The Banishment

The Banishment

Year: 2018

Runtime: 157 min

Language: Russian

Director: Andrei Zvyagintsev

Echo Score: 73
Drama

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.

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Timeline – The Banishment (2018)

Trace every key event in The Banishment (2018) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Mark Seeks Help

In the gripping opening of the film, Mark arrives at Alex's home seeking urgent help. He has a bullet wound in his arm and fears going to the hospital due to his criminal background and the potential police scrutiny that may follow.

Alex's home
2

Nostalgic Trip

While Mark recuperates, he, along with his partner Vera and their two children, embark on a nostalgic trip to Alex's childhood home in the countryside. This trip brings a temporary sense of peace and tranquility to their troubled lives.

Countryside
3

Vera's Bombshell

During their stay, Vera reveals a life-altering secret: she is pregnant, but the child is not Alex's. This shocking revelation creates a rift between Vera and Alex, challenging their already strained relationship.

Childhood home
4

Alex's Inner Turmoil

As tension mounts, Alex feels lost and turns to his brother Mark for counsel. On the way to meet him, Alex's son Kir inadvertently reveals troubling information about their friend Robert's visits to their home while Alex was away.

Train station
5

The True Father Revealed

Alex comes to the painful realization that Robert is likely the true father of Vera's unborn child. This revelation deepens the emotional upheaval within the family and strains his relationship with Vera even further.

6

Desperate Measures

In a moment of desperation, Alex starts pressuring Vera to have an abortion, believing it to be the only way to save their crumbling marriage. He insists that only a discreet procedure at their home will prevent scandal.

Home
7

Coercion for a Solution

With their children occupied elsewhere, Alex coerces Mark into using his underworld connections to arrange for a doctor to perform the abortion. This decision marks a crucial and tragic turning point in their lives.

8

Tragic Loss

After the abortion, Vera succumbs to her despair and takes her own life by overdosing on pain medication. Her tragic decision sends shockwaves through Alex and Mark, forever altering their lives.

Home
9

Funeral Arrangements

In the midst of their grief, Alex and Mark are left to hastily arrange Vera's funeral while dealing with the growing rumors that circulate in the countryside following her untimely death.

10

Mark's Heart Attack

While navigating his grief, Mark suffers a severe heart attack but refuses to miss Vera's funeral. Tragically, he passes away shortly after returning home, compounding the family's loss and suffering.

Home
11

Alex's Revenge

Left alone and consumed by grief, Alex decides to confront Robert, driven by a desire for revenge. This plan sets him on a dangerous path that could lead to further tragedy.

Outside Robert's house
12

Confrontation with Robert

While waiting outside Robert's house to enact his revenge, Alex is inadvertently invited inside by Robert. This unexpected invitation forces Alex to confront his emotions and the chaotic situation.

Robert's house
13

Revelation from the Past

As Alex reaches for the gun stowed away in his glove box, he discovers an envelope containing the results of Vera's pregnancy test along with a letter she wrote. These items reveal deeper truths about Vera's struggles.

14

Vera's Flashback

In a poignant flashback, Vera's turbulent emotional state is unveiled. It is revealed that she had previously attempted suicide and later confided in Robert about her pregnancy fears, showcasing her feelings of isolation.

15

Emotional Disconnect

The flashback reveals that Vera felt increasingly distant from Alex, expressing that their relationship lacked emotional connection. This disconnect ultimately contributed to the tragic events that followed her pregnancy revelation.

Last Updated: November 08, 2024 at 16:36

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

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.

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Narrative Summary

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 These Movies?

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.

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Narrative Summary

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 These Movies?

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.

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The Banishment Summary

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Characters, Settings & Themes in The Banishment

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Characters, Settings & Themes in The Banishment

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