The Rapture

Sharon leads a sexually liberated life in Los Angeles, moving through casual encounters with little spiritual concern. She encounters an unnamed Christian sect that claims the Rapture is imminent based on the members' recurring dreams. The meeting plants seeds of a radical faith that will soon steer her choices.

She embraces the sect's teachings and undergoes a conversion, adopting a devout, disciplined routine. Sharon becomes a born-again Christian, shaping her daily life around prayer and moral obligation. The shift redefines her relationships and sets the course for her family life.

Sharon marries Randy and they start a family, welcoming a daughter named Mary. Outwardly, she appears to lead a wholesome, faith-led life as a wife and mother. The domestic stability stands in contrast to the looming belief in an imminent apocalyptic event.

Randy is killed in a senseless murder, leaving Sharon devastated and questioning the benevolence of God. Grief fractures her certainty in divine benevolence and pushes her toward a harsher interpretation of faith. The tragedy intensifies her conviction that the end is near.

Sharon believes God has called her to the desert to wait for the Rapture. She insists that Mary must come with her, rather than be cared for by friends, and they set off toward the barren landscape. The move signals a break from ordinary life and the beginning of a perilous, isolated vigil.

Foster, a police officer, grows concerned for their welfare as they increasingly rely on stealing food to survive. He urges Sharon to reconsider their path, but she remains convinced that the end is near. Tension mounts between his practical care and her faith-driven denial of danger.

Under Mary's urging to hasten their ascent, Sharon shoots Mary in a desperate act. She cannot bring herself to end her own life, fearing condemnation for suicide. The act shatters their fragile expedition and leads to her arrest.

Sharon confesses to Foster, revealing the murder and the religious justification behind it. He becomes an unwilling witness to her guilt as she accepts responsibility. She is jailed for the crime, marking a turning point in her moral and spiritual crisis.

A night apparition of Mary appears, accompanied by two angels, signaling a miraculous omen. Soon after, a trumpet blast rings out worldwide, marking the start of the Rapture. The personal tragedy becomes part of a universal, cosmic moment.

Following the Rapture, Sharon and Foster drive into the desert and are swept away to a purgatory-like landscape. The transition strips away ordinary life and places them in an eerie, liminal realm. Their faith is tested as they confront a new kind of salvation question.

In the purgatory-like realm, Foster experiences a turning point: he accepts God and is granted entrance to Heaven. This change contrasts with Sharon's unresolved anger toward God. The moment reframes his life’s arc and offers a glimmer of reconciliation.

Mary pleads with Sharon to accept God so she can join her and Randy in Heaven, appealing to a mother who once said no. Sharon refuses, clinging to her resentment instead of faith. The plea underscores the final rift between mother and daughter.

Sharon chooses to remain alone in the purgatory-like landscape for eternity, rejecting a chance to reunite with Mary and Randy in Heaven. The ending emphasizes the cost of faith misapplied and the isolation that follows vengeance. Her fate contrasts with Foster’s salvation and Mary’s continued hope.