Saagar Kote
‘Becky’ revolves around the life of a teenager named Becky. She mourns the death of her mother and builds a complex relationship with her father, Jeff. The emotionally distant relationship between the daughter and the father becomes more chaotic when she travels to the lake house with him. Jeff introduces his new girlfriend, Kayla, and her son, Ty, which makes Becky experience a range of unexpected emotions. With her mother’s memory still haunting her, she feels ill-prepared to handle this new reality.
The day goes from bad to worse when a group of Neo-Nazi prison escapees lays siege to the lake house. As the violent men try to overrun Becky’s family, she may have to hope for a miracle to save her. With the criminals looking to find something specific within the house, Becky must fight to not only save her own life, but also the lives of her dad and the people he loves. The ending of the story comes with its share of brutal twists that dictate the fate of the characters. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Becky Plot Synopsis
The cops question a young girl named Becky about a specific incident. She recalls seemingly violent details about an incident, but chooses not to divulge the same to the cops. Two weeks earlier in the narrative, Becky is picked up by her father, Jeff, from school, and a Neo-Nazi convict is transferred from prison with his three friends. They escape federal custody by killing guards in the transfer vehicle. Becky watches a video from the past, featuring her and her dead mom. On the drive, Jeff tells Becky that he doesn’t want to sell the lake house, which makes her happy. Becky is surprised when her dad’s lover, Kayla, and her son, Ty, show up at the lake house. Meanwhile, the Neo-Nazi escapees dress up as cops and steal a car. Becky is visibly sad during dinner when Jeff tells her that he and Kayla are getting married. Becky storms out of the house and takes a walk with her dog, Diego.
Kayla opens the door to the main Neo-Nazi criminal, who pretends to have lost his dog. When Jeff asks the criminal to leave due to his racist remarks about Kayla and Ty (who are both African-American), he refuses. Instead, another mate of his storms the house, and the two of them take Jeff, Kayla, and Ty hostage. Becky is still in the cabin and sees Kayla and Ty walking away, as instructed by one of the criminals. However, two other criminals block their path. Becky asks Diego to stay quiet so that she can stay hidden. The two others escort Kayla and Ty back to the house and join their Neo-Nazi accomplices. Becky sees from the outside that the others have been taken hostage. Dominick looks for something in the store room, but doesn’t find it. Becky comes back to her room via the window and steals a walkie-talkie. Dominick asks Jeff if he knows about a key and also demands to know Becky’s location after spotting her backpack.
He shoots Kayla on her thigh, after which Becky sends an audio warning via the walkie-talkie, saying she called the cops. Dominick threatens to hurt Jeff if Becky doesn’t surrender. He also asks her if she took the key, but she denies it. Dominick hurts Jeff and gives him a chance to talk to Becky. He tells her to run away as fast as he can. Becky asks Dominick to stop torturing Jeff and runs to Dominick with the key. Using Becky’s arrival as a distraction, Jeff starts fighting against the criminals. He runs and reaches Becky, but is shot from behind by Dominick, and seemingly dies. Becky uses the key to permanently injure one of Dominick’s eyes and runs away. Dominick returns to the house after failing to find Becky and commands his accomplices to find her and the key. Cole, one of the criminals, spots Becky in her cabin, but stops due to the dog Diego. He tells her to give him the key in exchange for her freedom.
When he talks about Kayla and Ty as if they are her family members, she feels emotional and decides against giving the key. She brutally kills Cole by using a sharp object. Apex, the tall and seemingly empathetic criminal, nurses Kayla. Becky promises Diego that the criminals will not escape. Hammond, one of the attackers, chases Becky. But she sets a clever trap for him, causing him to fall into the lake. She then murders him by using the speedboat motor. Apex spots Becky and also sees Diego running towards her. He hurts Diego with a single punch. Becky rushes to Diego, and Apex overpowers her. He feels regret for treating her harshly, since he had also hurt kids earlier. He tells her to escape and says that he, too, doesn’t want to be controlled by Dominick anymore. Becky reunites with Diego and hugs him, relieved that he is safe.
Becky Ending: How Does Becky Survive? Why Does She Kill Dominick and Apex?
After Apex spares Becky’s life, Dominick remains unaware of it. Becky tragically takes one last look at her father, Jeff’s corpse, and steals the car key from him, as Diego accompanies her. She goes back towards the house and discreetly lets Kayla and Ty know that she is still there. Kayla distracts Dominick by provoking him about the missing key. He attacks her, but is again distracted by a cat alarm. He walks outside to find out and arrives near the car. As he opens the door, Diego bites him and forces him to stay away. Using this as a distraction, Becky takes her father’s car and partially injures Dominick by driving it towards him. However, she ends up driving it into a tree, causing the automatic emergency assist to be activated. She heads to the garage as Dominick pursues her. Becky cleverly hides from him, which causes frustration.
