The Good Son

Twelve-year-old Mark Evans has recently experienced the death of his mother, Janice. The loss leaves him reeling as he prepares for a difficult winter ahead. This backstory frames his emotional state at the start of the film.

Before leaving on a business trip to Tokyo, Mark's father, Jack, transports him from Arizona to his Uncle Wallace and Aunt Susan's house in Rock Harbor, Maine. Mark reunites with relatives after a long absence, stepping into a new and uneasy routine. The journey introduces the key setting for the unfolding events.

Mark is reintroduced to his extended family, meeting his cousins Connie and Henry. At first, Henry appears nice and well-mannered, and Mark hopes for an easy adjustment. The renewed family ties hint at both potential camaraderie and danger.

Though charming at first, Henry displays an abnormal fascination with death that unsettles Mark. He uses this unsettling curiosity to intimidate and manipulate those around him. Mark senses there is something deeply wrong beneath Henry's polite exterior.

Henry commits a shocking act by throwing a dummy he calls 'Mr. Highway' off a bridge, triggering a massive vehicle pileup. The incident reveals his dangerous propensity for harm. Mark realizes the threat Henry poses to others.

The narrative notes that Henry plans to kill Connie, marking him as a direct threat to Mark's family. Mark grows wary of Henry's plans and attempts to shield Connie. The danger deepens the rift within the family.

To protect Connie, Mark spends the night in her room, staying vigilant against Henry's machinations. He senses that Henry's danger is not just toward others but toward their own family. The moment heightens the tension and foreshadows worse events.

Henry takes Connie ice skating and, at a pond, deliberately pushes her toward thin ice, causing it to collapse. Connie is rescued but falls into a coma, a devastating consequence of Henry's actions. The event marks Henry's escalation from threats to real harm.

Susan, initially skeptical of Mark's claims, becomes suspicious and interrupts Henry's attempt to suffocate Connie in her hospital bed. She begins to piece together the danger Henry poses. The confrontation signals Susan's growing protective stance toward Mark and Connie.

Susan finds a rubber duck Henry hid in his shed, a relic from his drowned younger brother Richard. The duck's history heightens the mystery around Henry's past. When Susan confronts Henry, he asserts ownership, and a tense tug-of-war ends with him throwing the duck down a well.

As Mark and Susan grow closer, Henry insinuates that he would kill Susan rather than let their relationship continue. His threat underscores the danger he poses and the vulnerability of Susan and Mark's burgeoning bond. This manipulation intensifies the conflict between Henry and the grown-ups.

A confrontation culminates at a cliff where Henry pushes Susan over the edge. Mark intervenes and tackles Henry, while Susan regains her grip on the other two. In a desperate struggle, Susan must choose whom to save, ultimately releasing Henry to his death as the others are pulled to safety.

Susan and Mark pull themselves up after the fall and watch Henry's corpse drift away into the ocean. They survive the peril but are left to process the trauma of Henry's actions and his ultimate demise. The moment marks a brutal end to the deadly threat within the family.

Returning to Arizona, Mark reflects on Susan's choice to save him rather than Henry, pondering whether she would make the same decision again. The ending leaves him with a sense of gratitude and ambiguity about the limits of safety and trust. He resolves that he will never ask Susan to explain her choice.