Separation (2021 film)

Illustrator Jeff Vahn is divorced from his wife Maggie, who also fights for sole custody of their daughter Jenny. Failing at his career and distraught at the possibility of losing Jenny, Jeff argues over the phone with Maggie, who is then killed in a hit and run.

After Maggie's funeral, her father Paul Rivers prepares to sue Jeff for custody of Jenny, who reverts to a state of depression and begins acting strangely. Unable to successfully comfort or help her, Jeff reaches out to an old friend for a small job opportunity at a comic book company. Jenny's babysitter, Samantha Nally, begins watching her full-time as Jeff starts his new job.

It becomes apparent that Jeff's house is haunted. He has recurring nightmares of spirits lurking around the house and enters trances where he draws frightening creatures which the spirits bring to life. The ghosts interact with Jenny, and Jeff suspects they are being controlled by Maggie, who seeks revenge from beyond the grave.

After Jenny survives an allergic reaction to her food, Jeff decides to move upstate so she can live closer to Paul. The two men amicably resolve their custody battle, and Jeff also earns a promotion at work. However, a private investigator contacts Paul with the identity of Maggie's killer—Samantha—who then pushes Paul from the house's second story.

Jeff calls 911 for Paul, who is injured but alive. Samantha admits that she's in love with Jeff, and killed Maggie to protect him; she also poisoned Jenny's food, believing Jenny was keeping her from getting closer to Jeff. Jeff realizes Maggie's ghost truly has come back for revenge and is leading the other ghosts—however, her revenge is against Samantha, not Jeff. Maggie kills Samantha, and Jenny goes up to the attic to talk with Maggie. She slips and Jeff attempts to catch her, but they both free-fall from the attic window. Jeff and Jenny wake up uninjured on the ground and realize Maggie saved them from the fall. As Maggie's spirit finally departs, first responders arrive at the house.

In October 2018, it was announced Rupert Friend would star in the film, with William Brent Bell directing from a screenplay by Nick Amadeus and Josh Braun. Bell, Jordan Yale Levine, Jordan Beckerman, Russ Posternak, Jesse Korman, Clay Pecorin, and Russell Geyser, were announced as producers under their Yale Productions and RainMaker Films banners, respectively.^[3] In November 2018, Mamie Gummer, Madeline Brewer, Brian Cox and Violet McGraw joined the cast of the film.^[4]

In early 2020, the film was in final stages of post-production.^[5]

In March 2021, Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment acquired distribution rights to the film, and set it for an April 23, 2021, release.^[6] It was then pushed back to April 30, 2021.^[7]