Catfight 2017

Drama

Comedy

Rank

#4,067

Box Office

$2.7K

Runtime

95 min

Language

English

Directed by

Onur Tukel

Made by

Dark Sky Films

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Catfight Plot Summary

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

Artist Ashley Miller Sandra Oh and housewife Veronica Salt Anne Heche are two unhappy women navigating difficult lives while the world outside grows more tense. Ashley struggles to sell her artwork, which strains her relationship with her girlfriend Lisa, and Veronica, an alcoholic, faces disdain from her husband Stanley as she mocks her son Kip’s drawing talent. Both women keep an eye on the news reports about rising tension between the United States and the Middle East, a backdrop that mirrors their own unraveling lives.

Stanley throws a party for his business partner, and Lisa the caterer ropes Ashley into helping with the preparations. Veronica comes by for a drink, and the two women recognize each other from college. What starts as awkward small talk quickly devolves into sharp barbs. Veronica is told to leave by Stanley, and she encounters Ashley in the stairwell. The encounter escalates from insults to a physical confrontation. Ashley gains the upper hand and punches Veronica in the face. When Veronica attempts to stand, she loses her balance, trips down the stairs, and slips into a coma.

Two years pass. Veronica awakens with no memory of the fight. She learns that her husband has shot himself, her son Kip died while serving in the Middle East, and her money was spent on her treatment. She moves in with her former housekeeper Donna and finds work as a maid. Ashley, now a famous artist, has a darker style inspired by the war, and her relationship with Lisa frays as they decide to start a family through a sperm donor. Veronica discovers a magazine cover featuring Ashley and grows resentful of her success. She clashes with Donna over opinions about the war, moves into a cheap hotel, and discovers Kip’s video letter to her that reveals he left school to join the Army to make her proud. The emotional weight of Kip’s choice brings Veronica to tears.

Veronica attends Ashley’s gallery opening and sees a painting that depicts her bloodied face from the earlier fight, which triggers memories. She begins destroying Ashley’s paintings, and when Ashley tries to intervene, they engage in a brutal physical struggle. Veronica overpowers Ashley, striking her with a wrench and escaping with a painting of her own face. Ashley pursues her, and the two battle with implements as the intensity deepens. Veronica delivers a decisive blow, hitting Ashley over the head with a wrench, and a falling cinder block leaves Ashley unconscious.

Two years later, Ashley wakes to discover she has lost her baby during the coma, that Lisa has left her, and that she is financially ruined as her paintings were sold to cover hospital bills. The United States has won the war on terror, but Ashley’s dark artistic style has fallen out of favor. Sally, Ashley’s former assistant, has risen to fame with cheerful blue bunny comics, while Ashley must work for her former assistant and try to restart her own painting career, only to find she cannot continue due to her injuries.

Ashley finds a bus ticket to Pennsylvania, recognizing it belongs to Veronica, who has been caring for her Aunt Charlie. Ashley arrives and plans to “destroy” Veronica, but the two discover they share unexpected connections. Veronica shows Ashley recordings made by Kip; hearing them helps her feel that her son remains with her in some way and heals some of her anger toward Ashley. Ashley is moved, but a spill destabilizes the moment, and Veronica reveals she never backed up the files. They begin fighting again, moving outside into the woods. The two women throw punches while they sob, a raw, compromised moment that Aunt Charlie watches from the window. The camera that captured their confrontation suddenly reboots, revealing it was not broken after all.

Catfight Timeline

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

Unhappy lives under global tension

Ashley Miller struggles to sell her artwork while her relationship with girlfriend Lisa falters. Veronica Salt, an alcoholic housewife, is mocked by her husband and watches the news about rising tensions in the Middle East. Both women feel cut off from happiness as the world seems to spin toward conflict.

Their homes, United States

Stanley's party sparks a volatile encounter

Stanley hosts a party for his business partner while Lisa, the caterer, forces Ashley to help. Veronica arrives and the two women trade sharp insults, recognizing one another from college. The tension escalates until Veronica is told to leave, and she collides with Ashley in a stairwell.

