Instead of easing viewers into the story, the movie starts with a dramatic narration revealing that Zoe and Anna (both played by Sasha Pieterse) are identical twins with an extremely close bond, so close that one might think they were physically joined.
But immediately, a collection of quick-cut scenes shows that despite their shared looks, their personalities couldn’t be more different. Anna is shown as cheerful and trusting, full of romantic dreams and often wearing her heart on her sleeve.
Anna dreams of forever, but Zoe sees a trap (Photo: The Image of You/Motion Picture Corporation of America [MPCA])
The film opens on a disturbing note, with one of the twins bleeding badly while the other stands nearby, holding a knife. The real story kicks off when Anna meets Nick (Parker Young), a handsome trader working in the stock market. Zoe does not trust him from the beginning and warns Anna that Nick is not to be trusted.
But Anna is drawn to him and ignores her sister’s reservations. They spend six weeks getting to know each other. News soon breaks that Nick’s mother has cancer, and this crisis makes him realise he wants to hold on to the people he loves. Moved by this, he proposes to Anna.
Although it’s only been six weeks, she joyfully accepts the proposal. Zoe can’t believe that Anna is already planning to get married. Anna, however, tells Zoe that she’s tired of always being in her shadow. With her mind made up, Anna introduces Nick to their parents, David (Nestor Carbonell) and Alexia (Mira Sorvino).
Both parents welcome Nick, but each reacts differently. David, who had earlier dismissed Zoe coldly in a previous scene, appears to have a warmer connection with Anna. Alexia is visibly uneasy around both twins. The news of the sudden engagement puts them on edge even more.
Up until this point, Nick had never met Zoe. That changes when Zoe unexpectedly calls him and invites him to dinner. When Nick sees her, her bold confidence immediately draws him in. Eventually, Zoe seduces Nick, and despite some hesitation, he gives in. They begin a secret affair, unknown to Anna.
During this affair, Zoe tells Nick something shocking—Anna was previously married, and the marriage ended because the husband had an affair with Zoe. Back then, Zoe had drug issues, and Anna placed more of the blame on the husband than her sister.
But now, knowing that he’s repeating the same mistake, Nick is eaten up with guilt.
How Did Anna Learn About Nick’s Affair?
Nick, overwhelmed with shame, tries to break off the relationship with Zoe. This doesn’t go well, and she walks out on him. Meanwhile, Rebecca (Michele Nordin), Nick’s sister, pays a visit to David and Alexia. During this visit, Alexia discovers the affair between Zoe and Nick. Rebecca later visits Anna’s apartment.
It’s useful to remember how the film began—with a twin bleeding out, possibly Anna. Soon after, Anna phones Nick, furious that she now knows about his affair with Zoe. Nick rushes over to her apartment. There, he finds Anna lifeless, just like in the opening scene.
Before he can process what has happened, he’s knocked unconscious. When he wakes up, he sees Zoe standing calmly in the room, with Anna’s body wrapped and ready for disposal. Zoe threatens Nick, saying that if he contacts the police, they’ll assume he’s the killer.
To back this up, she explains that she already scratched him using Anna’s fingernails. In a state of panic and confusion, Nick listens to her and disposes of the body in an incinerator. Later, guilt consumes him, and he decides to speak to David about everything.
Twist 1: Was Zoe Dead All Along?
Nick thinks he’s revealing a horrifying truth to David—that Zoe murdered Anna. But David then reveals the first shocking twist. He tells Nick that Zoe died three years ago. The disturbing scene at the beginning of the film took place years earlier. It wasn’t the same incident Nick witnessed earlier.
David explains that Zoe took her own life, blaming Anna for her misery. Since then, Anna has lived in denial, refusing to accept her sister’s death. Alexia highlights the intense connection that often exists between twins. Since the tragedy, Anna has tried to live both roles—hers and Zoe’s.
This means Nick never really met Zoe. He only encountered Anna pretending to be Zoe. Even with this truth, Nick is still confused because he did dispose of someone’s body. That leads to the next twist.
Twist 2: Is Rebecca killing Anna?
The body Nick incinerated turns out to be Rebecca’s. Anna killed her. Alexia, who is also dealing with her delusions, enabled Anna’s fantasy by going along with her split identity. That’s why Zoe “seemed” alive. David, however, never accepted the act.
A bloody beginning hints at more than sibling rivalry (Photo: The Image of You/Motion Picture Corporation of America [MPCA])
Anna played dead, and one of her colleagues knocked Nick unconscious, thinking Anna was teaching Nick a lesson for being unfaithful. While Nick was unconscious, Anna dressed as Zoe and placed Rebecca’s body in a blanket. When Nick woke up, he thought he was looking at Anna’s corpse.
Anna, now disguised as Zoe, urged him to get rid of the body, which he did, believing it was Anna. He had unknowingly cremated Rebecca.
Twist 3: Was Anna the “Evil One” All Along? What Happens to Nick?
After uncovering the dark secrets, Nick snaps and lashes out at Anna. She manages to escape with help from Alexia. David tries to calm the situation, but Anna ends up killing him, too. As Nick subdues Anna, Alexia unexpectedly knocks Nick unconscious and protects her daughter again.
Together, Anna and Alexia stage the situation so it looks like Nick is the one responsible for David’s death. When the authorities arrive, they arrest Nick. Later that night, Anna admits something even more disturbing to Alexia—Zoe didn’t sleep with her husband.
It was Anna who betrayed Zoe by sleeping with her boyfriend, pushing her into despair and eventually to suicide. So the earlier story Anna told about Zoe being responsible for her failed marriage was a lie. All signs now point to Anna as the true manipulator in this story.
