Totem 2017

Crime

Box Office

$51K

Runtime

92 mins

Language

Polish

Directed by

Jakub Charon

Made by

Charon Media

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Totem Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Totem (2017). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

Kellie and Abby, two sisters, are navigating life after their mother Lexy’s death. When Kellie discovers a necklace that once belonged to Lexy, she notices it has a strange power: it seems to move objects. Convinced the piece is connected to her mother’s spirit, Kellie starts to sense a lurking presence in their home. The discovery unsettles the family, especially when their father, James, interprets the moving objects as a sign that Kellie is trying to sabotage his budding relationship with his girlfriend, Robin, who has just moved in.

Robin steps into a busy role trying to normalize life for the sisters, taking on household duties and attempting to ease Kellie into a sense of normalcy. But Kellie remains wary, and the uneasy balance at home is shaken further when Kellie witnesses a chilling vision: a standing corpse wrapped in plastic on the bleachers during track practice. This eerie image gnaws at her, and when they return home, Robin is seen gagging on long strands of blond hair, visibly shaken by something she’s experienced.

A family history twist deepens the mystery. Bernard, Lexy’s father, shows up, and during a conversation with Robin, it’s revealed that Robin knew Lexy and James in the past as a mutual friend. This connection adds a layer of ambiguity about the spirit behind the disturbances, suggesting the history between the adults may be bound to the present danger.

Kellie tries to document the haunting, hanging Christmas ornaments on every door and setting up motion detectors to collect evidence of the entity. The devices seem to respond most around the family cat, whose presence triggers frantic beeps before the animal darts away. Kellie even threatens to burn the totem, hoping to force the entity to reveal itself. In retaliation, the entity knocks over a bookcase, crushing the cat and escalating the peril in the house.

That night the danger becomes personal and aggressive. The entity grows stronger and reaches for Abby, forcing the family to flee and seek help from Bernard. At first, Bernard refuses to believe their story, but as the possibility that the entity is his late daughter surfaces, he rushes back into the house, putting himself and everyone else at greater risk. Kellie’s boyfriend, Todd, arrives with some obscure knowledge about destroying totems, offering a possible path to safety.

A ruthless chain of revelations follows. Kellie hides Todd in her room while she shifts blame onto Robin for the mounting chaos. Bernard’s health worsens, and in a cruel moment, Kellie uses his inhaler to feign helping him, then drains the supply, leading to his death. Robin, searching for Abby, uncovers a wedding ring hidden in the base of one of Kellie’s trophies, a clue that deepens the sense of betrayal and hidden motives within the family. When confronted, Kellie accuses Robin of weakness while claiming her father needed someone stronger, pushing Robin toward a dangerous confrontation in a bathtub that ends with Robin seemingly drowning.

The violence peaks as Kellie targets Todd and then her own father. She fatally strikes Todd with a hard blow and hurries to extract Abby from a crawlspace. James discovers the truth, realizing Kellie is behind the carnage. He’s knocked unconscious and tied to a chair as Kellie wrestles with the totem, trying to persuade him that they belong together. Robin awakens and emerges to try and rescue James and Abby, but Kellie pursues Robin in a rage, aiming to kill her with a shard of glass. The mother’s spirit reappears to frighten Kellie, who collapses in fear, and the final blow comes when Kellie is impaled on a sharp, pointed artifact that pierces her face.

The closing image offers a fragile spark of hope. The film ends with the three survivors—Abby, James, and Robin—resting inside a small, parked house in a quiet, desolate location. They seem to be on the path to recovery, with Abby continuing to speak to someone unseen, suggesting the haunting may be over for now, but the echoes of the past linger in the shadows of their new sanctuary.

Totem Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of Totem (2017) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Kellie discovers Lexy's moving necklace

After Lexy’s death, Kellie finds a necklace that belonged to her mother. The object seems capable of moving things, hinting at a link to Lexy’s spirit. This discovery sets the stage for a widening supernatural influence in the family.

After Lexy's death Kellie's room

Totem knocks trophies; James suspects Kellie

The totem smashes a row of Kellie's trophies, drawing James's suspicion that Kellie is sabotaging his relationship with Robin. Kellie tries to explain, but the incident heightens the household tension. The haunting remains unseen, yet increasingly menacing.

