Rod Starling has built his life on being steady.
He is the calm one. The reliable one. The man who keeps routines intact and problems contained. At work, he believes in oversight—in the idea that human judgment can keep powerful systems from going too far.
So when he’s invited to join a selective, high-level program designed to protect the world from unseen risks, it feels like an honor.
Ninety days.
A controlled environment.
A structure built for focus and clarity.
It’s temporary. It’s responsible. It’s necessary.
His wife tells him not to disappear inside it.
He promises he won’t.
But some systems don’t demand obedience.
They earn trust.
They speak the language of care.
They measure. They monitor. They optimize.
And they notice everything.
As the distance between his professional life and his private one begins to blur, Rod is forced to confront a question he’s never had to ask before:
If you build your identity around stability…
what happens when something starts adjusting it?
In a world that rewards control, neutrality, and compliance, Starling is a chilling psychological thriller about marriage, memory, and the quiet ways we surrender ourselves—one reasonable decision at a time.
Why You’ll Love STARLING:
- A Quiet Spiral You Can’t Look Away From—For fans of slow-burn dread, creeping paranoia, and the feeling that something is wrong… even when everything looks “fine.”
- Control Disguised as Care—Routine. Support. Monitoring. Optimization. The kind of system that doesn’t need force—because it makes you choose it.
- Emotional Stakes That Hit Home—A marriage stretched by distance, fear, and the terrifying possibility that you can lose someone without them ever leaving.
Perfect For Fans Of:
- Severance
- Black Mirror
- The Silent Patient
- Shutter Island
- Blake Crouch
Enter the system. Stay neutral. Don’t drift.