The Tutor

Ethan is contacted by his agency manager, Chris, who explains that a high-profile employer specifically wants him as a tutor. The offer is staggering: $2,500 per day, but he must remain on the employer’s bungalow premises during the assignment. He accepts the job despite the unusual conditions.

Ethan is picked up by a car and escorted to a quaint, stately mansion. A courteous butler leads him inside where he first meets the stern tutor Jackson. The ride and first impressions set a tense, unsettling tone for what lies ahead.

Ethan observes Jackson's cold demeanor and asks him about his SAT results, only to be met with confusion. Ethan asks for a practice test to gauge Jackson's abilities, and Jackson performs unexpectedly well in the next session. The tension hints at hidden control and manipulation.

Exploring the bungalow, Ethan discovers as many as fifty vintage motorcycles in the garage. He later encounters Gavin and his girlfriend, who appear to be the opposite of Jackson in temperament. The contrast foreshadows the conflicting dynamics within the household.

The next day, Jackson demonstrates flawless command of the test questions, catching Ethan off guard. Ethan suspects the boy might be hiding something, but he keeps pushing for a professional boundary.

During a study session, Jackson refuses to discuss his father and soon shifts to his mother and Ethan's unborn baby. The line between professional tutoring and personal intrusion becomes dangerously blurred.

Gavin's car ride provides a distraction as one of the girls makes a sexual advance toward Ethan. Gavin urges him to take a chance, while Jackson asks Ethan to photograph him and Gavin during a session, and both characters push a $5,000 bribe to end the day.

That night, Jackson enters Ethan's room unannounced and confesses that his previous claim about his mother was a lie. He reveals painful family truths and lowers his defenses by sitting with Ethan, but then abruptly leaves with a taunt that leaves Ethan unsettled.

On the final session day, Jackson requests Ethan stay for dinner with his father, signaling obsessive boundaries. Ethan refuses to blur professional lines, and later discovers his personal photos with Annie on Jackson's laptop, deepening the conflict.

Jackson's demeanor grows more prickly as his father extends Ethan's contract for the entire summer, at triple the rate. After a double date with Annie, Jackson orchestrates a trap, feeding Ethan strawberries that drug him and leaving him to wake in a lake.

Ethan confronts Jackson and Gavin, then is arrested by police on charges related to a prior confrontation, while back at the agency Chris fires him amid complaints from Jackson's family about misconduct and compromising photos.

Annie presses Ethan about Rachel Platt, a woman connected to Jackson's fears, who died by suicide. Ethan reveals that Rachel's death was indeed a suicide and argues that Jackson's instability stems from his mother's madness.

Ethan sneaks into the villa owned by Jefferson Platt, hoping to find evidence of the drugged strawberries. He uncovers a web of wealth and power tied to the case, and the police close in on the situation.

Jackson reads Rachel's diary, which describes Ethan's alleged insidious nature, triggering a meltdown. He kills Gavin and sets out to hunt Jackson, culminating at the villa's boatyard as secrets spill out.

In the ensuing chase, Jackson shoots Ethan and he drowns, though the police fail to recover a body. The aftermath leaves Jackson and Annie traumatized, while it is implied that Ethan survives and later resurfaces as a tutor for other wealthy families, continuing the cycle.