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Plot Summary

The Banishment (2018) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2018 · 157 min · Russian
Echo score 73
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Directed by
Andrei Zvyagintsev
Starring
Maria Bonnevie, Aleksandr Baluyev, Aleksey Vertkov, Dmitriy Ulyanov, Igor Sergeev, Ira Gonto

A couple seeks respite from city life with a peaceful retreat to the countryside. However, their idyllic getaway soon reveals hidden tensions and long-held secrets within their relationship. As they become increasingly isolated, the boundaries of their reality begin to dissolve, forcing them to confront the complexities of their bond and the universal desire for human connection.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle
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Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in The Banishment: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of The Banishment (2018) 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 gripping opening of the film, Mark finds himself at Alex's home, seeking urgent assistance to extract a bullet from his arm. Fearing the repercussions of his criminal ties and police scrutiny at a hospital, Mark relies on Alex's help. As Mark recuperates, he, along with Vera and their two children, embarks on a nostalgic trip to Alex's idyllic childhood home in the countryside, bringing a sense of calm and tranquility. However, this peace shatters when Vera drops a bombshell—she is pregnant, but the child is not Alex's. This revelation creates a growing rift between the couple, even as they strive to maintain appearances for the sake of their children and visiting friends.

Feeling lost and desperate for guidance, Alex seeks counsel from his brother Mark. On his way to meet Mark at the train station, Alex's son Kir inadvertently reveals something troubling: their young friend Robert had been at their house during one of Alex's work absences. This realization hits Alex hard, leading him to the conclusion that Robert is the true father of Vera's unborn child. Meanwhile, Vera grows increasingly distant from Alex, haunted by the fear that Kir might emulate the criminal paths of Alex and Mark.

Ultimately, in a moment of desperation, Alex pressures Vera into having an abortion, convinced that eliminating this unwanted pregnancy will enable them to salvage their crumbling marriage. With their children safely occupied at a friend's house, he coerces Mark to use his underworld connections to secure a doctor who can perform the procedure discreetly at their home. Tragically, after undergoing the abortion, Vera takes her own life by overdosing on pain medication. In the wake of her death, Alex and Mark hastily manage the funeral arrangements as rumors swirl throughout the countryside.

As they navigate the grieving process, Mark suffers a severe heart attack, yet stubbornly attends Vera's funeral despite the doctor's advice, passing away shortly after their return home. Alone and consumed by grief, Alex returns to the city with revenge in mind, planning to confront Robert. Falling asleep in his car outside Robert’s house, Alex is startled awake by Robert, who invites him inside. In this fateful moment, Alex reaches for the gun stowed away in his glove box, only to stumble upon an envelope revealing the results of Vera's pregnancy test—alongside a letter penned by Vera.

In a poignant flashback, we learn of the turmoil surrounding Vera's tragic circumstances. It is revealed that, days before, she had attempted suicide but was saved by Robert. The subsequent day, she discovered her pregnancy and confided in Robert, sharing her fears about the relationship with Alex, whom she felt distant from. She confesses that despite the pregnancy, it never truly felt like Alex’s baby, reflecting their profound lack of communication and emotional connection.

Last updated: November 08, 2024 at 16:36

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Plot questions answered

The Banishment Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about The Banishment (2018): 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 Vera kill herself after the abortion?

Vera takes her own life because she was already emotionally broken. The flashback reveals she had attempted suicide days before the abortion and was saved by Robert. After the procedure, overwhelmed by guilt, isolation, and her feeling that Alex never truly connected with her, she sees no way out. The abortion itself was coerced by Alex, making it the final betrayal that pushed her over the edge.

  • vera suicide
  • abortion consequences
  • emotional breakdown
  • coerced abortion
Q2

Why does Alex force Vera to have an abortion?

Alex believes removing the unwanted pregnancy will save his marriage. He sees the pregnancy as a threat to his family's stability and his honor. He naively thinks that eliminating the evidence of infidelity, without scandal or public knowledge, will allow them to move forward and restore normalcy to their relationship.

  • alex vera
  • abortion decision
  • marriage crisis
  • desperation
Q3

Who is the father of Vera's unborn child?

Robert, the family's friend, is the biological father. Alex's son Kir inadvertently reveals that Robert visited their home while Alex was away for work. This leads Alex to correctly deduce that Robert is the father, though the confirmation comes too late to change the tragic course of events.

  • robert father
  • vera pregnancy
  • affair
  • kir revelation
Q4

What does Vera's letter to Alex reveal?

The letter, found in the envelope with the pregnancy test results, exposes Vera's emotional state. In it, she confesses that despite the pregnancy, it never truly felt like Alex's baby, a reflection of the profound lack of communication and emotional connection in their marriage. The flashback shows she confided these fears to Robert, not Alex.

