The Butterfly Room

A workman balances on a ladder to trim a tree, but Ann abruptly knocks the ladder away, triggering a chaotic moment in the building. The disturbance draws Nick, the workman’s boss, who rushes out to apologize, unaware of Ann’s precise control over what happens around her. The incident establishes Ann as a figure who can influence the space and the people within it.

Julie, locked out by her unreliable mother Claudia, is invited into Ann's apartment to pass the time until Claudia returns. Ann's quiet hospitality masks a tension beneath the surface as Julie observes the strange sanctuary Ann has created. The moment sets up the uneasy dynamic between the three characters.

Claudia arrives and invites Ann to dinner, as a thank-you for watching over Julie. The workman arrives to repair the ladder damage and mentions he once saw Ann scolding a young girl, which Ann denies. The dinner turns sour when Ann lures the workman into the butterfly room and sprays him with acid, revealing her lethal reach.

The narrative returns to an earlier moment where a young girl is harshly scolded by Ann, hinting at the origins of her obsession. The scene is cut with a sense of menace that foreshadows how she asserts control over others. It establishes the pattern of Ann's punitive, eliminating impulses.

In a mall, Alice explains that money given for a doll was stolen and Ann buys her a new one. The encounter hints at a transactional, possessive bond forming between them. This episode foreshadows the complicated ties that tie Alice to Ann and Dorothy later.

Alice asks for Ann's address and promises to repay her later, but later discards the doll in a trashcan. The act signals Alice's ambivalence toward Ann and the fragility of their exchange. It contributes to the convoluted thread of trust and dependence that threads through the story.

Alice returns a portrait she drew for Ann, who rewards her with a blue butterfly pin. Alice notices a handmade ornament bearing Dorothy’s name and learns that Dorothy is the deceased daughter Ann speaks of. The moment deepens the mystery around Dorothy and anchors it to Ann's past.

In a later visit, Alice returns to see Ann again and the two form a cautious, uneasy bond. Their relationship hints at how trust and control intertwine in Ann’s world. It broadens the network of characters who are drawn into Ann’s orbit.

Back in the present, Ann retrieves a blue-framed butterfly from the rundown building, a symbol of her control over the space that contains a hidden life. She manipulates the elevator, stopping it to reveal a trapdoor beneath, then panics and covers it with a rug, concealing a body. The butterfly room becomes a vault for danger.

Claudia reveals she is pregnant, while Dorothy, Ann’s estranged daughter, warns against Ann’s influence and interference in Julie’s life. The tension escalates as family loyalties collide with Ann’s possessive reach. The revelation adds another layer to the looming threat within the household.

Nick fixates on the fragile wall separating the butterfly room from the rest of the apartment and proposes illegal demolition for money. He moves a dresser to shield the protected space, setting the scene for a potential breach of Ann’s sanctuary. The plan increases the danger surrounding the hidden life.

Ann discovers Olga accompanying Alice and follows them into the bathroom, where she kills Olga. The act reveals the extent of Ann’s capacity for harm and her willingness to erase anyone she sees as a threat or obstacle. The violence heightens the sense of dread in the present timeline.

Dorothy confronts Ann outside her apartment, revealing that she is Ann’s daughter and vowing to protect Julie from Ann's influence. The revelation reframes past events and makes Ann's acts feel personal and intimate. A dramatic confrontation pushes toward a violent confrontation.

Claudia confronts Ann in the butterfly room and Ann lashes out, killing Claudia. The tragedy tightens the net around Julie, who later uncovers more horrors in the butterfly room. The act confirms the killer's presence within Ann's sanctuary and raises the stakes for Julie's safety.

Julie discovers a disfigured man’s corpse and Alice’s corpse in the butterfly room, then calls Dorothy for help. Dorothy confronts Ann and a dramatic chase ends with Dorothy running Ann down with her car. Julie survives and, in the final act, is adopted by Dorothy as the camera lingers on Dorothy’s haunted, quiet resolve.