An affluent man’s biggest wish is for his stepbrother to perish. He becomes progressively paranoid to cover his tracks after not saving him from death.

SYNOPSIS:

Brett Becker, a mid-twenties Caucasian yuppie, seems to have his life all planned out. He plans to wed his high school sweetheart, has a reputable position at a prestigious financial firm, and lives opulently, with his expensive car and fine-tailored suits. However, there is one setback. Behind his clean-cut facade is a disdain for his autistic stepbrother, Samuel. Brett has always resented Sam, as he blames him for their parent’s death and the fact that he had to become his caretaker after their passing. Jealousy runs deep through Brett’s bones as Samuel is revered as an outstanding citizen in their community due to his involvement in charities and social causes. Brett also has a brooding obsession with wanting to obtain the other half of their deceased father’s estate, which Samuel ceaselessly spends on the goodwill.

It is to no one’s surprise in Brett’s inner circle that he and Samuel have never gotten along. Brett’s best friend and co-worker, Jeffrey, casually jokes that the best solution for him is to kill Samuel. Brett agonizes over how to rid of his brother without getting caught. Eventually, Brett’s desire to have his familial adversary perish becomes a reality. On a seemingly uneventful night, as Samuel finishes his nightly shower, he slips on the tile floor and smashes his head on the wall. Upon hearing a thud stemming from the bathroom, Brett finds his younger sibling’s body convulsing on the shower floor with blood gushing from the back of his head. Their eyes are locked on each other. Brett stands there motionless as he watches his brother slowly die.

Shortly after his stepbrother’s passing, Brett’s behavior becomes erratic. His fiancée, Melinda, becomes worried, as she feels he is pulling away into an abyss of isolation. Little does she know Brett’s main concerns are covering his tracks, while at the same time trying to come to terms with this incident. Brett becomes increasingly annoyed at Melinda, as she pleads for him to open up and see a therapist. This situation comes to a head when, in a burst of rage, Brett punches Melinda in the stomach. Too threatened to live under the same roof, she moves out of their home.

As the town mourns the death of their beloved citizen, Brett feels suffocated by the whirlwind of neighbors and acquaintances consoling him. He tries to stay as composed as possible as he enters a state of internal bedlam. The town’s mayor asks Brett if he would be willing to make a speech at a benefit dinner commemorating Samuel. Brett hesitantly abides the mayor’s request. As Brett commences his speech, he notices a portrait of Samuel by the exit. Brett, shaken upon seeing this, tries to stay calm and collected; however, the pressure is overwhelming. The lights start to feel heavy, sweat drips from his brow. Audience members sense Brett is physically shaken. He tries to be as coherent as possible, but his tortured conscience is too much for him to bear and storms off the stage.

Brett’s life is gradually falling apart, and his paranoia starts getting the better of him. Fearing that Jeffrey is on to his true intentions, Brett hires Leon, a former classmate-turned-criminal, to murder his friend. He meets his former peer at a biker bar to concoct this devilish plan. Brett sticks out like a sore thumb as he is way out of his element being in this establishment. The female bartender seems unsettled that someone of Brett’s ilk has walked into her dingy saloon. Brett and Leon work out the details of their scheme. A couple of days later Leon kills Jeffrey hours after he became a father for the first time. Another death that shakes up the community. Trying to separate himself from this situation, Brett shoots Leon at point blank range during a money handoff at a remote location.

Brett pleads to get Melinda back, but to no avail. She has moved in with her parents and they make it clear that he best not come around their house anymore. His coworkers also worry about him, as he lets out a vicious yell during a staff meeting. Brett is slowly starting to crack.

Brett, exhausted and on the ropes, grabs a beer at a bar to have a moment of peace. This does not come into fruition as he notices a photograph taped to the wall. The picture shows the barmaid of the tavern he is currently at posing with the bartender of the biker bar. Alarmed that the biker bar bartender might describe him to police, he nonchalantly mentions to the barmaid that the woman in the picture looks awfully familiar. She warmly tells him they have known each other for many years and even confesses what town and exact location she lives in. Brett locates the building and breaks into the apartment. The biker bar bartender, sound asleep, is suffocated with one of her pillows.

After murdering the bartender, Brett zips through the highway in complete distress. He has reached his breaking point. Highway patrol cars tail him as he is driving well beyond the speed limit. Trying to lose the men in blue, he gets off an exit. When he tries to make a sharp turn, Brett loses control of the car and crashes into a wall. In the midst of physical and emotional agony, he takes out a revolver and shoots himself in the head. We end on the nightly news. The newscaster treats Brett’s demise with profound sympathy. He portrays him as a victim of insurmountable pressure and sadness due to the tragedies and losses that have happened in his life.