  • vera letter
  • emotional disconnect
  • pregnancy test
  • confession
Q5

Why does Mark die after Vera's funeral?

Mark suffers a severe heart attack but refuses to skip Vera's funeral against doctor's orders. He attends anyway, and the physical and emotional strain proves fatal, he dies shortly after returning home. His death adds another layer of tragedy to Alex's already devastating loss.

  • mark death
  • heart attack
  • funeral
  • tragedy
Q6

Why does Alex go to Robert's house for revenge?

Consumed by grief and rage after Vera's suicide and Mark's death, Alex decides to kill Robert as an act of revenge. He believes Robert is responsible for the affair that destroyed his family. However, when Robert invites him inside, Alex discovers Vera's letter and pregnancy test, revealing truths that complicate his simplistic narrative of blame.

  • revenge
  • alex robert
  • confrontation
  • grief
Q7

Why does Vera feel disconnected from Alex?

Vera feels emotionally abandoned by Alex long before the pregnancy revelation. In her letter and flashback conversations with Robert, she expresses that their marriage lacks genuine connection, she never felt Alex truly engaged with her emotionally. This emotional void made her vulnerable to seeking comfort elsewhere.

  • emotional disconnect
  • marriage problems
  • vera alex relationship
Q8

Why does Vera confide in Robert about her pregnancy?

Vera tells Robert because he represents the only emotional support available to her. After discovering her pregnancy and feeling terrified about her relationship with Alex, Robert becomes her confidant. The fact that she reaches out to him instead of her husband highlights just how fractured communication had become between Vera and Alex.

  • robert confide
  • pregnancy fear
  • emotional support
  • isolation
Q9

How does Alex discover Robert is the father?

While traveling to meet Mark at the train station, Alex's young son Kir innocently mentions that their friend Robert was at their house during one of Alex's work absences. This casual remark triggers Alex's realization that Robert had access to Vera while he was away, leading him to conclude that Robert is the unborn child's father.

  • kir reveals
  • robert visits
  • alex realization
  • discovery
Q10

Why does Vera reveal her pregnancy during the countryside trip?

Vera chooses the countryside retreat to finally disclose her secret, likely hoping the peaceful setting would soften the blow. The isolation of the countryside also means fewer people to hide from, and she may have felt trapped by the secret. Her timing suggests she could no longer bear the weight of hiding the truth.

  • pregnancy reveal
  • countryside
  • timing
  • secrets
Q11

What happens to Alex and Vera's children after her death?

The children are with a friend's house during the abortion and are present in the countryside when their mother dies. After the funerals and Mark's subsequent death, Alex returns to the city alone. The children's fate remains uncertain, they are left in the wake of profound family trauma.

  • children
  • family
  • aftermath
  • tragedy

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Banishment, by Mood & Story

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

Dramas about family secrets in rural isolation like The Banishment

Stories where a peaceful rural escape becomes the stage for devastating family revelations. If you were captivated by the way The Banishment uses a countryside retreat to unravel a family's secrets, you'll find similar stories here. These movies feature couples or families whose idyllic escapes are shattered by long-held truths, betrayal, and tragic outcomes, all set against a backdrop of rural isolation.

  • somber
  • tense
  • oppressive
  • grieving
  • atmospheric
  • isolated
  • Tone: dark, melancholic, oppressive
  • Pacing: steady, methodical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern typically involves a family or couple moving to a rural location to escape their past or find peace. The isolation and change of scenery, instead of providing solace, act as a pressure cooker, forcing hidden tensions, infidelities, and trauma to the surface, often culminating in a tragic climax.

Why they belong together: Movies in this thread share a focus on the disintegration of family bonds in isolated settings. They are united by a somber mood, a steady pacing that builds tension, and the central theme of a idyllic facade cracking under the weight of dark secrets, resulting in heavy emotional consequences.

Slow burn dramas about marital strife like The Banishment

Character-driven dramas where a relationship unravels under the weight of unspoken truths. For viewers who appreciated the heavy, methodical exploration of a relationship's end in The Banishment, this collection features similar movies. These are slow burn, character-focused dramas where marital tensions, betrayal, and grief lead to a bleak and heartbreaking conclusion.

  • somber
  • melancholic
  • desperate
  • grieving
  • tense
  • heavy
  • Tone: dark, desperate, melancholic
  • Pacing: steady, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows a central relationship as it deteriorates. Through a steady, often dialogue-heavy pace, the film exposes the fault lines in the partnership. A key revelation or series of secrets acts as a catalyst, pushing the characters toward a point of no return, leaving them in a state of grief and isolation.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their shared commitment to exploring the painful, slow-motion collapse of a relationship. They prioritize emotional realism over plot twists, featuring high emotional weight, a dark tone, and a pacing that allows the audience to feel the accumulating despair alongside the characters.

Every angle

The Banishment (2018) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Banishment 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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