He tries to fool her by saying he just wants to talk. She sings loudly to draw his attention, after which he finds her sitting by the fire. He tries to play on her trauma and talks about her being an orphan now. Dominick talks to her about her future, which will be tragic and spent in foster homes. He tries to convince her that he could be her mentor and caretaker. Becky realizes that he is a desperate man when he asks her about the key. She uses a water gun filled with kerosene to expand the radius of the fire, which works like a flamethrower. She partially burns Dominick, who agonizingly screams. Despite this attack, Dominick is able to get up and chase Becky. He holds her down and tries to choke her to death. When he finds the key to Becky, he temporarily stops hurting the girl.
When he is about to take her life, Apex unexpectedly comes to Becky’s rescue. He is most likely Dominick’s illegitimate son, as hinted earlier in the narrative, when Dominick addresses him as son. Dominick desperately hopes to get Apex back on his side, but fails to do so. He also shows him the key and promises not to hurt little kids anymore. Dominick picks up a gun from the ground and partially injures Apex. During this fight, Becky runs away to the garage and climbs onto the lawnmower. She starts riding it, even as the men continue to fight. She drives the lawnmower over Dominick’s face, cutting his head off. This is the most brutal death of the story, as the remaining part of Dominick’s death bleeds out.
What comes next is a shocking twist to the tale, as Becky also kills Apex. Despite Apex helping her earlier, she thinks it is fair to kill him, as he is also a murderer. She is not able to handle Apex’s presence, as he knows about her and is also a killer. She doesn’t find it easy to forgive him for his many sins and shoots him to death. This is a pivotal moment in the story, as it establishes the element of revenge and justice. Becky finds the key and keeps it. Later, Kayla and Ty free Diego from the other car and walk towards Becky. The cops arrive on time, which leads to the completion of their journey of survival. Thus, Becky utilizes her skills and fearlessness to overcome terrifying odds.
Do Kayla and Ty Survive? Will Becky Befriend Them?
Kayla and Ty remain hostages for the majority of the story. They try to keep the criminals distracted, even as Kayla is shot in the thigh. She is cared for by Apex, who is the only criminal with a touch of empathy. When the car alarm forces Dominick to step outside the house, Kayla uses the opportunity to free herself and Ty. She breaks Ty free from the duct tape around his arm. She would probably be dead if not for Becky’s clever plans. Kayla and Ty head outside once they realize that it is quiet and safe. They free Diego from the car by opening the door, as he runs towards Becky. The mother and son then go towards Becky to check if she’s doing alright. Becky indicates that she is doing okay as the cops arrive. The narrative doesn’t reveal if Becky contacts Kayla after this point.
She has a difficult time accepting her father’s relationship with Kayla, as shown earlier in the story. She may find it hard to look at Kayla or Ty as friends, since it is a complex scenario. Jeff’s death presumably severs any ties left between Kayla and Becky. It is interesting to observe that Becky had an emotional reaction when Cole assumed Kayla was her stepmother. At that point, she probably assumes that she and Kayla can have a real bond. However, the ensuing violence and the circumstances make it tough for Becky to pursue any meaningful friendship with a woman who was destined to be her stepmother.
The same feelings extend to Ty, whose fate is tied to Kayla’s. It can be presumed that Becky will cross paths with Kayla and Ty again at some point in the future, but it wouldn’t mean anything more than a casual acquaintance. Despite the three of them sharing the bond of trauma, they may not find any way to connect on an emotional level. All in all, Becky will most likely be a lone wolf for the rest of her life, and Kayla will raise Ty by herself.
What Does the Key Open? What Does the Last Shot Signify?
The key that Dominick looks for is a mysterious object with a possible link to Nazi symbolism. It is never revealed what it opens or represents, beyond a few hints. Since Dominick is a staunch believer in Nazi ideology, he may have hidden something symbolic, for which the key might possibly be used. A simple approach to this mystery would be to assume that the key is just a normal key that opens a locker full of money or gold. Dominick is extremely obsessed with it and considers it a reward for the time that he has spent being incarcerated. When Kayla asks him what the key opens, he talks about race and purpose. This hints at the possibility that the key means more than material wealth. It could possibly hide a message, a symbol, or something connected to the Nazi view of racial divide.
Dominick tells Kayla that he is doing this not only for his race but also for her people. So whatever the key unlocks could possibly lead to greater racial division. The story moves between the natural and supernatural worlds due to the enigma of the key. It could also open an object of great power, or a weapon. The narrative purposely doesn’t give the viewers more because the key adds to the element of suspense. The viewers were probably never supposed to find out what it actually means. The last shot of the film is a haunting moment that defines Becky’s character. She sits in the police station and is questioned by the cops. They don’t find out anything about her and believe whatever she tells them.
The Sheriff knows that Becky has brutally killed her attackers, which worries him. Becky’s violence leads to her liberation, but it also drives her towards a deeper sense of isolation. At the very end of the movie, she twists the mysterious key, which she wears around her neck. This could signify that she is either obsessed with the key or is wearing it as a symbol of her defeating the Neo-Nazis. Whatever her purpose is, she is now a transformed individual who has seen enough violence. In conclusion, the key, just like Becky, will always be enigmatic.
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