Saagar Kote
‘The Roommate’ revolves around the life of Sara Matthews, who is a new student at the University of Los Angeles. She hopes to achieve something in the world of fashion design and is a friendly individual. She moves into the university’s dorm, where Rebecca Evans is her new dorm roommate. The two women bond instantly and look forward to their time together. What starts as a friendly beginning soon descends into chaos as Rebecca’s behavior gets increasingly unpredictable. Sara begins to think that her roommate’s actions are weird, and also worries about the potential consequences.
As time passes, Sara’s life falls into greater uncertainty as Rebecca continues to exhibit signs of obsession. Though the reasons behind her behavior are mysterious, Sara realizes that she is in the middle of a messy situation. When Rebecca begins targeting people close to Sara, the stakes grow deadlier. Towards the end of the narrative, Sara and Rebecca’s fates hang in the balance, as devastating truths come to light. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Roommate Plot Synopsis
Sara Matthews, a freshman at the University of Los Angeles, moves into her dorm room, choosing her bed before her roommate arrives. She soon meets Tracy and her roommate, Kim, and joins them at a frat party. There, Sara drinks and dances, catching the attention of Stephen, a drummer. After an awkward introduction, Sara and Stephen head back to the university campus at night and share a brief kiss. Sara returns to her room and discovers her roommate, Rebecca Evans, has already moved in. The next day, they get to know each other while shopping for supplies. Sara explains her past relationship with Jason, which ended after he chose a different college. The two women bond over their shared interest in art, though Rebecca refuses to show her sketches. Sara joins a fashion design class after impressing Professor Roberts.
Sara is stranded at a club after Tracy leaves her, so she calls Rebecca for help. Rebecca picks her up, and the two grow closer afterward, spending time together around the city. During one outing, Sara reveals a tattoo above her chest in honor of her late sister, Emily. Rebecca begins showing signs of attachment, going through Sara’s belongings and trying on the necklace that belonged to Emily. Sara tells her roommate not to put on the necklace, as it means something to her. During one of her walks, Sara finds a stray kitten and takes her in, naming her Cuddles. Around the same time, Sara starts working at a coffee shop and has a conversation with Stephen, agreeing to go out with him.
However, she cancels plans with him when Rebecca books tickets to an art event for herself and Sara. Later, Sara reconnects with Irene, an older friend and stylist, who offers her career advice and later suggests she move in with her. Meanwhile, Tracy is attacked in the dorm showers by an unseen person who threatens her, leading Tracy to move out of the dorm. Sara and Stephen grow closer, but Rebecca becomes increasingly possessive about her roommate. She interferes with Sara’s personal life, even answering a private call from Jason and engaging in seductive conversation. When Sara considers moving in with Irene, Rebecca reacts strongly. Shortly after, Rebecca secretly kills Cuddles the kitten and injures herself, falsely claiming she was attacked. She manipulates Sara into promising to never leave her.
Things escalate further when Professor Roberts behaves inappropriately with Sara. Rebecca later frames him by pretending to be sexually interested in him, leading to his ouster from the university. Sara remains unaware of Rebecca’s role in this. During Thanksgiving, Sara visits Rebecca’s wealthy family. Rebecca’s mother secretly asks Sara if her daughter has been taking medication. This shocks Sara, as she has never seen her roommate take any medication. Back on campus, Sara discovers that Rebecca has a prescription for serious mental health conditions. Rebecca grows jealous of Irene’s connection to Sara and seduces her, eventually going to Irene’s apartment. Sara considers moving out of the dorm after realizing Rebecca might be dangerous.
Before she can fully explain, Rebecca convinces her to get a tattoo, revealing afterward that she has copied Sara’s “Emily” tattoo, claiming they are now like sisters. Disturbed, Sara finally leaves and moves temporarily to Stephen’s place. Meanwhile, Jason arrives in town and tries to reconnect with Sara. Rebecca, now altering her appearance to resemble Sara, goes to Jason’s hotel room, deceives him into thinking she is Sara, and kills him. Sara rushes towards Irene’s house after finding out that she needs her. Stephen receives a message from Sara, who tells him to meet her at Irene’s place.
The Roommate Ending: Is Rebecca Dead or Alive? How Does Sara Survive?
A worried Sara reaches Irene’s apartment and remains unsure why Irene is in danger. When she sees the door is open, she becomes anxious about what’s happening inside the house. She decides to intervene and starts searching for Irene. When Sara enters the bedroom, she notices that Irene has been tied to the bed against her will and is being treated like a hostage. Before Sara can come to terms with the gravity of the situation, Rebecca enters the scene and threatens her with a gun. This is a disturbing moment for Sara as she realizes how obsessed Rebecca is. Rebecca then discusses her recent actions and says that all she ever wanted was Sara’s friendship. When she reveals that she was involved in what happened to Tracy, Cuddles, and Professor Roberts, Sara’s fear only gets worse.
