My Neighbor's Secret
Encyclopedia
My Neighbor's Secret is a 2009 television film starring Nicholas Brendon
as a grieving husband out to ruin a man (Vincent Ventresca
) he blames for ruining his marriage by targeting his family. The film aired on Lifetime channel on September 26, 2009.
) seemed to have it all, a successful architect career, a loving wife and a beautiful home. But in a blink of an eye, his wife Gretchen (Natalie Lisinska
) was killed while leaving work with a co-worker. While Brent grieves for his loss, his neighbors the Hests (Chandra West
and Vincent Ventresca
) offer condolence and repeatedly reach out to him. At first he rejects it, but when Casey sends over one of her famous dishes, Brent opens up. It starts off as a friendship, then seems as though Brent has a small crush on the struggling writer. As Casey and Jason decide to remodel their kitchen, Brent offers up his services.
Through a series of flashbacks we see that Brent and Gretchen were arguing all the time as he didn't approve of her starting a career off in advertisement, he believed she sold out as an artist, and that Jason (who is a doctor) introduced Gretchen to Sean (Nick Baillie) and became increasingly suspicious of the two, believing that they were having an affair. The man that killed Gretchen and Sean was a junkie, who was hired by Brent, and after Brent went to the killer's home to pay him off, he poisoned some liquor killing him.
Brent becomes attached to Casey and her young son Austin, as he'd been monitoring them with hidden cameras he's placed in the house, and goes through the family's belongings; he holds Casey's lingerie against him, imagining them together, while he was supposed to be measuring for the blueprints. He starts fantasizing that he and Casey kiss, and he runs over Jason who he blames for ruining his marriage. Through a series of eavesdropping, he learns that Casey is jealous and suspicious of Jason's medical partner Paula, and that Jason previously had an affair. When Jason is unable to show up at Austin's soccer game, and Casey's car mysteriously is unable to run, Brent offers to take Austin while she waits for help. When she shows up they watch the game together, and she thanks him for taking Austin stating she "owes him" and he said he'll collect.
Brent's assistant Kimberly was going through the accounting and notices a charge for gas on his credit card bill that is in the neighborhood of the killer's address and alerts the police. The cops go through Brent's background to discover that Gretchen wasn't his first wife, that he was previously married before and he's a "classic abuser" isolating the women from family and friends, stating that 8 months after he was married his wife filed a restraining order, because he was stalking her, the police deduce that he may be involved in Gretchen's death.
Soon Brent causes trouble for Jason, stealing confidential information on the mayor's health, making Jason miss Casey's book reading by sabotaging Paula's heat and lights so she'd have to check on her mother, while Jason had to take Paula's patients, then when Jason asked for advice on should he cancel going to a benefit given for Paula, Brent tells him to go but not tell Casey. Brent hides out in his car taking pictures that seem like an intimate moment between Paula and Jason and send them to Casey's cell phone. When Jason comes home, an obviously drunk Casey confronts him and kicks him out. Brent sees this as an opportunity to move in; he makes a move and kisses Casey, who at first didn't stop him, but then asked him to leave. The next day when he went over, she told him he's still grieving and it was a mistake; he doesn't take it well, stating he know she has feelings for him, and that Jason will just hurt her again, noting about Jason's previous affair, she asks how he knows this and says that he and Jason had drinks earlier.
Casey calls Jason to have him come over and asks him if he told Brent about the affair; Jason told her, he didn't. She tells him about the kiss and that he started acting weird, while Brent is listening in on the hidden cameras, Casey tells Jason she doesn't have feelings for Brent, which upsets him, he says, "tell him you do love me". Jason says that Brent must have been spying on them, he searches around and discovers the hidden cameras, they decide to call the police and leave the house, Brent loses it, the lights turn off and he knocks out Jason who was trying to call the police on his cell phone. Brent tells him, "you destroyed my life, you're going to lose everything, your wife, your child and your home. then we'll be even." He hits him in the head again.