Evening Stanley's house (party)

The stairwell fight leaves Veronica comatose

The altercation turns physical as Ashley lands a punch. Veronica, trying to rise, slips on the stairs and falls into a coma. The traumatic fight marks the end of that moment and begins the two-year gap before events resume.

That night Stanley's house stairwell

Two years later: Veronica wakes and learns tragedy

Veronica awakens with no memory of the fight and discovers her husband has killed himself, her son died fighting in the Middle East, and all their money has gone to pay for her treatment. She moves in with her former housekeeper Donna and takes a job as a maid. Her new life is a stark contrast to her earlier existence.

Two years after coma Hospital; Donna's home

Ashley’s surge to fame and plans for a family

Ashley becomes a famous artist as the war inspires her dark paintings. She and Lisa decide to start a family using a sperm donor, but their differing beliefs drive a growing estrangement between them. The war’s consequences begin to shape both their futures.

Around two years after coma Ashley's studio/home

Veronica confronts Ashley's success and loses her place

Veronica sees Ashley on a magazine cover and feels anger at her rival’s fame. She clashes with Donna about the war and eventually moves out, finding shelter in a cheap hotel. The distance between the two former adversaries widens as their lives diverge.

Months after awakening Donna's home; later cheap hotel

Kip’s choice and Veronica’s heartbreak

Veronica discovers Kip’s video revealing he left school to join the Army to make her proud, and she breaks down in tears. The revelation offers her a glimpse of her son and begins to soften the raw anger she felt toward Ashley. The moment adds a new layer to her healing.

Later Veronica's home

Gallery opening rekindles old wounds

Veronica attends Ashley's gallery opening and sees a painting depicting her bloodied face, triggering painful memories of their fight. She begins destroying paintings and punches Ashley, then grabs the painting and flees. The two clash with improvised tools, and a cinder block falls on Ashley, sending her into a coma once more.

Opening night Ashley's gallery

Second coma and the collapse of Ashley’s world

Two years pass before Ashley wakes again to find she has lost her baby during the coma, Lisa has left, and she is broke after paying hospital bills. Sally the assistant has become famous for her optimistic blue bunny comics, and Ashley can no longer paint due to her injuries. The war is over and her previous style has fallen from popularity.

Two years after second coma Hospital; Ashley's former studio

Ashley travels to Pennsylvania to confront Veronica

Ashley finds a bus ticket to Pennsylvania that belongs to Veronica, who has been caring for her Aunt Charlie. She arrives intending to 'destroy' Veronica, setting up a tense reunion. Veronica continues to live with Aunt Charlie and prepares for the difficult confrontation.

Later Pennsylvania

Reunion, Kip’s recordings and a haunting confrontation

Ashley and Veronica reconnect at Aunt Charlie's, and Veronica plays Kip's recordings, confessing they make her feel like her son is still with her. Ashley is moved, but a spilled drink compromises the camera, and Veronica reveals she never backed up the files. The two begin fighting again, chasing each other into the woods as they sob and confront their shared pain.

Evening Aunt Charlie's house and nearby woods

Ending: the vigil and the reboot

The fight continues in the woods with both women breaking down in tears, acknowledging their long-standing conflicts. Aunt Charlie watches from the window as the camera reboots, revealing the recording still exists and that truth and memory linger between them. The film closes on a note of unresolved hurt and reluctant connection.

Ending Woods near Aunt Charlie's house

Catfight Characters

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

Ashley Miller (Sandra Oh)

A once-struggling artist who becomes famous for dark, war-influenced paintings. Her relationship with Lisa strains as she grapples with trauma from the fight with Veronica, financial ruin after her coma, and a career that falters when her work loses popularity. She is driven, stubborn, and resilient, yet vulnerable to the scars of violence.