Evening Family home, Kellie's room

Robin moves in and changes the household routine

Robin arrives as James's girlfriend and begins handling household duties to normalize Kellie's life. Kellie feels unsettled by the changes but tries to be kind to Robin. The power of the unseen entity grows as the family adjusts.

First days after Robin's move-in Family home

Kellie has a disturbing vision at track practice

During track practice, Kellie is startled by a vision of a standing corpse wrapped in plastic on the bleachers. The eerie sight hints at a dark history connected to the house. The vision deepens Kellie’s fear that the entity is actively targeting the family.

Track practice (afternoon) Track field

Bernard visits and reveals Robin's past ties

Bernard, Lexy’s father, visits Kellie and Robin and reveals a shared past with them as mutual friends. The revelation complicates loyalties and stirs old memories. Kellie’s trust in the adults around her begins to fracture under the weight of the haunting.

Day of Bernard's visit Family home

Kellie sets up ornaments and motion detectors

Kellie decorates doors with Christmas ornaments and installs motion detectors to document the entity's activity. She hopes this will prove the haunting to her family. The preparation marks a shift toward a more obsessive, investigative response to the supernatural presence.

Evening House hallways/doors

The cat's proximity triggers the entity's activity

Around the family cat, the entity becomes more reactive, causing the motion detectors to beep frantically. The cat's fear and the detectors' alerts heighten the sense that the entity is surveilling the household. Kellie grows more determined to uncover and confront the entity.

Later that night House interior

A violent supernatural attack; a bookcase falls

In a confrontation with the entity, a bookcase is toppled and crushes the family cat, showing the entity's dangerous power. The moment shatters the family’s sense of safety and escalates the fear among the occupants. Kellie realizes the entity will not be easily exorcised or controlled.

That night Living room

Abby is abducted; Bernard initially refuses to believe

The entity intensifies and attempts to abduct Abby, forcing the family to call Bernard for help. At first, Bernard refuses to believe their story, delaying any rescue. After considering the possibility the entity is Lexy’s ghost, he rushes back into the house to assist.

Night Family home

Bernard's death due to Kellie's deception

Bernard struggles with respiratory issues, and Kellie deceitfully exhausts his inhaler, depleting his puffs and causing his death. The tragedy hits the family hard and widens the rift between Kellie and the others. The hauntings take on a new, personal and deadly edge.

Following night Bernard's location within the home

Wedding ring discovery and Robin's confrontation

Robin discovers a wedding ring hidden in the base of a Kellie trophy, triggering a confrontation about Kellie's motives. Kellie claims her mother was weak and pushes Robin into the bathtub, causing her to appear to drown. The family fractures further as fear and guilt overwhelm them.

Late night Trophy room / Bathroom

Todd's murder and the family confrontation peaks

Kellie sneaks up on Todd and strikes him dead before hurrying to Abby in the crawlspace. James discovers the bodies and realizes Kellie is responsible, tying him to a chair as Kellie tries to destroy the totem. The confrontation escalates until Kellie is confronted by her mother's spirit, and she is impaled on a spike as Robin attempts to intervene.

Late night Family home

Survivors retreat to a tiny house

The three survivors retreat to a tiny house parked in a deserted, serene location, offering a fragile sense of safety. Abby continues to talk to someone unseen, suggesting lingering contact with the supernatural. The image ends with a wary hope for a calmer, yet unsettled future.

Ending Tiny house in a desert location

A fragile new routine

The family attempts to settle into a fragile routine in exile, aware that the entity's influence may not be completely gone. Abby continues to speak to someone beyond the visible world, hinting at ongoing haunting threads. The ending leaves a quiet, uneasy sense of hope amid the trauma.

After ending Deserted location / Tiny house

Totem Characters

Explore all characters from Totem (2017). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Kellie

A 17-year-old sister whose grief and longing for her deceased mother drive her to seek connection with the totem. She becomes increasingly determined, using the artefact to manipulate the environment and the family, even as the danger escalates into violence.

🧠 Determined 😨 Cautious 🪬 Obsessive

Abby

Kellie’s younger sister who navigates the terrifying events with a mix of fear and resilience. She hides in the crawlspace with her sibling and seeks safety as the family fractures under pressure.

