The Monitor

Anna and her son Anders move into a large flat outside Oslo, seeking safety from her violent ex-husband. They begin to settle into the new home while the threat of the past remains. The relocation sets the stage for the fragile balance Anna tries to maintain between vigilance and normalcy.

Grete and Ole visit to monitor Anders and warn that the ex-husband may pursue a custody case. They discourage letting Anders sleep in Anna's room, heightening Anna's vigilance. The warning deepens her sense of danger and the need for constant oversight.

To keep tabs on Anders, Anna buys a baby monitor and tries to monitor him remotely. The purchase marks a shift toward heightened surveillance at home. The monitor becomes a recurring tool as fear dominates daily life.

At the electronics store, Anna meets Helge, a shy man whose mother is ill. They share their struggles and form a tentative connection. Helge offers understanding, while Anna appreciates someone who respects her determination to protect Anders.

One night the baby monitor emits alarming sounds, including screams. Anna rushes to Anders' room to find him asleep, unsure whether the noises come from his room or elsewhere. Helge explains the monitor can pick up nearby frequencies, suggesting a possible, non-supernatural source.

Anders introduces a boy who claims to be his new friend, but the child is silent and distant around Anna. This raises Anna's suspicions as she notices the boy's odd behavior. The situation feeds her paranoia and fuels worry about her son's world.

Anna discovers Anders has drawn a disturbing picture of a dead body near their apartment. She suspects the mysterious friend has influenced or encouraged dark thoughts. The drawing intensifies her fear that someone is harming Anders.

Anna takes Anders to a nearby lake but ends up in a parking lot instead, driven by confusion and suspicion. She follows a woman she believes is connected to the screaming on the baby monitor. A man drowns the boy who claimed to be Anders' friend; Anna dives in to save him and blacks out.

Anna wakes up in a hospital, shaken and soaked. She goes to retrieve Anders from school but the principal accuses her of child abuse and forbids taking him. Despite the warning, Anna takes Anders home, still determined to protect him.

Back at the flat, Ole returns with news that the ex-husband is coming for Anders. He threatens Anna, prompting her to seek refuge at Helge's workplace. Her plan is to lean on Helge for help, though the tension remains high.

During dinner at Helge's workplace, there is an unsettling moment when a knock is heard and no one is there. Anders' mysterious friend later shows Helge bruises and runs toward Anders' room. Helge tries to follow, but Anna stops him, and Helge leaves in disappointment.

The tension erupts as Ole returns with news that the ex-husband is arriving to take Anders away. In the hallway outside her door, Anna defends Anders by stabbing Ole with a pair of scissors. Helge arrives to find the aftermath and tries to reach Anna.

Helge enters and finds Anna sitting on the windowsill with Anders in her arms. She leans forward and falls to the street below, dying, while Helge rushes downstairs to search for Anders with no sign of him.

Later revelations reveal that the husband killed Anders years earlier and then committed suicide. Helge finds a drawing by Anna depicting a grave near the apartment and discovers a buried body in the forest, possibly the boy who claimed to be Anders' friend.

In the final scene, Helge sits beside Anna's body and recounts the story of a boy and his mother. The film closes with a peaceful image of Anna and Anders walking in the forest and by the water, offering a bittersweet sense of closure.