The Wait

A wildfire closes in on a rural central Oregon community as their mother dies in her house after a protracted illness. The family mourns as smoke thickens in the air and the threat of destruction looms. The tragedy sets a tense tone for what follows.

Moments after the death, Emma receives a bizarre phone call from a woman claiming that their mother will be resurrected if the body remains in the home. Angela dismisses the call at first, but Emma presses to wait before calling authorities. The idea plants a dangerous fixation in the sisters' minds.

Emma covers the mother's body with a sheet and closes the windows in an effort to keep the soul from escaping. Angela remains skeptical but goes along, torn between reason and Emma's insistence. The sisters seal themselves off, waiting for a miracle.

Ian flees the house on his skateboard and goes to Sam's place. There, he and Sam smoke marijuana and talk briefly, with Ian seeking reconciliation over a past rebuffed encounter. Sam refuses to acknowledge the incident, and Ian leaves angrily.

Emma discovers Angela secretly called the coroner to remove the body, triggering a heated confrontation. The coroner arrives, prompting Emma to lie and say that their mother is not dead and that the call was a mistake. The family fractures further as the plan to delay removal collapses.

The next day, Angela meets Ben at the grocery store and later asks him to stargaze that night. The budding connection offers a counterpoint to the sisters' obsessions with resurrection. They set expectations for a night under the sky.

Emma becomes more engrossed in superstitions meant to bring back her mother, including planting marigolds in a cave and performing dances. She also decorates the home with balloons and streamers to welcome the looming revival. Her behavior grows increasingly unmoored from reality.

Angela and Ben go stargazing hoping to catch a glimpse of Mars, but wildfire smoke and ash obscure the sky. They return to Angela's home and drink beer while talking, touching on their fledgling relationship. The night reinforces how the fire disrupts both nature and relationships.

The next morning, Emma and Karen go into town to get haircuts and manicures in preparation for a party they plan to hold for their resurrected mother. Emma notices a puppies listing and buys the runt as a gift for her deceased mother. The small purchases symbolize a desire to fabricate normalcy.

Angela and Ben share a picnic, then go on another date that evening, culminating in a sexual encounter. The relationship provides a human counterpoint to the sisters' shared obsession with their mother. The pair tries to connect despite the chaos around them.

The next morning, Emma's husband Henry arrives, and the two go boating on the lake. Emma continues to conceal that their mother has died, maintaining the ruse for her husband and preserving the fragile illusion of life. The morning trip underscores how the lie bleeds into normal family life.

The following morning, Emma finds a viral video featuring the audio of the prank call, realizing that the caller's prophecy was a prank. The realization shatters her fragile resolve and deepens the sense of unease. The truth unsettles the family further as they approach the morning's events.

Simultaneously, Angela witnesses an apparition of their mother in the window outside their home and falls ill, vomiting from the shock. The encounter confirms that something supernatural is taking hold in their lives. The family begins to fracture under both the psychological and spiritual pressure.

Later that day, Ian watches smoke from a fire in a cave as Emma is visited by her mother, who knocks at the front door. The sequence links the literal fire with the figurative return of the mother in Emma's mind. It hints at an impending culmination as the boundary between life and death continues to blur.