Have you ever wanted to watch a film where a dreamer becomes a famous lawyer who often makes headlines? Or a movie with an unpredictable plot? Well, Lifetime’s new thriller To Kill A Stepfather (2023), directed by Peter Sullivan, offers both. It will really make you think with intense performances that challenge big stars and hook the audiences.
This isn’t your typical murder mystery. The best part is how perfectly the actors fit their roles. Although the film is not based on a real story, it is executed flawlessly. The emotions between Nicole and Kate feel so natural. The amount of drama and mystery is perfect, and the positive thoughts about this film cannot be counted on your fingers. Let’s dive into the details and discover why it’s loved by many and could be your next favorite film.
To Kill A Stepfather (2023) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis:
The story begins with a woman who aspires to be someone beyond what other people will think of her, and she makes it big as a lawyer. Her achievements sometimes make headlines, even if it involves representing wealthy suspects. But still, it is not as ideal as it sounds. Nicole still experiences criticism for defending accused criminals and helping them prove their innocence in court. However, she stays silent and confident, as it is really how defense lawyers do.
Nicole didn’t have a good mother figure as she grew up. Her life has been emotionally demanding, mainly because of her alcoholic mother named Kate. Their relationship has been rocky for a long time, and they have no communication. She suffers a lot but never sees it coming that one day, she will willingly return to her hometown. Her sister, whose name is Riley, calls her to inform her that her stepfather named, Matthew, who is famous because he’s a choir singer, has been murdered. Nicole’s mother is the suspect in the killing.
They accused her mother of murdering Matthew while drunk. Nicole has to be professional with all her clients as she has to hold her anger towards her mother and help her with her case. Nicole doesn’t really care in the first place about what’s happening to her mother since it triggers her trauma as she steps into her hometown. But she can’t resist her sister Riley. While confronting her mother, she discovers that Kate can’t recall how Matthew fell from the stairs and died or if someone else pushed him.
The chief of police is very hands-on and focused on closing this case. She sees that the detective might rush the case, so she takes it upon herself. She goes back to their house to investigate and finds a significant piece of evidence that will help her prove her mother’s innocence. Their home doesn’t have central air conditioning, so they usually keep the windows open to let the natural air from outside come in.
Yet, Nicole noticed something strange in the crime scene photos. The windows were closed then. She shares it with her deputy friend, who investigates but doesn’t find anything suspicious. Despite how she went through her life with her mother, she trusts her mother’s statement that she’s innocent because of what she noticed. Nicole is a confident lawyer with the power to make everything convincing in front of people and the jury during the trial.
Riley introduces Nicole to Sadie, who is Kate and Matthew’s friend. Still, Sadie doesn’t intrigue Nicole with her presence, and Nicole finds no reason for her to be somewhat suspicious. But then there’s Kirk, Matthew’s business partner, whom Nicole thinks is questionable because he is overtly pushing the blame onto Kate. Riley is worried about Kirk’s dishonest financial schemes and tells it straight to Nicole.
Riley raises suspicions about Nicole, which becomes a solid theory when Bobby, her ex, who is also a lawyer, intentionally shares important information that weakens his case against Kate. Love is still affecting Bobby, as he still has feelings for Nicole. Riley worries too much, leading her to try to change Matthew’s decision not to include Kirk and instead place her mother next in line to inherit his business.
The business is a distillery, which is not highly profitable. But the land it stands on and occupies is valuable regarding real estate. The business is what confuses Nicole. Not only does she think that Kirk is possibly involved in Matthew’s death, but it also makes her consider the possibility that her mother has a reason to kill her late husband. And that reason could be money. Nicole’s confusion and stress add up when she’s stalked by a man wearing a hoodie.
The man breaks into her apartment and casually leaves a note, threatening her life. This is a real hardship for every defense lawyer. However, with her deputy friend Charlene’s help, they discover that the stalker made a mistake. They find out that the hoodie man who has been threatening her for days is Matthew’s grieving brother. They still don’t find any motive for his brother to be a suspect despite making her feel unsafe. So many things confuse Nicole to the point that any hint of a possible connection eludes her.
To Kill A Stepfather (2023) Movie Ending, Explained:
Who is behind Matthew’s death?
Nicole doesn’t only want to prove that she’s a good lawyer but also wants to fix a relationship that has been strained for years. She starts to see things. She enquires into even the smallest details, more often trying to find possible connections to the case. It seems to Nicole that Matthew is not really the perfect husband. Why would an ideal husband cause his wife and daughter’s relationship to be strained, especially when Kate started to drink again? Everything seems not to be going into place.
Nicole finds out through their neighbor Harold that Matthew has been having an affair. This information makes Nicole think it could be the reason for Kate to kill her husband. Nicole decides to investigate further by herself for evidence of Matthew’s possible previous affair in their house. Harold’s wife, Helen, tells Nicole that she heard Kate threaten her husband during his difficult situation.
When Nicole tries to find more substantial evidence, she discovers an email from the woman Matthew was having an affair with. She also finds a pendant near the stairs that she thinks the authorities didn’t notice. Nicole is intrigued that the woman behind this mystery had been involved in Kate and Matthew’s fights. Nicole has been taking her utmost time to solve the case. But Kate has been impatient and even tries to fire Nicole as her lawyer. However, Nicole doesn’t stop there and also wrongly considers her sister Riley as a suspect.
Riley gets hurt that her sister suspects her in the crime. In order to prove her innocence, she shows the footage to Nicole from their doorbell. It shows her car was parked in their house throughout the night of Matthew’s murder. It’s through the doorbell footage that Nicole comes across the information about the people that came into her parents’ house that night. When she invites this person to their house for a glass of wine, that person turns out to be Sadie all along. If Charlene hadn’t come at the right moment, Sadie would have escaped after committing another murder.
How is the email sent by a woman connected to the murder?
The email that Nicole finds on Matthew’s computer turns out to be a part of song lyrics, while the other part of those lyrics is found on the pendant she discovers on the stairs. When she sees the video footage of Sadie getting out of her car from Harold, she tries to connect Sadie to the woman Matthew was having an affair with. It turns out that the murder was committed because of the intense emotions Sadie was feeling.
What happened to Kate and Nicole in the end?
When Nicole finally solves the case and finds that Sadie is the person behind the murder, Kate is now free, and so is Nicole. She’s free from a lot of confusion. Now she could fix their relationship, which has been strained for a long time. They both can finally focus on improving themselves. The movie concludes on a note, informing us that Nicole has finally forgiven her mother and is considering moving back to her hometown.
![On Body and Soul [2017] Review: The Dream and The Dreary](https://www.highonfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/On-Body-and-Soul-High-on-Films-768x467.jpg)