🎭 Artist 💼 Struggling 💥 Traumatic past

Veronica Salt (Anne Heche)

A housewife and alcoholic whose life unravels after the fight leaves her in a coma and memory lapses. She endures the loss of her husband and son, financial hardship, and a relocation to living with a housekeeper. Her arc centers on memory, anger, and a quest for meaning after violence reshapes her world.

💬 Memory 🧱 Trauma 🧭 Family ties

Catfight Settings

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

Time period

21st century (early 2000s–2010s)

Set in the 21st century during the ongoing War on Terror, the story weaves two-year leaps in time to explore how violence and fame alter the women's lives. It juxtaposes the immediate aftermath of trauma with years of memory and change, showing how past events continue to echo. The timeline emphasizes cycles of escalation, separation, and eventual confrontation.

Location

United States, Middle East, Pennsylvania

The film unfolds primarily across domestic spaces in the United States, including art studios and homes, with the backdrop of a global conflict in the Middle East. The war's presence shapes the characters' lives, from the trauma of the fight to the aftermath at home. In the final act, a trip toward Pennsylvania brings the personal drama into a new setting that mirrors the film's themes of collision and reconciliation.

🇺🇸 United States 🗺️ Middle East 🗺️ Pennsylvania

Catfight Themes

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

🤝

Forgiveness

The film probes whether the women can move beyond rage and resentment. It traces how shared pain can soften hardened hearts, even as memories of violence threaten to pull them apart. The ending hints that understanding and empathy may emerge from confronted trauma rather than from revenge.

💭

Trauma

Trauma threads through both women's lives, shaping decisions, relationships, and self-perception. The coma, memory loss, and the war's consequences show how surviving violence persists long after the event. The narrative uses flashbacks and revelatory conversations to unpack what remains after physical injuries heal.

🎨

Art

Art becomes both a livelihood and a battleground for identity. Ashley's shift to darker, war-inspired paintings contrasts with Veronica's memory-driven motivations, highlighting how creativity can reflect inner turmoil. The story frames art as a social currency, whose value rises and falls with public opinion and personal upheaval.

💔

Family

Family ties drive the characters' choices and betrayals, from partnerships to dependents affected by conflict. The film looks at how familial relationships fracture under stress and then attempt to heal amidst shared history. Through confrontations and reconciliation dialogues, it suggests that family can both wound and anchor us.

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Catfight Spoiler-Free Summary

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

In a world humming with the uneasy quiet of geopolitical unease, two women whose lives have drifted far apart find themselves thrown together at a seemingly ordinary gathering. Veronica moves through the polished corridors of a wealthy household, her outward composure masking a restless dependency on alcohol and a growing sense of emptiness that tinges every interaction with her husband and son. Meanwhile, Ashley lives amid the precarious bustle of an artist’s studio, fighting to sell her work while the strain in her relationship with her girlfriend hangs like a fragile canvas waiting for the next brushstroke.

The backdrop of distant tensions between nations mirrors the private battles each woman carries. Veronica’s marriage is strained by expectations she never asked for, her son’s ambitions casting a shadow that only deepens her isolation. Ashley wrestles with the relentless pressure to be seen, her financial insecurity gnawing at the edges of her creative vision. Their shared past, a college friendship that once seemed full of promise, lies buried beneath years of unsaid grievances and unexamined insecurities.

When the two cross paths again, the air crackles with an unspoken history that neither can ignore. Small talk quickly becomes a delicate dance of barbs and lingering glances, each woman sensing the other’s hidden wounds. The party’s festive veneer begins to feel like a stage for something far more primal, hinting at a confrontation that could expose the raw edges of their identities.

The film settles into a tone that is both intimate and stark, blending the quiet dread of personal unraveling with the broader anxieties of an unsettled world. Its visual style leans into muted colors and tight close‑ups, drawing the viewer into the simmering tension that simmers just beneath the surface, promising a clash that will force both Veronica and Ashley to confront the parts of themselves they have long tried to keep hidden.