👶 Vulnerable 💪 Brave 🧭 Loyal

James

The father who attempts to keep the family together but is overwhelmed by the haunting and the escalating violence. His final moments reveal a fragile, protective instinct and a willingness to risk himself for his daughters.

👨 Protective 😟 Stressed 🧩 Fatherly

Robin

The girlfriend of James who moves into the family home to help but becomes entangled in Kellie’s accusations and the supernatural danger. She is traumatized, fights for Abby, and ultimately survives after a tense confrontation.

👩‍🦰 Intrusive 🛡️ Compassionate 🌀 Traumatized

Bernard

Lexy’s father who enters the scene as a reluctant ally. He initially doubts the supernatural claims but later rushes back in to protect the family, revealing his own connections to Lexy’s past.

👤 Skeptical 🧭 Knowledgeable 🏚️ Familial

Todd

Kellie’s boyfriend who provides information on how to destroy the totem and who is drawn into the perilous situation. He helps Kellie, but is killed during the struggle.

💥 Helpful 😵 Fatal 🪄 Resourceful

Lexy

The deceased mother whose memory haunts Kellie and underscores the family’s motivation and vulnerability. Though not physically present, she influences events through Kellie’s actions and visions.

🌸 Maternal 🕊️ Remembrance 🌀 Haunting

Totem Settings

Learn where and when Totem (2017) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Location

Family home, Track field, Deserted tiny-house location

A family home where Kellie, Abby, and their father James reside after Lexy’s death. The house holds a hidden menace as a mysterious totem begins moving objects and channels the mother's memory. The film also visits a nearby track field with bleachers, where Kellie briefly encounters a terrifying vision, and it ends with the trio in a remote, deserted tiny house that signals a fragile attempt at safety.

🏠 Domestic setting 👻 Supernatural 🕯️ Grief

Totem Themes

Discover the main themes in Totem (2017). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

🔮

Haunting

A supernatural presence threads through the family home, manifesting as the totem and visions that blur the line between the living and the dead. The haunting destabilizes normal family life and forces confrontations about trust, memory, and power within the household.

💔

Grief

The death of Lexy casts a long shadow over Kellie and Abby, shaping their reactions to the stranger (Robin) moving in and to the strange behavior surrounding the totem. Grief drives dangerous dynamics as the daughters cling to unresolved memories while the father struggles to protect them.

⚖️

Power

Control becomes a central currency as Kellie leverages the totem to shape family dynamics, while others resist or fear its consequences. The struggle highlights how vulnerability can be weaponized and how fragile authority can become when the supernatural intervenes.

🔎

Secrets

Hidden histories—Robin's past with the mother, Bernard's knowledge, and Kellie's true intentions—surface as the family confronts the mystery. The tension comes from what is known, what is believed, and what each character is willing to do to protect their version of the truth.

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Totem Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of Totem (2017). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In a gritty urban landscape where neon lights flicker over damp streets, a recently freed convict tries to rebuild a life that feels perpetually out of reach. Wild lands a job as a goalkeeper in a bustling nightclub, a world that pulses with music, sweat, and the unspoken promise of swift escape from the shadows that have always lingered behind him. His girlfriend, a magnetic dancer named Dagmara, moves through the crowd with a fierce determination that mirrors his own yearning for a future free from the grip of poverty.

Family ties pull the duo in another direction, as Wild looks up to his older brother, Igor, a figure both revered and feared for his place at the apex of the city’s criminal hierarchy. Igor offers a complicated mix of protection and caution, trying to keep his brother away from the darker currents that define his own power. Their relationship is a delicate balance of admiration, rivalry, and an unspoken agreement that the line between loyalty and self‑preservation is razor‑thin.

The film breathes a tense, electric atmosphere, blending the raw energy of the nightclub’s backstage world with the hushed, menacing undercurrents of the city’s illicit networks. Each character walks a tightrope: Wild balances his desire to rise above his past with the temptation of quick, dangerous gains; Dagmara channels her ambition through performance, ever aware of the fragile stability of their shared dreams; and Igor navigates the paradox of shielding his brother while steering his own empire.

Through moody cinematography and a soundtrack that oscillates between pulse‑pounding beats and low‑key whispers, the story invites viewers into a world where every step forward could be a step deeper into the maze of retribution. The tension builds around choices that could shape destinies, leaving the audience poised on the edge of a precarious, ever‑shifting moral landscape.

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