The Motive 2018

Emery Simms, a highly successful business tycoon, finds his seemingly perfect life spiraling out of control after a passionate affair with the wildly charismatic Allanah James. His world takes a dark turn when a confrontation leads him to accidentally kill a man who seeks information about him, witnessed by another individual who quickly escapes. In the chaos, Emery unwittingly leaves behind the victim’s cell phone, which contains damning evidence of their interactions.

Attempting to connect with his friend, Emery makes a phone call but receives no answer. Shortly afterward, he encounters Allanah, whose car has broken down, and he graciously offers her a ride to her job, unaware that she has ulterior motives. Following their brief encounter, Emery insists they share dinner together. Their public display of affection attracts unwanted attention, and a man following Allanah intervenes violently at the restaurant.

Eager to impress Allanah, Emery visits her living situation, only to find it lacking. He takes her to one of his upscale condos, where she swiftly settles in and invites her own friend over. The friendplayfully suggests that Allanah might want to consider a different type of ‘insurance’, which gives rise to a tangled web of relationships. After a steamy rendezvous, Allanah reveals to Emery in a park that she is pregnant, to which he reacts with shock and urges her to terminate the pregnancy—an idea she firmly rejects.

Allanah’s schemes intensify as she arranges a meeting with Connie, Emery’s unsuspecting wife, presenting her with a romantic invitation that Connie mistakenly believes is from Emery. When Connie discovers Allanah waiting at a beautifully set picnic with flowers and chilled wine, she learns the truth about Allanah’s pregnancy and is coerced into giving her a hefty sum of $100,000.

Following this encounter, tensions rise between Emery and Connie, leading to a heated argument fueled by jealousy and betrayal. Allanah’s husband, Derrick Woods, eventually confronts her at the condo, resulting in a chaotic scene where Emery discovers them in an intimate moment. Frustrated and enraged, he demands that Allanah return the check, leading to a violent altercation.

Tragedy strikes when Allanah is found murdered, her throat cut, forcing Emery to face Detective Morgan at the police station for interrogation. Despite their vehement denials of involvement, both Emery and Derrick are released, but the shadow of suspicion looms over Emery, especially when Connie, still skeptical of him, re-enters his life.

As the narrative progresses, the audience learns that a series of images capturing Emery’s infidelity are missing. The film moves forward to a youth event where Connie is delivering a speech, but the mood shifts dramatically as Emery is arrested for Allanah’s murder.

Searching for closure, he visits his friend Brandon Collier, who harbors aspirations for Connie, not realizing that Brandon is orchestrating events from the shadows. After a physical confrontation, Emery is left behind when Brandon reveals his true intentions.

Emery’s life takes another hit as he is sent to prison and served divorce papers by Connie during a solemn visit. As she departs, he senses the finality of their relationship. The story culminates in a compelling flashback that unveils Brandon as the true mastermind behind Allanah’s demise, having set Emery up to bear the blame and cover his tracks.

In a tense showdown, Emery’s screams for Connie are met with indifference as she embraces Brandon, whom Emery realizes has manipulated every aspect of their lives for his gain, leaving Emery battling for his innocence and awaiting an appeal for the murders he did not commit. The film closes with the haunting realization that betrayal often masks itself in the closest of relationships.