Abandon 2002

In a poignant juxtaposition, Katie Burke (Katie Holmes), a stressed and overwhelmed graduate student, finds herself sandwiched between the pressures of academia and the mysteries of the unknown. As she sits on the campus stairs, her friend Sam (Zooey Deschanel) coaxes her into attending a job fair, where they visit the booth of their desired future employer. The recruiter’s flirtatious advances only add to Katie’s anxiety as she navigates the challenges of completing her thesis.

Meanwhile, Detective Wade Handler (Benjamin Bratt), a former addict now in recovery, is tasked with investigating the disappearance of Embry Larkin (Charlie Hunnam), a wealthy orphan who vanished two years prior. As Handler delves deeper into the case, he discovers a surprising connection to Katie, whose boyfriend Embry was at the time of his disappearance. His inquiry sparks a mixture of unease and skepticism from Katie.

As the stakes mount, Katie turns to her friends Sam, August (Will McCormack), and Amanda (Gabrielle Union) for support, seeking refuge from her academic woes in a night of revelry and relaxation. Under the hypnotic glow of strobe lights, Katie’s perception blurs, and she becomes convinced that Embry is lurking in the shadows. The sighting is followed by a series of eerie encounters, leaving her questioning her own sanity.

Handler’s investigation yields disturbing evidence suggesting Embry’s probable demise, including unused airplane tickets to Greece and an inactive financial account. However, Katie remains torn between her rational doubts and the nagging sense that something is amiss.

In the midst of her thesis-driven chaos, Katie stumbles upon a cryptic message on her desk: the Dewey decimal number for Dante’s “The Inferno.” As she tracks down the book to a campus library shelf, she is confronted by what appears to be Embry’s gaze staring back at her. The unsettling encounter sends her fleeing into the tunnels that crisscross the campus, as the lines between reality and paranoia begin to blur.

As Handler converses with Sam, Amanda, and Katie about the tumultuous relationship between Katie and Embry, the air is thick with tension. It’s a delicate dance of emotions as they navigate the complexities of their bond. Meanwhile, Harrison Hobart (Gabriel Mann), a man who has long harbored an unrequited love for Katie, confides in Handler that his affections are met with indifference. His confession is laced with vulnerability, revealing the depth of his emotional investment.

The following day, Katie’s concentration is tested as Mousy Julie (Melanie Lynskey) disrupts her peace in the library, sharing news of Harrison’s sudden disappearance. Katie’s intuition screams that Embry is behind his vanishing act, a suspicion she can’t shake. Her anxiety escalates when she encounters Harrison’s parents, who are frantically searching for their missing son. The conversation culminates in an eerie encounter with Embry himself, sparking a confrontation that leaves Katie seething.

As the narrative unfolds, Katie becomes increasingly entwined with Embry, whose disappearance seems to be linked to his obsessive love for her. Her desperation grows as she searches for answers, leading her to Handler’s apartment. The emotional storm brewing inside her reaches a boiling point when she and Handler share an intimate moment, during which she’s transported by vivid imagination, picturing Handler morphing into Embry.

Awakened from this fantasy, Katie finds solace in the reality of their connection, acknowledging that for the first time in what feels like an eternity, she’s genuinely happy. This cathartic release is matched only by her academic accomplishment as she completes her thesis. As Handler prepares to leave the police force, a seismic revelation rocks his world: a note purportedly written by Embry was actually penned over two years prior.

The weight of this truth sends Handler reeling, prompting him to seek solace in a drink, which he quickly spits out upon realizing its implications. Frustrated and helpless, he’s unable to start his car due to an alcohol sensor on the ignition. As fate would have it, Katie is waiting patiently for him on the steps, awaiting their departure to Handler’s secluded cabin in New Hampshire. Little do they know, Embry has one final, sinister trick up his sleeve, launching a brutal attack that leaves Katie shaken and Handler racing against time to arrive at her side.

As Katie and Handler venture into the aged tunnel, a familiar haunt of hers and Embry’s bygone days, the atmosphere is heavy with nostalgia. Handler’s gun and flashlight cast an eerie glow, but it’s Katie who remains beset by visions of Embry, her mind still trapped in the past. Meanwhile, Handler remains oblivious to his friend’s inner turmoil. Suddenly, a flashback transports us two years into the past, where a younger Katie and Embry find themselves entwined in the very same tunnel that now holds such significance. The air is thick with tension as Embry delivers the crushing blow: he’s abandoning Katie, never to be seen again. Her desperation and despair boil over as she unleashes a brutal assault on her former lover, bludgeoning him mercilessly with a rock until his lifeless form lies at her feet.

The truth about Katie’s sanity slowly begins to unravel, as Handler finally catches wind of the reality that has been staring him straight in the face. It becomes apparent that her fragile grip on reality was always tenuous at best. The sight of something lurking beneath the water’s surface, likely the lifeless remains of Embry, proves too much for Handler to bear. Katie’s madness seizes the day once more, as she raises a rock to strike down Handler with deadly precision.

Fast forward to graduation day, and the group reunites in a haze of nostalgia and shared memories. Harrison reappears, his tale of being stranded on a mountain and subsequently rescued by state police providing a sobering reminder of the fragility of life. Katie’s response to Handler’s fate is telling: she claims he’s probably gone off to New Hampshire, already lost to her forever.

The epilogue whisks us away several months into the future, where Katie has finally secured her dream job. Her recruiter beau, poised on the cusp of partner status, delivers a crushing blow: his professional aspirations necessitate ending their budding relationship. The look that settles on Katie’s face is all too familiar – a harbinger of darkness yet to come, as her murderous impulses stir once more, threatening to consume her very being.