald. This gathering becomes the catalyst for the most intense confrontations and revelations, including the bracelet discovery and fistfight.

Foreshadowing: Cassie arrives in New York with the news, interrupting the intimate moment between Davis and Alexis.

  • grandfather
  • death
  • funeral
  • family gathering
  • boston

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Automatic Hate, by Mood & Story

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

Movies about taboo family secrets like The Automatic Hate

Stories where buried family histories resurface with dangerous and confusing consequences. If you liked the tense uncovering of family secrets and forbidden attraction in The Automatic Hate, these movies explore similar themes. Discover other dramatic stories where buried histories, identity crises, and uncomfortable desires come to light, challenging family bonds and personal understanding.

  • uncomfortable
  • tense
  • confrontational
  • melancholic
  • claustrophobic
  • forbidden attraction
  • Tone: tense, uneasy, melancholic
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows a protagonist discovering a hidden branch of their family or a shocking secret that recontextualizes their past. This discovery often triggers a journey, both physical and emotional, leading to confrontations with older generations and encounters with forbidden or complicated attractions. The journey is less about action and more about emotional reckoning and moral ambiguity.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped together because they share a core focus on the explosive nature of family secrets, particularly those involving taboo desires or blurred family lines. They create a specific, uncomfortable mood of tense discovery and share a heavy emotional weight as characters grapple with the collapse of their understood reality.

Movies with bittersweet revelations like The Automatic Hate

Character journeys where the truth is uncovered, but healing comes at a cost. For viewers who appreciated the emotionally heavy and bittersweet ending of The Automatic Hate, this list features similar films. These stories follow characters confronting difficult truths that reshape their world, leading to conclusions that are neither fully happy nor sad, but complex and resonant.

  • bittersweet
  • melancholic
  • heavy
  • reflective
  • emotional
  • unraveling
  • Tone: bittersweet, melancholic, tense
  • Pacing: steady, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The story arc involves a quest for truth that is ultimately successful, but the knowledge gained forces difficult choices and personal sacrifices. The ending seldom provides a clean, happy resolution; instead, it offers a fragile new equilibrium. Characters are left somewhat wiser but also scarred, having traded innocence for a more burdensome understanding.

Why they belong together: These movies are united by their specific emotional payoff: a bittersweet ending that follows a heavy dramatic journey. They share a moderate-to-high complexity in character relationships and a steady pacing that allows the emotional weight to build. The primary connection is the shared feeling of having faced the truth, with all its devastating and liberating consequences.

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Every angle

The Automatic Hate (2016) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Automatic Hate 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.

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