Sara tries to stay calm and somehow survive the situation. Understanding that Rebecca craves acceptance, she tells her she is her friend and asks her to forgive her. Rebecca realizes that Sara is lying and gets hysterical. To keep Sara in control, she tries to kill Irene. As Rebecca attempts to strangle Irene on the bed, Sara comes closer, trying to stop her at any cost. Sara begs Rebecca to stop, but the latter grows angrier. The two start fighting, and Sara tries her best to save Irene. Sara manages to lock her roommate out of the bedroom and begins freeing Irene. However, Rebecca, who still has the gun with her, shoots at the door and breaks it open. Irene urges Sara to escape through the window, but there is no fire escape, and they are very high up.
Sara moves toward the window, but just then, Rebecca rushes inside with the gun. Sara hangs outside the window, holding on to the curtain desperately to avoid falling. Rebecca turns towards Irene and points the gun at her. Just as she is about to pull the trigger, Stephen rushes in and saves Irene. Stephen overpowers Rebecca and neutralizes her. When he goes to the window to pull Sara inside, Rebecca shockingly strikes him on the head with a heavy metal object. Rebecca drags Sara back into the room, and they start fighting viciously. Sara manages to grab the gun and points it at Rebecca, who doesn’t believe she will actually fire. To Rebecca’s utter disbelief, Sara pulls the trigger multiple times, but the gun has no bullets left.
Seeing Sara pull the trigger makes Rebecca extremely angry and violent as she learns that she doesn’t want to be her friend. Rebecca screams and lunges at her. As they struggle, Rebecca starts choking Sara, who desperately reaches for the box cutter that belongs to the former. She finally grabs it and powerfully stabs Rebecca in the back, killing her instantly. As she delivers the killing blow, Sara tells Rebecca that she never considered her a friend. She then goes to Stephen, who regains consciousness. Sara retrieves Emily’s necklace from Rebecca’s corpse and finally achieves liberation.
Did Rebecca Love Sara? What is the Nature of Her Obsession?
From the moment she meets Sara, Rebecca shows signs of obsession with her. This is the heart of the story and determines the fate of the two roommates, who affect each other in inexplicable ways. It is very difficult to determine whether Rebecca was romantically attracted to Sara or if it was some other kind of obsession. One of the most crucial clues to deciphering Rebecca’s behavior is the revelation that she might be bipolar and schizophrenic. During Sara’s visit to Rebecca’s house, her mother tells her that her daughter is supposed to be on medication. But Sara has never seen her roommate take any medication, which makes her curious. When Rebecca is away, Sara carefully searches the room and finds a prescription for a pill named “Zyprexa.”
When Sara and Stephen do some online research about it, they find out that Zyprexa is prescribed for those who are bipolar and have schizophrenia. Since Rebecca has never taken the pills, it is highly likely that the medical conditions have been aggravated, causing mood swings and unpredictable behavior. Due to the difficulties posed by the two medical conditions, Rebecca may have assumed that Sara is her best friend. During high school, Rebecca used to assume that a woman named Maria was her close friend. However, when Maria sees Rebecca, she tells her that she was never her friend. Rebecca desperately looks for friends, but is clearly unsuccessful. She tries to do the same with Sara and is rejected again. Rebecca’s innate need to control those around her leads her to dangerous actions.
Though Sara initially doesn’t realize what her roommate is doing, she eventually comes to understand. Another possible reason for Rebecca’s obsession with her roommate could be sexual or romantic feelings. Rebecca becomes extremely jealous when she sees Sara getting close to her boyfriend, Stephen. She also targets Irene by seducing her. Rebecca likely assumed that Irene was romantically involved with Sara and grew jealous. This is why she wanted to kill Irene towards the end of the narrative. Rebecca also traps Professor Roberts, who forcibly kisses Sara. Her feelings for Sara are complex and cannot be reduced to a single reason. There is a possibility that Rebecca was unable to express her feelings towards those she was romantically attracted to in the past.
It is likely that she was pushed into a corner and discriminated against by her parents or friends, and forced to hide her sexual desires. This probably led her to assume she has to find love and acceptance through other means, by exerting total control over those she likes. Her mental health situation also adds a layer of complication to her personality. She refuses to take medication, as she doesn’t want to be under any external influence and wishes to be in total control of her actions. Ultimately, Sara’s bond with Rebecca and her extreme obsession are not simple phenomena, and might be a combination of multiple factors stemming from her mysterious past and uncertain present.
Does Sara Face Legal Consequences? Does She Move In With Stephen?
After killing Rebecca, Sara and Stephen comfort each other as they hear sirens in the background. Though the narrative doesn’t explicitly show what happened immediately after this moment, it can be inferred that the cops arrived at the scene and assessed the situation. The police officers might have concluded that Sara was acting in self-defense, which is why she had to kill Rebecca. This is the most likely scenario, as we see that Sara is not worried about the consequences of her actions towards the end of the story. She faces no legal consequences and looks forward to a brighter future.
With Rebecca out of the equation, Sara finally gets the chance to have a new dorm room for herself. Stephen helps her to get settled and even says that she can move in with him instead. After her experiences with Rebecca, Sara chooses to stay alone for a while and refuses to move in with her boyfriend. She also asks him to help her move the other bed in the dorm room into the hall, hoping to avoid having to share a room. Ultimately, Sara learns to rely on herself and not trust anyone easily. She will presumably live more peacefully and also achieve her career dreams.
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