Every Breath She Takes (2023): Recently, we have seen a shift towards movies that highlight not only the real-life experience of women who have been victims of abusive marriages or trapped in toxic relationships but also the journey they embark on to empower themselves.
More and more movies about women are coming to light, especially those that show them overcoming their fears and paranoia to emerge as strong, independent individuals who refuse to be defined by their past. It is a beacon of hope for people who must have gone through an unimaginable struggle or are still trying to break free from toxicity.
It has become increasingly crucial for such stories to come out in movies, as it is a powerful tool for empowering women and assuring them that they can take control of their lives.
The Lifetime channel is currently streaming “With Every Breath She Takes” (2023), a film that showcases the struggles of moving on from a traumatic past and rebuilding one’s life. The movie depicts the challenges of starting anew, with the added pressure of people accusing the protagonist of being responsible for her trauma.
Despite the protagonist’s hard work and determination to become a better person, others fail to understand the struggles she has overcome. The film highlights the harsh reality of leaving a traumatic past behind, showing how much effort and perseverance it takes to build a new life.
The story’s central character is Jules Baker, who believes she has finally escaped her nightmare after her abusive spouse dies in a fire that destroys their home. Jules is determined to move on from her traumatic past – rebuild her life and the ruined house.
Despite rumors from the local community accusing her of setting the fire that killed her husband, Jules refuses to bow down to anyone and aims to live life on her terms. However, she still suffers from terrifying flashbacks and panic attacks, making her believe that her dead husband still haunts her.
The question arises: Is Jules’ husband Billy still alive and out to ruin everything she has worked for, or is it the trauma from her past driving her to madness?
This article delves into the series of events leading up to Jules’ paranoid episodes and explains the story’s conclusion.
Every Breath She Takes (2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The movie opens with Jules (Tamala Jones) hiding in the bathroom to hide from her controlling and frightening husband, Billy (Brian White). Jules has just served Billy with divorce papers, and he wants to discuss things with her. However, Billy is abusive and manipulative and refuses to let Jules go. He justifies his actions as his way of expressing his love for her. Jules soon discovers that Billy has set their house on fire, and she manages to escape. As she watches her home go up in flames, she assumes that Billy has died in the fire.
Fast forward six months, and Jules is working hard to heal from the trauma of her abusive marriage to Billy. She has been keeping herself occupied by renovating her house and teaching painting classes in her studio. Life seems to be looking up for Jules, and she has even made a new friend in her neighborhood, Naomi (Katrina Bowden). She also regularly attends therapy sessions, which she is grateful for.
Despite her efforts to move forward and embrace positivity, Jules still experiences flashbacks of her past trauma. She often feels like Billy is watching over her, and small details like the temperature set to cold, as he liked it, remind her of his presence in the house.
While running her art studio, Jules meets a student named Paul (Lamon Archey), who asks her out on a date. Initially, Jules declines the offer as she feels she’s not ready yet. However, after facing an unexpected visit from detectives who accuse her of being responsible for her husband’s death, Jules realizes she doesn’t want to live her life in fear anymore. She changes her mind and goes on a date with Paul.
During their time together, Jules reveals that her previous marriage to Billy was plagued with restrictions and control. Paul, a ‘karate engineer,’ is kind, caring, and supportive of Jules’ talent. He even teaches her self-defense techniques to boost her confidence. Despite Paul’s positivity, Jules continues to experience visions of Billy, which haunt her.
Jules seeks help from her therapist and shares the different episodes of Billy’s presence constantly haunting her, causing her to feel terrified. Despite the therapist’s attempts to provide logical explanations, Jules remains unconvinced. In fact, her anxiety worsens, and even the therapist’s suggestion to take deep breaths only leaves her feeling more anxious.
Despite her anxiety, Jules is determined to try and better herself with her therapist’s suggestions. She works hard to remain calm and composed, actively fighting against the bad thoughts and fears that threaten to engulf her.
Unfortunately, things start to take a turn for the worse when the police investigation into Billy’s death resumes. As a result, Jules finds that the payment from the insurance company is being held up. Detective Walker and Campbell had warned her during their previous visit that this might happen, as Billy was a wealthy man, and his death entitled Jules to a large sum of money.
