The Woman in the Window 2021

Child psychologist Anna Fox resides in her Manhattan brownstone following a separation from her husband Edward and their daughter Olivia, whom she communicates with daily despite the distance. Battling agoraphobia, Anna remains confined to her home, where she observes her neighbors from her second-floor window, particularly the Russell family that has recently taken up residence across the street. Struggling with her mental health, she is reliant on medication and alcohol.

One fateful evening, Jane Russell (portrayed by Julianne Moore) drops by to share some wine and enjoy a card game with Anna, sparking a budding friendship. Soon after, Jane’s teenage son Ethan (Fred Hechinger) visits, and Anna accidentally hints at the abusive tendencies of Ethan’s father, Alistair (Gary Oldman). Tragedy strikes when Anna witnesses Jane being brutally stabbed in her living room. When she reports the incident, the police dismiss her claims, insisting the family is unharmed. However, tension rises when Alistair arrives with a different woman named Jane (Jennifer Jason Leigh), leaving Anna confused and worried.

As tension mounts, Anna drafts a plan to spy on the Russells. Her downstairs tenant David (Wyatt Russell) asserts that he didn’t hear anything on the night of the supposed murder, raising Anna’s suspicions further. She later discovers one of Jane’s earrings in David’s room, as well as his criminal background, which complicates her perception of reality. An anonymous email that includes a photo of her sleeping adds to her paranoia.

Desperation leads Anna to confront the detectives again, resulting in a breakdown when the Russell family appears with David. The investigation takes a dark turn as it’s revealed that Edward and Olivia tragically lost their lives in a car accident, a terrible incident caused inadvertently by Anna. This has left her emotionally scarred and battling hallucinations due to her medication.

Clinging to her guilt, Anna apologizes to the Russells and abandons her suspicions. However, a shocking discovery—a photograph on her phone showing the original Jane in the reflection of a wine glass—sends her spiraling back into turmoil. David explains that Jane is actually Katie Meli, Ethan’s birth mother, and that she had been stalking the family.

The nightmare escalates when Ethan reveals a sinister truth: he has murdered Katie and is a budding serial killer, with intentions to kill Anna as well. He had been secretly accessing her apartment, which leads to a harrowing showdown between them. In a desperate fight on the roof, Anna ultimately thwarts Ethan by pushing him through a skylight.

As Anna recuperates in the hospital, Detective Little (Brian Tyree Henry) informs her that Alistair and Jane have been arrested for their involvement in covering up Katie’s murder and extends his apologies for the initial disbelief they encountered.

Fast forward nine months, and we find Anna, now sober, finally ready to say goodbye to the memories that haunted her within those walls and to her late family, as she embraces the opportunity to move forward with her life.