Skincare 2024

Hope Goldman, portrayed by Elizabeth Banks, is a well-known aesthetician based in Los Angeles who has built a successful skincare business alongside her trusted assistant and PR representative, Marine. Her life takes a tumultuous turn after she makes a public appearance on The Brett & Kylie Show to promote her new skincare line. During the segment, she learns with dismay that a new competitor, a skincare clinic owned by Luis Gerardo Méndez’s character Angel Vergara, is opening directly across from her own studio. Angel not only asks her not to park her car in her usual spot—now reserved for his customers—but also seems to stir further trouble by creating an almost hostile environment for her.

Later, Hope returns to her studio to attend to Colleen, played by Wendie Malick, one of her regular clients. Colleen introduces her to her younger friend Jordan Weaver, a self-proclaimed life coach, played by Lewis Pullman. As Hope continues her work, her peaceful routine is disturbed when she receives a concerning text containing a video of herself inside her studio, followed by a threatening phone call. The next day, Colleen informs her that someone has sent an email from her email address to all her contacts, falsely claiming she is emotionally unstable, in debt, and sexually frustrated. This malicious message causes many of her clients to cancel their appointments, severely damaging her reputation.

Adding to her escalating troubles, her segment on The Brett & Kylie Show is abruptly replaced by an interview with Angel, which heightens her suspicions that someone is attempting to sabotage her livelihood. She discusses these issues with Nathan Fillion’s character Brett Wright, who blames the show’s producers for airing Angel’s interview instead of hers. Brett then drives her home and, in a pushy and inappropriate move, tries to convince her to have sex with him, which she firmly declines because of his marital status. Despite her rejection, Brett offers to reinstate her segment on the show in exchange for oral sex, a proposal Hope firmly refuses, even claiming she has recorded their conversation as evidence—though she insists she has since deleted the recording.

Her fears intensify when her tires are slashed, prompting her to call the police. She takes her car to a local garage, where Armen, played by Erik Palladino, suggests the damage could be a warning. Hope shows him some explicit text messages she received, which raises her concern about her safety. Armen recommends she carry a firearm, and although she initially goes gun shopping, she ultimately chooses to buy pepper spray instead for her protection.

Her troubles worsen when a strange man shows up at her salon claiming he wants to have sex with her. Jordan, her new confidant, forcibly removes him from the premises. Further investigations reveal that someone has posted personal ads online at her workplace, inviting others for sex—a move clearly designed to destroy her reputation. As her professional standing crumbles, she loses her main clients to Angel, strengthening her belief that Angel himself is behind the ongoing sabotage. She tries to involve local authorities and her landlord for help, but they dismiss her concerns as paranoia.

The stranger who appeared at her salon turns out to be an actor working for Jordan. As Hope and Jordan grow closer, she confides in him about Angel’s problematic behavior. Jordan promises to handle the situation and goes to confront Angel, but instead of a direct confrontation, he offers Angel his life coaching services, which Angel declines. Tensions reach a boiling point when Hope discovers that Jordan has been secretly sabotaging her—she finds out from surveillance footage that Jordan was responsible for slashing her tires.

In a desperate bid to protect herself, Armen attempts to intervene at Angel’s house but is fatally hit by a truck while trying to drive away after knocking Angel out. Hope then calls Jordan, demanding he come immediately, only for Jordan to call the police and anonymously accuse Hope of attacking Angel. The truth spirals further as Hope confronts Jordan at his apartment, leading to a physical altercation where she strikes him with a baseball bat. Later that evening, as Hope is preparing herself, police arrive and arrest her, along with Jordan.

While the film depicts these harrowing events, Angel recovers from his ordeal, and the man who broke into Hope’s house reassures Brett Wright that Hope deleted a crucial recording from her phone, preventing her from incriminating herself. Remarkably, her segment on The Brett & Kylie Show finally airs, but under a new title, “the killer facialist,” which underscores the turmoil she endured.

Throughout the film, the story explores themes of vulnerability, betrayal, and resilience as Hope navigates an increasingly hostile environment, fighting to clear her name and protect her reputation amid mounting conspiracy and danger.