Xia

In the year 1920, the literal and figurative world closes in on an ailing, eccentric heiress, trapped in an opulent mansion. Wolves from the nearby forest roam her estate and scratch at the doors. Her pushy family bursts in without a moment’s notice. And, the shifting walls around her reveal cracks in her own psyche, presenting painful memories from her past. Things escalate when the heiress, Xia, receives an eviction notice on the eve of her father’s funeral, igniting the flames of a contentious battle revolving around the family’s estate. Claws are out, and fangs are bared. The timing couldn’t be worse, as Xia tries to settle down with her new, loving husband and acclimate her adopted daughter to the mansion—the family she chooses over the one she was born into. Despite the mansion’s psychological manipulation and attacks, Xia’s determined to give back to the community, forge new bonds, patch every crack, and confront every challenging memory, brightening up a place that holds so much darkness. The mansion, sensing Xia’s inner turmoil, presents her with past experiences that took place within its walls, violating her once again by pulling her into the memory of being sexually assaulted by one of her brother’s friends—and how no one, not even her mother, believed her when she found herself carrying a rapist’s child in her womb. Other horrific episodes that befell a young Xia haunt her by the seemingly alive mansion. Instead of packing up and leaving, tail tucked, Xia hosts a charity gala at the estate and invites her family in order to introduce them to Andy, her new husband, and Samantha, the child of her deceased long-lost cousin, all on day the eviction notice expires. The sparring relatives provoke one another as the wolves outside threaten to get in, and Xia’s own inner wolf claws to be unleashed. Xia’s sister, Cosima, winds up dead and no one knows what truly happened to her, and claw marks on her chest are the only clue. Xia and Andy get rid of the body, not wanting to invite unwanted attention on the mansion. Unaware that his sister died, Xia’s brother, Raffaele and his wife get the police involved to investigate her disappearance and they question Xia. Thinking “good riddance”, Xia keeps Cosima’s death to herself and the kindly detectives vow to protect Xia in case someone—or something—is targeting the wealthy family. As the dust settles, Xia, Andy, and Samantha find moments to enjoy their new life and expand their improvements to the estate, hoping to keep the wolves at bay. The police interrupt the familial moment to inform Xia that her brother and his wife are both now missing. They reaffirm their commitment to keep her family safe, thanks to one detective’s past link to Samantha. Another family member arrives uninvited. This time it is Xia’s estranged nephew, Cristian. He darkens her doorstep and provokes Samantha on the estate grounds when no one is looking… but the wolves are always watching. They attack Cristian, killing him and dragging him away, as Samantha escapes. When the police are alerted to Cristian’s disappearance, the detectives arrive once more on Xia’s stoop. One detective interprets the clues as pointing to Xia as a suspect, while his partner believes that she’s destined to be the unknown killer’s next target. Xia’s further confronted by the traumas of the past—like having a miscarriage as a result of being raped as a teenager—and the culmination of the past and recent traumas leave Xia’s head spinning. When the suspicious officer finds a final incriminating clue that pins the murders on Xia, a standoff ensues and Andy’s accidentally killed—as is the suspicious officer. Terrified, Samantha protects her new mother and shoots the other detective. Xia has no choice but to turn herself in to save her adopted daughter, but a rookie cop with an itchy trigger finger shoots her dead. Samantha feels intense sorrow, as does the mansion, having lost both its caretaker and its prey. The wolves howl an eerie eulogy in the distance, mimicking Samantha’s wails of grief. The police move in to recover Xia’s body, only to find that it too is now missing. The wolf song gets louder as the pack closes in on the living. An officer grabs Samantha and the alpha she-wolf goes for the kill, but Samantha stops her. Samantha wriggles free to the safety of a trusted neighbor and the wolves return to the forest. News of the scandal hits the papers and gossip circles the town while the police block off access to the mansion. Rumors swirl as to the whereabouts of Xia, some believing that she is still alive, and hiding. Many years later, Samantha finds the shuttered mansion once again alive and well, the roses climbing the exterior walls and all. Samantha marries the kindly neighbor boy and the wedding is held at the estate. As the newlyweds enjoy the view from an upstairs window, Xia’s face appears next to theirs in a window’s reflection. Samantha and the groom don’t seem to notice as they exit the room past a vanity with a photo on it: one of a police academy graduation. Red lipstick crosses out the face of one officer—the one who shot Xia. Down in the garden, the alpha she-wolf reappears, greeting Samantha and her new husband.