THE WOMAN IN THE YARD

*CUT TO THE CHASE*

NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by Jeremy

The film opens as a woman named Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler) is watching a video of her talking to her late husband David (Russell Hornsby). He is talking about the home they live in, and how he wants to give it a name.

Ramona is crippled from a car accident that killed David. The wrecked car is still sitting outside the front of the house. She lives in an isolated area with her children Taylor (Peyton Jackson) and Annie (Estella Kahiha). She is a bit emotionally distant from them and is very strict. The house has also lost power, so the children are bored.

Outside, a mysterious woman (Okwui Okpokwasili) appears to be sitting outside in the front yard. Ramona goes outside to speak to her and ask what she is doing there. The Woman asks “How did I get here?” before her tone becomes sinister and menacing. She knows Ramona by name and knows the circumstances of her injury. She tells Ramona “Today’s the day” and shows her blood-stained palms.

Ramona tries to make sure the kids don’t go near the Woman. Taylor eventually gets suspicious and argues with Ramona, which leads to her throwing something at him. This scares Annie and makes her hide from her mother.

Taylor goes outside to confront the Woman with a rifle. She gets up from her seat and starts walking towards the house. She tells Taylor that Ramona is not telling him and Annie the whole truth about what happened the night their father died. After Ramona gets Annie to come back to her, Taylor has Annie go to him instead since he now doesn’t trust Ramona. He orders her to tell the truth about what happened the night that David died.

A flashback shows Ramona and David out at dinner. She expresses disillusionment with the place that they moved to and how she feels that she has to do everything for everyone and cannot focus on her needs and priorities. Ramona drove the car home while she and David were arguing, and since she wasn’t looking at the road, she caused the car accident. She confesses the truth to her kids, who now have their trust in their mother shattered.

The Woman then appears to be using her shadow to attack the family, sending furniture flying all over the place. Ramona gets the kids to hide upstairs in the attic, where it seems that the Woman is following them. She envelopes the house in darkness and reveals her scarred face to the children. Although Taylor is hidden, the Woman starts to make her way towards Annie, claiming she would never hurt her and just wants to take her home.

The scene then shifts to make it seem like Ramona is now in the position of the Woman, going back to when Ramona herself came out to ask her who she was, with Ramona being the one to ask “How did I get here?” It goes back to the attic, where Ramona is the one trying to get Annie to go with her and trying to reassure her that everything is okay.

Ramona eventually confronts the Woman and tries to make a deal to protect the children. Ramona sends Taylor and Annie away from the house for their safety while it seems that the Woman is going to force Ramona to commit suicide with the rifle. Before Ramona pulls the trigger, the Woman reveals that she appeared because Ramona had been praying for strength to take care of the kids on her own. Once Ramona regains the willpower to live, the Woman disappears.

The children make their way back to the house and find Ramona, where she embraces them. The lights go back on in the house, which the family celebrates. A sign is shown that David and Ramona named the house “Iris Haven”.

The last shot is a painting that appears to depict the Woman’s face, along with Ramona’s name written backwards at the bottom.

Ramona is a single mother who was crippled after a car accident that killed her husband David. She cares for their two children Taylor and Annie, but she is strict and emotionally distant from them. A mysterious woman appears in the front yard, claiming that "Today's the day".

Ramona tries to keep the kids away from the Woman, who seems to know the true circumstances around David's death. Ramona made the kids think that he was driving and caused the accident, but it was really Ramona who was driving and crashed the car after an argument with David. The Woman then seems to be using a dark power to antagonize the family and seemingly take the kids away. Ramona surrenders herself to the Woman and agrees to send the kids away for safety if she is going to die.

The Woman turns out to simply be some sort of spirit that appeared because Ramona was praying for strength after David's death so she can take care of the children. Once she regains the willpower to live, the Woman disappears, and Ramona reunites with Taylor and Annie. A painting in the family's house later shows the Woman's face.