Mercy 2016

Grace Constance Barron is dying. She lies on a hospital bed set up on the second floor of her farmhouse, while her husband, George Dan Ziskie, does his best to tend to her care. One day, the doctor—revealed later to have been calling George multiple times—urges that Grace be given drugs to “ease her suffering.” He hands George a bag containing instructions and the drug, and George reluctantly takes it, slamming the door behind him.

Grace has four sons: two with her husband and two with her abusive ex-husband, a man who died and left a fortune in trust to Grace intended for Brad James Wolk and Travis Tom Lipinski, the sons of her first marriage. Yet [George] Dan Ziskie and his own boys, [Ronnie] Michael Godere and [TJ] Michael Donovan, scheme to seize the money for themselves. George tells his sons that he expects to inherit the windfall when Grace passes, and that the loot will eventually pass to his own children.

TJ later discovers the medical bag in the trash and questions his father about it. George urges his sons to keep quiet around their step-siblings and to avoid discussing the money in front of them. When the family gathers as Grace nears death, tensions rise, especially as Brad James Wolk arrives with his new girlfriend, [Melissa] Caitlin FitzGerald(/actor/caitlin-fitzgerald), whose presence is met with outright hostility.

As the evening unfolds, a hint of hidden tensions surfaces—what might be in the black bag to “end Grace’s pain” remains uncertain, and the question is met with an unsettling silence. > The drug is said to “ease Grace’s pain.”

Outside, masked men attack the property. Brad, Melissa, and Travis retreat into Grace’s room to hold them at bay, but the intruders retreat and instead light a fire on the front lawn, spelling out the word Mercy. They stand firm, awaiting the next move as Brad, Travis, and Melissa argue over what to do. Travis goes to his room to fetch his phone, only to find it missing, so he heads back outside and grabs a motorbike from the garage. A masked man intercepts him, throwing him off the bike; as Travis defends himself with punches, another masked assailant shoots him in the back.

The film rewinds to the day’s start, shifting to the perspectives of the other characters. George is seen attempting to burn the drug but is interrupted. As he searches for a match to light the fire pit, a masked man grabs the drug. Later that night, another masked man attempts to administer the drug to Grace but is surprised to find George sleeping in a chair in the room. When the intruder tries to leave, George awakens, and a scuffle ensues, ending with the back of George’s head striking the stairwell and killing him.

TJ wakes later, decides to watch TV, and discovers a videotape labeled Grace’s Church. The tape shows Grace inviting parishioners but is cut after church members notice bruises on her face, implying abuse from her ex-husband. TJ also finds a box of news clippings suggesting the ex-husband’s death is suspicious and that Grace’s church may be involved.

A masked man appears and drags TJ from the house. Ronnie wakes to use the bathroom and notes a missing staircase handle from the earlier scuffle; a broken curtain hook on the floor—he dismisses it, but a masked man suddenly bursts out and attacks him. Ronnie ends up with a head injury from the encounter.

The timeline returns to the earlier scene where Brad wakes Travis, warning that someone may be in the house. They investigate, switch on the power, and Melissa screams. Melissa runs into the woods and encounters TJ, mistakenly thinking he’s with the intruders. TJ is then stabbed by a masked man as Melissa flees back to Brad and Travis.

With Travis dead, Brad takes a stand to defend the house but is outnumbered. He and Melissa flee back upstairs toward Grace’s room, but Grace is knocked down and captured by the intruders. Brad apologizes and proceeds to administer the drug to Grace, shouting that he is now doing it.

The “drug”—purported to ease Grace’s pain—turns out to be medicine, not a lethal tool. The intruders reveal themselves to be Grace’s church members.

As the end unfolds, Grace is escorted out by the church members. They pause briefly in front of Brad, and Grace’s eyes roll toward her son. An implied, unseen moment suggests the doctor might have shot Brad, leaving the true fate of the family unsettled.