Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

Thoroughbreds (2018) movie poster

Spoiler-Free Summary

Thoroughbreds (2018) Spoiler-Free Summary – What It's About

Release, runtime and language
2018 · 92 min · English
Echo score 75
JustWatch #3,610 50
Directed by
Cory Finley
Starring
Leah Procito, Anya Taylor-Joy, Anton Yelchin, Chaunty Spillane, Francie Swift, Kaili Vernoff
Budget
$6M

In the wealthy Connecticut suburbs, Lily and Amanda, two teenage friends from very different backgrounds, reconnect and forge a complicated bond. United by a shared rejection of societal expectations, they devise a risky plan against Lily's controlling stepfather. As their scheme unfolds, they confront their darkest desires and explore the destructive nature of ambition in this darkly comedic thriller.

On this page (7)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What it is about
  3. 3 Is it worth watching?
  4. 4 After you watch
  5. 5 Movie threads
  6. 6 Movies like Thoroughbreds
  7. 7 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Thoroughbreds (2018)

Where can you watch Thoroughbreds? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Philo, Starz and Amazon Video: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

Streaming availability powered by JustWatch

Spoiler-free summary · safe to read

What Is Thoroughbreds About? (No Spoilers)

The plot of Thoroughbreds (2018) without spoilers: what it is about, who it follows and where it takes place, told without the twists or the ending. Enough to decide whether it is your next watch, not enough to ruin it.

In the manicured streets of a wealthy Connecticut suburb, two teenage girls drift back into each other's orbit, each carrying the weight of contrasting expectations. Lily lives under the glossy veneer of privilege, yet her world feels tightly controlled by an overbearing stepfather. Across town, Amanda navigates a more chaotic existence, her emotions blunted by a lingering sense of disconnection. Their reunion is charged with a mix of nostalgia and a shared disdain for the paths laid out before them, setting the stage for a partnership that feels both fragile and electric.

The film unfolds with a tone that balances razor‑sharp wit and a creeping unease, inviting the audience to laugh at the absurdities of affluent teenage life while feeling the undercurrents of something darker simmering beneath the surface. As Lily and Amanda plot a daring response to the suffocating control exerted by Mark, the story teases the limits of youthful ambition and the lengths friends will go to reclaim agency. Their alliance is marked by sharp dialogue, dry humor, and a mutual fascination with the idea of rewriting the rules that bind them.

Against a backdrop of pristine homes, private schools, and the perpetual hum of suburban perfection, the narrative probes the destructive potential of desire when it collides with boredom and resentment. The mood oscillates between sleekly styled comedy and unsettling tension, suggesting that the line between innocence and malice can blur in the most unexpected ways. By the film’s end, the audience is left questioning just how far two determined young women will push the boundaries of their world, and what the cost of their rebellion might ultimately be.

Last updated: August 10, 2025 at 02:45

Was this helpful?

What to expect

Is Thoroughbreds Worth Watching? What It Feels Like

Is it dark, sad, slow, intense or confusing? The mood of Thoroughbreds (2018) in a few tags, without a word about how it ends. Each tag opens a list of movies that feel the same.

After you watch

Seen Thoroughbreds? Now Read the Spoilers

Once you have watched Thoroughbreds (2018), come back for the full story: the plot summary with spoilers, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning.

Movie threads

More Movies Like Thoroughbreds, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Thoroughbreds tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Chilling Crime Conspiracies like in Thoroughbreds

Methodical thrillers where meticulous, emotionless plans unfold with chilling precision. Discover movies like Thoroughbreds that explore cold, calculating plans and psychological manipulation. If you enjoyed the methodical and emotionless approach to crime in Thoroughbreds, you'll find similar tension and bleak themes in these stories of dangerous alliances and sociopathic behavior.

  • calculating
  • cold
  • manipulative
  • unsettling
  • clinical
  • dangerous
  • Tone: dark, clinical, unsettling
  • Pacing: steady, methodical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These narratives follow characters, often partners in crime, as they devise and execute a complex plan. The central conflict is often internal, revolving around trust, manipulation, and the psychological unraveling or reinforcement of the conspirators, rather than external pursuit.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on intellectual, rather than emotional, criminality. They possess a clinical tone, a steady pacing that builds tension through anticipation, and a dominant mood of cold calculation and moral ambiguity.

Movies with Toxic Friendships like Thoroughbreds

Stories exploring dangerously symbiotic relationships that lead to moral decay. If you liked the disturbing dynamic between Lily and Amanda in Thoroughbreds, explore these movies about toxic friendships and dangerous alliances. These films feature complex, manipulative relationships in wealthy or privileged settings that spiral into crime and psychological drama.

  • unsettling
  • manipulative
  • dangerous
  • psychological
  • toxic
  • dark
  • Tone: dark, bleak, psychological
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern focuses on the formation and escalation of a relationship built on shared alienation or ambition. The bond empowers the characters to transgress societal norms, leading them down a path of destruction, betrayal, or moral collapse, often without redemption.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their exploration of co-dependent or manipulative relationships as the central driving force. They share a dark tone, heavy emotional weight from the psychological unraveling, and a palpable sense of dread about the bond's destructive potential.

If you liked this

Movies Like Thoroughbreds

Similar movies to Thoroughbreds: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

Browse all movie summaries

Every angle

Thoroughbreds (2018) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Thoroughbreds in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app