Directed by Andre Van Duren, Faithfully Yours brings forth a narrative that is quite contrary to its title. The film is about two women, their secrets, and a tragedy that brings chaos into their quiet lives and turns them upside down. It also comments on the changing dynamics of relationships in today’s time and how important it is to let a person act according to their will and not force them to do something, as it always has an adverse impact in the long-term.
Spoilers Alert
‘Faithfully Yours’ Plot Summary: What Is The Film About?
Bodil and her friend Isabel were leaving for Ostend for the weekend, and their husbands, Milan Saber and Luuk Luijten, respectively, had come to drop them off at the station. It seemed both the women often did a girls’ trip together whenever they got time from their hectic schedules. As soon as the women boarded the train, we realized that there was some foul play happening and that the plan was not to simply enjoy the weekend as they had told their husbands. Isabel had a burner phone with her, and she asked Bodil to keep her real phone in her possession, citing the fact that her husband had installed a tracker on it. We realized in the first few minutes of Faithfully Yours that the women were indulging in extramarital affairs, and they did so on a regular basis. Bodil’s husband seemed to be unaware of the entire situation(though later we realized otherwise), and that’s probably why he didn’t have any qualms about his wife’s loyalty, but Luuk was more perceptive. He had installed a tracker because he knew what his wife was capable of and didn’t approve of her actions, unlike Milan.
The entire trip was planned by Isabel, and she told Bodil to keep clicking pictures of the places they went to and send them to her husband so that he stayed under the impression that they were together at all times. Bodil did so, and she went ahead with the schedule. When they reached their house in Ostend, Bodil was shocked to see her sister, Yara, there. Bodil and her sister didn’t share a very good relationship, and of all places, Bodil didn’t expect her to be there. It felt like both the sisters had a lot of unresolved issues, and Yara, in particular, felt that her parents always favored Bodil as she was the obedient girl of the house. Bodil attended Michael Samules’ conference, a renowned philosopher who had gained a lot of popularity in recent articles. Michael and Bodil got intimate after his lecture, and Bodil decided to bring him back to her place. They spent the night together, and the next day, when they were enjoying the cold breeze near the beach, Bodil clarified that he should not have any sort of expectation from her. Bodil was very particular that she was not going to let her marriage get affected by her extramarital affairs and that she was doing it just for fun. Bodil very bluntly told him that she might not even recognize him in public if they bumped into each other. Michael got a bit ticked off by the comment and left the scene, probably because he had started liking Bodil.
What Did Bodil Find Out About Milan?
Bodil came back after a swim in the sea, and she was horrified when she saw blood on the floor. The first thought that came to her mind was that somebody had trespassed into the house and killed Isabel. Though Isabel was not supposed to stay with Bodil the entire weekend, Luuk had called and informed her that his ankle was broken and that he was not able to walk. He had booked train tickets for Isabel for the next day, but because she was at a different location and she got to know about it quite late, she wasn’t able to catch that particular train and decided to catch the next one. She had come to Bodil’s house to collect her phone and other stuff, and probably that’s when she was murdered.
Now Bodil was stuck in a mess, and she had no option but to inform Luuk and Milan about it and call the police. Isabel’s phone was missing, and there was no evidence to prove that she had been murdered, which is why Bodil was a bit hopeful. But the police found the phone, and there was a picture on it where it was seen that Isabel’s neck had been slit by a piano string and she had been murdered by the trespasser. Once Bodil disclosed the real purpose of their visit and told the police that Isabel was not staying with her, she, too, became a suspect.
All this while in Faithfully Yours, Milan was extremely calm and composed, and he did not question the loyalty of Bodil even once. Bodil had to send her son his essay, which was stored on Milan’s laptop, but when she opened it, she found some very disturbing videos on it. Milan had installed cameras in the entire house, and he had stored the footage of Bodil getting intimate with multiple men, which she used to do whenever she used to come there. Bodil got extremely scared, and she speculated that her husband might be behind the murder of her friend. Bodil took the laptop to the police, but Milan was able to delete all the recordings, and the police thought that Bodil was being delusional and that she was just wasting their time. After her visit to the police station, Bodil didn’t return to her house, as she was scared that Milan might hurt her. She went to Michael Samuel’s house, and to her horror, she found that a couple of strings from his piano were missing. Bodil didn’t understand what was happening, and once again, she suspected that Michael would have hired somebody to kill Isabel. She was just about to escape when she found Milan standing at the front door. Milan told her that he hadn’t killed anybody, and he used to keep the video recording because he liked seeing her with other men. Bodil still did not completely believe him, but she had no other option but to stay in the same house.
Was The Murderer’s Real Target Bodil?
Bodil had received a novel from an anonymous person, and she found that it was written by none other than Isabel’s husband, Luuk. She read the short description on the back of the book, and she saw that the protagonist’s name was Zadkin. She was reminded of that time when the investigating officers had told her that just before Isabel was murdered, somebody on the dark web, using the pseudonym Zadkin, had contacted an assassin and asked him to murder somebody. Bodil knew that Luuk was the one behind the murder. Luuk saw her reading his book, and he told her upfront that his target was not his wife but Bodil herself. Luuk believed that Bodil was a bad influence on his wife, and after she came into their lives, Isabel started going out and having affairs with other guys. He had told Isabel more than once not to meet Bodil, but she never listened to him. Luuk had lost his patience, and he realized that the only way he could get rid of the Bodil was by killing her. He knew that she was a judge, and it was not easy to take her out in their own city, which is why he had planned to kill them in Ostend so that the suspicion wouldn’t fall on him. Luuk attacked Bodil, but she was able to get the better of him and kill him by drowning him in the water. The police arrived at the scene but did not press any charges as they considered Bodil’s action an act of self-defense.
‘Faithfully Yours’ Ending Explained: Is Isabel Dead Or Alive?
The police had obtained CCTV camera footage in which Isabel and Yara, Bodil’s sister, were seen getting intimate in the lobby of the hotel room. Yara had also met Bodil and told her that she was planning to run away with Isabel because she didn’t want to stay with her husband, and she was scared that he might do something to her. At the end of “Faithfully Yours,” Bodil decided to pay a visit to Yara but found out that she had left for the private airport. Bodil rushed to the airport to find that Isabel was still alive and that she was about to board a private jet with Yara. Isabel told her that her husband had wanted to kill Bodil for a very long time, and she knew that unless she did something about it, he wouldn’t stop. So, when Luuk contacted the assassin on the dark web, Isabel also got in touch with him, asked to meet him, and offered to pay him double the amount Luuk had offered him if he didn’t kill Bodil. The assassin agreed, and then Isabel intricately planned everything with Yara and made it look like she was murdered. In the end, Isabel got what she wanted. She got freedom from her oppressive husband and found the love of her life in Yara.
