Lethal Desire (2025 Lifetime Movie)
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Cast: Kayla Raelle, Ty Trumbo, Alexandra Corin Johnston, Justin Berti
Director: David Benullo
Writer(s): Jesse Mittelstadt, Daniel West
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DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearlySynopsis (via Lifetime)
When Ava and Julien discover that their new neighbors, Mackenzie and Theo, are swingers, they decide to try out the lifestyle in an effort to spice up their failing marriage. But after Theo turns up dead, Ava becomes the prime suspect in his murder. Desperate to prove her innocence, she searches for the truth even as her own husband comes to distrust her. Ava’s search leads her into the hidden world of swingers, where she encounters jealousy, lies and deceit, before uncovering a secret that’s been living closer to home than she ever realized.
Recap/Wine Thoughts
The movie starts with a mid-drift-baring brunette named Ava coming home from a party and finding a dead body.
Cut to two months earlier, Ava is woken up by her by her husband, Julian, coming home late from work. Ava worries that her marriage is in a rut, and their sexual chemistry is off. (Which is hard to believe because Ty Trumbo is HOT.) Olivia, Ava’s sister, suggests a sexy getaway or role-playing.
Julian comes home early from work with “good news.” He has gotten a big promotion and a nice salary bump. The company is also moving them to a gated community owned by RMD, which is five hours away. Ava is hesitant to leave her sister but agrees to move for an opportunity too good to pass up. A move could get them out of this rut! (I’d take the role-play and a vacation, though!)
The home is unpacked and beautiful. The couple almost has some sexy time but is interrupted by their new neighbors, Theo and Makenzie. Theo also works at RMD, and they invite the neighbors over for a BBQ. Ava and Julian’s tension is apparent when he overreacts to Ava spilling her drink on him. Makenzie tells Ava she can relate. She and her husband hit a rough patch but sparked their relationship by becoming SWINGERS!
Ava brings it up to Julian later, and they are kind of intrigued by the horny couple next door. It is kind of an aphrodisiac for them, but it is also confusing as hell for Ava. Ava later vents to her sister and admits to wondering about the swingers next door. (Especially when Theo stops by while doing yard work shirtless. He is giving off BIG TIME sex vibes to Ava.)
Julian and Ava go out to dinner and discuss the year-long drought in their sex lives. They are surprised to see Theo and Makenzie out at dinner on a date with another swinger couple from RDM. Ava watches them and fantasizes, making Julian jealous. Ava just can’t stop thinking about opening up their marriage.
Theo and Makenzie sit the couple down and break down the rules of being a swinger.
1) You must have your partner’s approval to hook up with someone
2) They can’t have secret trists
3) They can stop whenever they want.
The wife swap proves successful, and Ava and Julian are super into one another. Olivia warns her sister to be careful. #FreeLoveAintFree
Ava is home alone when Julian goes out of town for work. She gets lonely and brings over some Lasagna for Theo. He invites her inside, but he has an injured hand from a smashed medicine cabinet. His wife is out of town, too. (ALLEGEDLY!) They end up breaking the rules and hook up while security watches from a van out front.
The following day, Ava wakes up with blood all over her hands and finds Theo dead in the bathtub, bludgeoned in the head with a hammer. She is taken into police custody and questioned. It does NOT look good. (Ava should lawyer up ASAP because she is looking guilty AF.) Ava asks the police to check in with RMD security because they were outside.
Julian comes home and wants to know what happened. He wishes Ava would have told them the truth about being swingers. She admits to having sex with Theo the night he died. They are more torn apart as a couple than ever, and Ava must prove her innocence. (Since this is a Lifetime movie.)
Ava finds the couple from the restaurant and talks to Theo’s co-worker, Leah Timmons. Theo was not only swinging with her; he had her looking into RMD files for him—confidential files. Just as Leah is about to spill more tea, her husband Michael comes home and is CREEPY!!!!!!!!!!!
Julian finds messages on Ava’s computer between her and Theo. He accuses Ava of cheating on him, packs a bag, and leaves.
Ava decides to talk to Makenzie and goes next door, but it is still a crime scene. Ava finds an intruder in the house, and Makenzie is beaten badly on the floor. The police think it is pretty suspicious, and Ava isn’t a reliable witness. There also was another murder: Leah Timmons is dead, and her husband is missing.
Makenzie recovers in the hospital and is surprised Ava knows about something called The Velvet Circle. Makenzie warns Ava to stay away and stop looking into things; it could be dangerous. Ava does the opposite and doubles down. After rehashing everything with her sister and some salt shakers. (more for the audience’s benefit), Ava poses as a friend of Michels and goes to a swinger party.
At the super secret swinger party, AKA the Velvet Circle, Olivia, and mid-drift Ava look for clues. They talk to the guests and try to get into the hidden sex room. They dance upon the party host, and Olivia steals his wallet while Ava dances with him and flirts. Olvia finds an RMD card and goes to the company to investigate. She finds files on Erik’s computer and is caught by security. Ava is having trouble stalling and almost hooks up with Erik in a room with a bunch of people watching in the corner.
Olivia is arrested for breaking and entering, but she manages to email files to her sister. They are the files that Theo was trying to get. Ava looks through the emails and learns Julian lied about his work trips. Then goes home to find the dead body from the beginning of the movie. The dead body is creepy, Michael! Ava runs next door to Makenzie.
Too bad Makenzie and Julian have been having an affair for years after meeting at the company Christmas party. The move and swinging were all just a ploy to get rid of their spouses and keep the insurance money. Theo and Makenzie go into their Villian monologue and admit they are setting Ava up to take the fall.
They drag Ava to the garage and fight over who will get to kill her. Makenzie turns on Julian and bashes his head in. Makenzie went to high school with Ava and was invisible because she was fat. (OMG, Eyeroll!) Makenzie orchestrated everything as revenge on the popular girl, Ava. (Very dumb!)
Ava survives, and Makenzie is arrested. Olivia is released from jail and wants her sister to get on the apps immediately. Ava decides to stay single and open her own design store. (Did I mention she designs dresses?)
Stray Thoughts
It’s been a while since Lifetime tackled Swingers. (I was waiting for the pineapples and flamingos to bust out!) I’m obsessed with how they signal one another. Haha.
Makenzie’s motivation was so stupid that two men could only have written it. liked this movie until the last three minutes.
If straight couples would get over their sexual hang-ups, they would be a lot happier. LGBTQ have many nontraditional arrangements since they do not have the societal pressure to play by a particular set of rules.
Overall rating
Number of Kills: 🔪🔪🔪🔪 (4 knives)
Lifetime Tropes: Troubled Marriage, “Sexy,” Infidelity,
Enjoyment Level (1-5 scale)
🍷🍷🍷 (3 Glasses of Wine)
Should you watch it?
Pour it Up (Give it a shot!)
Put a Cork in it! (Skip it!)
What did you think of the movie? Let me know in the comments or on social media at @LifetimeUncorked and @patrickmiguel.
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*Photo Credit: © 2025 A&E Television Networks, LLC
Let me know what you thought of the movie in the comments below or @lifetimeuncorked
Put a cork in it!!!
Put a cork in it!!! So bad!🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
Also don’t like how they killed off Justin Berti’s character early off. So disappointing!! Expected to see him more in this. Especially as the baddie