Everyone dreams of fame—the spotlight, the fans, the idea that people would wait hours just to catch a glimpse of you. But sometimes, that fame becomes a curse. Sam Yates’s latest film, “Magpie” (2024), dips deep into this tricky territory. It tells the story of a family over the moon when their young daughter lands a role in a big-budget movie. The chance feels like a dream come true, but as the lights get brighter, it starts to threaten to tear their lives apart.
Magpie (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
What’s Happening in Ben and Anette’s Life?
Ben and Anette can hardly contain their excitement when they learn their daughter Matilda nailed her audition and landed a part in a major film. After years of marriage and two kids—Matilda and Logan—the couple decided to leave the city behind, settling into the quiet of the countryside. Ben, is a writer who finds peace there for his work. Anette, who once thrived in a fast-paced job, took a step back. But now, she’s itching to revive her old career. Yet, hints of Anette’s struggles start to show early in the film, suggesting she’s been wrestling with mental health issues. Small, telling moments—like forgetting to wear an earring on one ear, or worse, ramming her hand into a mirror, cutting herself—reveal cracks beneath her married life.
Ben and Anette are thrilled about Matilda’s big break. But their excitement takes a halt when a video of Alicia—the actress playing Matilda’s on-screen mom—surfaces online, showing her in an intimate position with a man. Naturally, they start to worry about the kind of environment Matilda might be strolling into. However, Ben’s concerns ease after he meets Alicia in person. She’s warm, down-to-earth, and far from the tabloid image that’s painted of her. When Ben overhears two crew members gossiping and laughing about the leaked footage, he doesn’t hold back and calls them out and stands up for Alicia.
What’s the reason for Anette’s deteriorating mental health?
Anette has been struggling for a while. However, things only get harder after Matilda lands her movie role. As mentioned earlier, Ben is a published author and is always glued to his laptop, lost in his writing, while Anette is left juggling the kids and endless housework on her own. What really gets to her, though, is Ben’s lack of involvement. Ben rarely pitches in or even asks how she’s doing. As her loneliness aggravates, Anette’s mental health takes a downward spiral. She feels trapped, longing for the life she once had—a time when she was full of ambition, independence, and joy. Her frustration builds as she longs to reclaim that freedom, craving a return to the person she used to be.
Ben and Anette’s marriage has been on shaky ground for a while. They rarely have date nights or share any real intimacy—things they both know are crucial for keeping the spark alive, especially with kids in their lives. When Anette catches Ben looking at a picture of Alicia online, she starts to wonder if he might be interested in her. Her worries seem confirmed when a news outlet publishes photos of Ben standing outside Alicia’s trailer on set.
This breaks Anette’s heart and she snaps. Anette smashes her phone and storms out, only to come back when she hears her son crying. When Ben comes home, Anette, unable to shake her suspicions, checks his phone. She finds messages between him and Alicia. There’s nothing overtly inappropriate, but they still make her uneasy. Is Ben cheating? Well, he’s certainly drawn to Alicia and prefers her company over spending time with his own wife. Anette even offers to take Matilda to set one day. But Ben quickly shoots it down and claims it would disrupt their daughter’s routine—a flimsy excuse at best. At the shoot, he’s more focused on watching Alicia than looking out for Matilda.
Magpie (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
How does Anette punish her cheating husband?
Anette finally reaches her breaking point and decides it’s time to take back control. She starts by slipping something into Ben’s dinner, making him just sick enough that he has to stay home, leaving her to take Matilda to the set. But this is only the beginning of Anette’s plan. On the final day of filming, Anette secretly invites Alicia over without telling Ben. When Alicia shows up on their doorstep, Ben is caught off guard and confused by her unexpected visit. The tension escalates over dinner, becoming almost unbearable when Matilda innocently mentions how her dad was away for eight months, leaving her mom heartbroken and in tears. Sensing the awkwardness, Alicia tries to excuse herself. However, when Ben tries to stop her, she pulls away, telling him to let go.
Ben finally tells Anette he’s leaving her for Alicia, blaming her for all his unhappiness and refusing to take any responsibility for his own choices. He accuses Anette of ruining his life and stripping away his chance at happiness. Without a second thought, he jumps into his car to chase after Alicia to tell her that his life with Anette is officially over—and that he’s free to be with her now. But in the very next moment, the film reveals a twist that no one saw coming.
From the start, the film leads us to believe that Ben has been secretly talking to Alicia on the phone, thinking they’re in love and planning a future together. But the truth is, he’s been speaking to Anette all along. She had been posing as Alicia, feeding Ben the illusion of a romance that never existed. When Ben calls “Alicia” once more and hears Anette’s voice on the other end, his world shatters. Alicia never felt anything for him. She only saw him as her co-star’s father. The awkwardness she showed when Ben tried to stop her was because she had no idea Ben harbored feelings for her. At that moment, every chat, every text flashes through Ben’s mind, telling him that all this time he has been living a lie. As the film nears its end, Ben loses control behind the wheel and gets into a serious accident.
Ben had always been a serial cheater. He is someone who’d shift the blame onto others instead of owning up to his actions. At one point, he left Anette for eight months, claiming he needed time for research. In reality, he was off with another woman. When he finally returned, instead of apologizing or taking responsibility, he blamed Anette, implying that he had to find someone else because she was always sulking and miserable. Not once did he stop to consider that it was his own behavior that made her so unhappy. Ben never saw himself as the cause of her pain, choosing instead to point fingers and justify his actions.
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