Is Jules’s abusive husband Billy really dead?
As Jules’ paranoia intensifies, she desperately seeks help again from her therapist and makes an appointment. However, the situation takes a tragic turn when her therapist, Ron, gets hit by a car and dies on the spot. The events keep piling up, and Jules’ friend, Dana, informs her that Billy may be haunting her from beyond the grave, as his expenses suggest he had an additional source of income other than his realtor business.
As Jules continues to spend time with Paul, she becomes increasingly anxious despite his empathy and support. Meanwhile, Dana reveals that Billy had a secret bank account with millions of dollars frequently accessed after his death, suggesting that someone may use his identity to withdraw the money. This revelation leads Jules to suspect that her abusive husband may still be alive and stalking her, further fueling her paranoia.
Meanwhile, Jules continues to experience more visions of Billy haunting her and messing around with things at home. She becomes convinced that Billy is actually alive and is stalking her. She shares her fear with Dana, but Dana tries to assure her that it is only her fear and nothing else. Jules becomes increasingly frustrated and angry that no one believes her.
Jules’s worst fear becomes a reality when Billy shows up at her art studio, revealing that he had faked his own death and had been stalking her. He confesses to embezzling money to run away with her to the Caribbean and that the body found in the burning house was that of a homeless man.
Every Breath She Takes (2023) Movie Ending, Explained:
How does Jules finally get out of Billy’s hold?
Jules is left traumatized after the encounter with Billy, and she screams in terror. Paul arrives shortly after, as well as Detective Walker, who offers to help Jules if she needs anything related to Billy. Meanwhile, Dana had been conducting her own investigation into Billy’s whereabouts and discovered the truth about his plan. Unfortunately, to protect himself, Billy ends up killing Dana. When Jules learns about this, she is horrified and devastated by the loss of her friend.
Jules, feeling hopeless and defeated, turns to the detective for help. She shows the detective the text message she received from her deceased friend, Dana, regarding Billy. Jules shares her story with the detective, who carefully considers all the case details. However, the detective informs Jules that they will need more evidence to build a case against Billy.
Jules and Paul discuss how Billy is taking control of her life and causing her to lose hope. Paul warns Jules that Billy is only targeting the people she loves and that he will be the next one on Billy’s list. We then see both of them hatch a plan to lure Billy into a trap. They set up cameras everywhere and decide on how to lure Billy upstairs so Paul can catch him.
Unfortunately, Jules’ plans didn’t go as expected. It turned out that Naomi, whom Jules had trusted, was actually in cahoots with Billy. Together, they conspired to drive Jules insane, with the ultimate goal of getting her out of the picture. However, Billy has his own agenda and wants Jules to open the locker where she has stashed her money. Jules refuses, and Billy resorts to violence, attempting to strangle her.
Naomi is caught off guard by Billy’s actions and tries to intervene to prevent him from killing Jules. However, Billy is beyond reason, and when Naomi fights back, he strikes her, causing her death. Jules fights back against Billy and manages to strike him before she runs upstairs as she had planned. However, upon reaching the upper level, she is shocked to find Paul lying unconscious on the ground.
As Jules hides behind the curtains and calls 911, Billy finds her and tries to attack her. However, Paul comes to her rescue, and a fight breaks out between the two men. As Billy attacks Jules, knocking Paul down, he attempts to justify his actions by professing his love for her.
However, Jules sees through his manipulative tactics and uses a nail gun to shoot him in the stomach before running to Paul’s aid. Seeing the two together, severely injured Billy tries to attack Jules again – however, she hits him in the head, this time with the nail gun, killing him. Detective Walker and her backup team arrive on the scene shortly after.
The movie concludes with Jules celebrating a new beginning at an art exhibition with Paul and her students. Detective Walker pays a visit to her studio, and Jules expresses her gratitude for all the help. Jules and Paul continue their relationship, and they both revel in the idea of starting over, with Jules finally finding peace with her past.
Read More: Big Lies in a Small Town (2023) Movie Ending, Explained
Every Breath She Takes (2023) Movie Links – IMDb
Every Breath She Takes (2023) Movie Cast – Tamala Jones, Brian White, Tisha Campbell
Where to watch Every Breath She Takes