Casey calls for Jason but Brent answers; she locks herself and Austin in his room, she has him climb out the window to the neighbors, Brent breaks down the door, she grabs a small vase and hides it. Brent told her that Jason ruined his life, that he had to kill Gretchen so she wouldn't leave him for Sean, and that he never expected to fall in love with her, but ever since the first day she came over to comfort him. But he tells her she just like Gretchen, she hits him in the head and runs to the kitchen to find Jason, she grabs a knife calling out for Jason, she hears a noise and accidentally stabs Jason. Brent runs down with a knife holding it to her throat, saying they could have had everything, she's the perfect wife, mother and companion, but not now. She grabs a knife and stabs him. The police and EMTs arrive, and as Jason's carried out on a gurney Detective Ruiz says their forensic need to search the entire house and they already found four other cameras. As the EMTs wheel Brent out he just stares right at Casey.
Then it is seen that Brent is in a mental hospital, with a bunch of drawings around him, as a nurse is giving him a shot, he asks if his wife is there yet and he tells her to tell Casey he is ready to come home.
Casey has a dream that she is watching Jason and Austin play soccer, then Brent shows up saying "miss me?"; she starts screaming and awakens to be comforted by Jason and Austin.
Nicholas Brendon
Nicholas Brendon , is an actor best known for his character Xander Harris in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer .-Early life:...
as a grieving husband out to ruin a man (Vincent Ventresca
Vincent Ventresca
Vincent Paul Gerard Ventresca is an American actor, best known for playing Darien Fawkes on SCI FI's The Invisible Man .-Early years:...
) he blames for ruining his marriage by targeting his family. The film aired on Lifetime channel on September 26, 2009.
Plot
Brent Keller (Nicholas BrendonNicholas Brendon
Nicholas Brendon , is an actor best known for his character Xander Harris in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer .-Early life:...
) seemed to have it all, a successful architect career, a loving wife and a beautiful home. But in a blink of an eye, his wife Gretchen (Natalie Lisinska
Natalie Lisinska
Natalie Lisinska is a Canadian actress.Lisinska was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England and grew up on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, attending St. Michaels University School...
) was killed while leaving work with a co-worker. While Brent grieves for his loss, his neighbors the Hests (Chandra West
Chandra West
-1990s:West's career began in 1991 when she played a small part in the television series True Confections, a 1950s conservative drama about a woman with an ahead-of-her-time awareness...
and Vincent Ventresca
Vincent Ventresca
Vincent Paul Gerard Ventresca is an American actor, best known for playing Darien Fawkes on SCI FI's The Invisible Man .-Early years:...
) offer condolence and repeatedly reach out to him. At first he rejects it, but when Casey sends over one of her famous dishes, Brent opens up. It starts off as a friendship, then seems as though Brent has a small crush on the struggling writer. As Casey and Jason decide to remodel their kitchen, Brent offers up his services.
Through a series of flashbacks we see that Brent and Gretchen were arguing all the time as he didn't approve of her starting a career off in advertisement, he believed she sold out as an artist, and that Jason (who is a doctor) introduced Gretchen to Sean (Nick Baillie) and became increasingly suspicious of the two, believing that they were having an affair. The man that killed Gretchen and Sean was a junkie, who was hired by Brent, and after Brent went to the killer's home to pay him off, he poisoned some liquor killing him.
Brent becomes attached to Casey and her young son Austin, as he'd been monitoring them with hidden cameras he's placed in the house, and goes through the family's belongings; he holds Casey's lingerie against him, imagining them together, while he was supposed to be measuring for the blueprints. He starts fantasizing that he and Casey kiss, and he runs over Jason who he blames for ruining his marriage. Through a series of eavesdropping, he learns that Casey is jealous and suspicious of Jason's medical partner Paula, and that Jason previously had an affair. When Jason is unable to show up at Austin's soccer game, and Casey's car mysteriously is unable to run, Brent offers to take Austin while she waits for help. When she shows up they watch the game together, and she thanks him for taking Austin stating she "owes him" and he said he'll collect.
Brent's assistant Kimberly was going through the accounting and notices a charge for gas on his credit card bill that is in the neighborhood of the killer's address and alerts the police. The cops go through Brent's background to discover that Gretchen wasn't his first wife, that he was previously married before and he's a "classic abuser" isolating the women from family and friends, stating that 8 months after he was married his wife filed a restraining order, because he was stalking her, the police deduce that he may be involved in Gretchen's death.
