The Righteous

Frederic Mason, a former priest, desperately prays for swift penance as he and his wife Ethel mourn their young daughter Joanie. Graham, his former colleague, suggests that Joanie’s death might be God’s way of calling him back to the church, but Frederic insists God took Joanie away. The scene establishes his isolation and his resolve to retreat to their countryside home.

Doris, Joanie’s birth mother, visits Frederic and Ethel. Ethel confirms she never told Joanie about Doris’s role, exposing a hidden family connection. The visit deepens the sense of guilt and secrecy surrounding Joanie’s death.

A young man emerges from the woods with a sprained foot and asks for help. Frederic and Ethel, though wary, allow him to stay the night. He introduces himself as Aaron Smith and offers nothing credible beyond his name.

Over tea, Aaron shares a rambling tale about abusive adoptive parents and claims to have been possessed as a child. He collapses shortly after, prompting concern from Frederic and Ethel. He also reveals he suffers from periodic mental lapses.

The next day, Aaron asks Frederic to kill him, and then asserts that he is Frederic’s penance. Aaron explains that while Frederic prayed, Aaron became possessed to run Joanie down with his car. He also reveals that Frederic is his biological father and recounts a hidden crime from Frederic’s past parish life, including the rape of a woman who died in childbirth.

Frederic refuses to believe Aaron, and when Aaron touches a flower, it wilts instantly, signaling a supernatural consequence of his possession. The moment deepens Frederic's inner conflict and fear. The atmosphere grows increasingly ominous as truths emerge.

In the morning, Frederic sees Graham at the church and confesses that he fears he must commit another sin to atone for the first. Graham counsels him that sin does not cancel out sin, and he urges Frederic to discern what is real from what conscience has created. The conversation emphasizes the difference between guilt and truth.

That night, Aaron again urges Frederic to kill him, but Frederic remains resolute, warning that murder by a man of God would spell doom for all humanity. The moral tension escalates as Aaron presses for an irreversible act. Frederic's struggle with conscience intensifies.

Doris arrives seeking a blessing, haunted by Joanie's death. Aaron attacks, threatening to kill Doris unless Frederic agrees to kill him. The home becomes the stage for a deadly ultimatum and a fraying edge between mercy and violence.

Frederic refuses to cooperate with Aaron and calls the police, but Aaron throws Doris against the wall to her death with a breath. Ethel is simultaneously driven into bronchitis by Aaron’s malevolence. The couple’s world collapses into chaos.

Frederic finally stabs Aaron, who dies in his arms. Ethel begins to recover from the bronchitis, and the immediate danger seems to pass. The act marks a grim turning point as consequences crystallize.

Frederic goes outside as a police officer arrives, overwhelmed by the night’s events. He breaks down when he sees four balls of fire descending from the sky toward him, signaling an apocalyptic sense of judgment and closure. The film closes on a haunting, supernatural note.