The Tutor (2023) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Ethan was specifically requested by a wealthy employer through his agency, who offered an extraordinarily high daily rate of $2,500. The condition required him to live on the premises of the secluded estate. While the exact reason isn't explicitly stated early on, it becomes clear this targeted recruitment was part of a larger scheme involving Jackson's obsession and the family's connection to previous events.

Foreshadowing: The employer's insistence on Ethan specifically, despite the unusual living requirement, hints that this was not a typical tutoring assignment.

• ethan
• hired
• tutoring job
• specific request
• wealthy employer
• $2500

Jackson's obsession stems from his troubled family history. His mother abandoned the family, and he develops a deep fear of abandonment tied to this trauma. When he learns about Ethan's unborn child, he becomes fixated on the idea of having a father figure. Additionally, Rachel Platt's suicide (connected to his family) has left him deeply disturbed, causing him to form an unhealthy attachment to Ethan as a surrogate paternal figure.

Foreshadowing: Jackson's unsettling questions about Ethan's unborn baby and his refusal to discuss his own father reveal his desperate need for paternal connection.

• jackson
• obsession
• ethan
• father figure
• abandonment
• trauma
• mother

Jackson orchestrates a trap by leaving strawberries for Ethan, who is allergic. The strawberries are drugged, causing Ethan to wake up disoriented near a lake with no memory of what happened. This incident is used by Jackson's family to frame Ethan for misconduct, leading to his arrest and termination from the tutoring agency.

Foreshadowing: Earlier hints of Jackson's manipulative behavior and his knowledge of Ethan's personal life foreshadow this calculated attack.

• jackson
• strawberries
• drugged
• ethan
• trap
• frame
• allergy

Rachel Platt died by suicide, not drowning as initially suggested. She was married to Jefferson Platt, who owns the estate where Jackson lives. Her death deeply affected Jackson, who feared the same fate would befall his mother. Ethan reveals this truth to Annie, connecting Rachel's suicide to Jackson's instability and family history of mental illness.

Foreshadowing: Jackson's intense fear of his mother leaving and his fixation on Rachel's wellbeing hint at a deeper, tragic connection.

• rachel platte
• suicide
• drowning
• jefferson platte
• death
• jackson
• family

Rachel's diary reveals the disturbing truth about Ethan's character, describing him as manipulative and insidious. This revelation triggers Jackson's violent meltdown, causing him to kill Gavin and turn on Ethan. The diary suggests Ethan had previously targeted vulnerable wealthy families, revealing his true intentions behind taking the tutoring job.

Foreshadowing: Ethan's specific recruitment, his secrecy about his past, and his calculated behavior throughout the film hint at a darker purpose beneath his professional exterior.

• rachel diary
• revelation
• ethan manipulation
• truth
• jackson
• meltdown
• diary entry

The film ends with Ethan being shot by Jackson and drowning in the boatyard, with authorities failing to recover his body. However, the ending strongly implies Ethan may have survived, as it suggests he later resurfaces and continues tutoring other wealthy families, continuing his pattern of targeting affluent households.

Foreshadowing: The repeated emphasis on Ethan's careful planning and the mysterious nature of his disappearance foreshadow his potential survival.

• ethan survives
• ending
• death
• body
• recovered
• tutoring
• returns

After reading Rachel's diary and learning about Ethan's alleged manipulative nature, Jackson experiences a complete mental breakdown. In his delusional state, he attacks Gavin (who may have been working with Ethan or betraying him) before turning the violence toward Ethan. The diary revelation about Ethan's supposed insidious intentions triggers Jackson's psychotic episode.

Foreshadowing: Gavin's ambiguous loyalty and his involvement in various schemes throughout the film suggest he becomes a victim of Jackson's distorted reality.

• jackson kills gavin
• diary
• breakdown
• violence
• betrayal
• ethan

Annie begins to sympathize with Jackson after learning about his mother's abandonment and the traumatic effect it has had on him. She believes Jackson's behavior stems from genuine emotional pain rather than malicious intent. This sympathy complicates Ethan's relationship with Annie and creates tension as she questions whether Ethan's concerns about Jackson are justified.

Foreshadowing: Jackson's personal revelations about his broken family life create sympathy, making his later violent actions more shocking.

• annie
• sympathize
• jackson
• mother
• abandonment
• trauma
• relationship
• ethan

Ethan sneaks into the Platt villa (owned by Jefferson Platt, Rachel's husband) to find evidence that would prove Jackson drugged him with the strawberries. He hopes this evidence will clear his name after being framed for misconduct and arrested. The strawberries become the key piece of evidence linking Jackson to the drugging incident as police close in.

Foreshadowing: Ethan returns to the scene of the crime, driven by desperation to rebuild his reputation and expose Jackson's treachery.

• villa
• evidence
• strawberries
• jefferson platte
• search
• police
• frame
• drugging

Ethan keeps his pregnancy secret from his father because of his father's racist views, which would complicate his relationship with his girlfriend Annie and their unborn child. This secret adds to Ethan's personal stress throughout the film, creating additional tension in his life outside the tutoring assignment.

Foreshadowing: Ethan's reluctance to discuss his personal life with Jackson contrasts with his own hidden personal truths.

• ethan
• pregnancy
• secret
• father
• racist
• annie
• unborn child

Jackson kills Ethan after his mental breakdown triggered by Rachel's diary, which portrays Ethan as a manipulative predator targeting wealthy families. In his psychotic state, Jackson believes he's protecting himself and others from Ethan. He shoots Ethan during the confrontation at the boatyard, causing him to drown, the final violent act stemming from Jackson's fractured reality.

Foreshadowing: The entire narrative arc builds toward this confrontation, with Jackson's obsession and fragile mental state leading inevitably to violence.

• jackson kills ethan
• shooting
• drowning
• boatyard
• final confrontation
• diary revelation