Soon Brent causes trouble for Jason, stealing confidential information on the mayor's health, making Jason miss Casey's book reading by sabotaging Paula's heat and lights so she'd have to check on her mother, while Jason had to take Paula's patients, then when Jason asked for advice on should he cancel going to a benefit given for Paula, Brent tells him to go but not tell Casey. Brent hides out in his car taking pictures that seem like an intimate moment between Paula and Jason and send them to Casey's cell phone. When Jason comes home, an obviously drunk Casey confronts him and kicks him out. Brent sees this as an opportunity to move in; he makes a move and kisses Casey, who at first didn't stop him, but then asked him to leave. The next day when he went over, she told him he's still grieving and it was a mistake; he doesn't take it well, stating he know she has feelings for him, and that Jason will just hurt her again, noting about Jason's previous affair, she asks how he knows this and says that he and Jason had drinks earlier.
Casey calls Jason to have him come over and asks him if he told Brent about the affair; Jason told her, he didn't. She tells him about the kiss and that he started acting weird, while Brent is listening in on the hidden cameras, Casey tells Jason she doesn't have feelings for Brent, which upsets him, he says, "tell him you do love me". Jason says that Brent must have been spying on them, he searches around and discovers the hidden cameras, they decide to call the police and leave the house, Brent loses it, the lights turn off and he knocks out Jason who was trying to call the police on his cell phone. Brent tells him, "you destroyed my life, you're going to lose everything, your wife, your child and your home. then we'll be even." He hits him in the head again.
Casey calls for Jason but Brent answers; she locks herself and Austin in his room, she has him climb out the window to the neighbors, Brent breaks down the door, she grabs a small vase and hides it. Brent told her that Jason ruined his life, that he had to kill Gretchen so she wouldn't leave him for Sean, and that he never expected to fall in love with her, but ever since the first day she came over to comfort him. But he tells her she just like Gretchen, she hits him in the head and runs to the kitchen to find Jason, she grabs a knife calling out for Jason, she hears a noise and accidentally stabs Jason. Brent runs down with a knife holding it to her throat, saying they could have had everything, she's the perfect wife, mother and companion, but not now. She grabs a knife and stabs him. The police and EMTs arrive, and as Jason's carried out on a gurney Detective Ruiz says their forensic need to search the entire house and they already found four other cameras. As the EMTs wheel Brent out he just stares right at Casey.
Then it is seen that Brent is in a mental hospital, with a bunch of drawings around him, as a nurse is giving him a shot, he asks if his wife is there yet and he tells her to tell Casey he is ready to come home.
Casey has a dream that she is watching Jason and Austin play soccer, then Brent shows up saying "miss me?"; she starts screaming and awakens to be comforted by Jason and Austin.
Cast
- Nicholas BrendonNicholas BrendonNicholas Brendon , is an actor best known for his character Xander Harris in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer .-Early life:...
as Brent Keller - Chandra WestChandra West-1990s:West's career began in 1991 when she played a small part in the television series True Confections, a 1950s conservative drama about a woman with an ahead-of-her-time awareness...
as Casey Hest - Vincent VentrescaVincent VentrescaVincent Paul Gerard Ventresca is an American actor, best known for playing Darien Fawkes on SCI FI's The Invisible Man .-Early years:...
as Dr. Jason Hest - Dakota GoyoDakota GoyoDakota Avery Goyo is a Canadian child actor.Goyo was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Debra, a former model and singer who manages his career, and David Goyo. He has two siblings, Devon and Dallas....
as Austin Hest - Natalie LisinskaNatalie LisinskaNatalie Lisinska is a Canadian actress.Lisinska was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England and grew up on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, attending St. Michaels University School...
as Gretchen Keller - Trie Donovan as Dr. Paula Fisher
- Nick Baillie as Sean
- Johnie Chase as Mayor Barry Morris
- Mark Comacho as Detective Ruiz
- Catherine Mary StewartCatherine Mary StewartCatherine Mary Stewart is a Canadian actress. Her first notable role was as Kayla Brady on the soap opera Days of our Lives from 1981 to 1983...
as Detective Neal - Sandra Wilson as Kimberly
- Ian Finlay as Nicholas Grimaldi
- Kim Guite as Deborah
- Cinthia Burke as Judy
- Alex Ivanovici as Lonnie