Krisha, a troubled woman in her sixties with a history of addiction, has been estranged from her family for many years; her son, Trey, was raised by her sister, Robyn, for large parts of his life. Krisha has recently told her relatives that she is now reformed and sober, and that she wants to visit on Thanksgiving Day and cook dinner for the whole extended family. All that is implied: the movie starts with Krisha arriving at her sister's large house, where many family members are gathered, and greets them all warmly. Krisha attempts to reconcile with Trey, expressing a desire to be part of his life again. He is cold and defensive, refusing even to look at her; as she attempts to coax a reaction out of him, he resists and leaves. As the day progresses, it becomes clear that the family has clashing opinions of Krisha. While some, like Robyn, believe Krisha has turned her life around, others, including her brother-in-law, Doyle, remain skeptical and deride her assurances that she is sober. On Thanksgiving morning, Krisha's elderly mother arrives and is introduced to the newer members of the family. Although she is forgetful, she remembers each of the family members by name; upon being greeted by Krisha, however, she becomes confused and seems unable to remember her clearly. Krisha is visibly upset by this. As the day progresses and she sees her son's closeness to her sister's family, Krisha starts to secretly return to her bathroom to abuse alcohol, prescription drugs, and illegal drugs in an attempt to cope. When it is time to remove the roasted turkey from the oven, she is drunk and out-of-control. She spills the roasting tray and the perfectly roasted turkey lands heavily on the kitchen floor. Most of the family is horrified and tries to help Krisha up from the floor and salvage the meal. Doyle only looks on and laughs. Krisha sobers up, watching home videos Robyn has of Trey as a child. Waking from a stupor, she rings her boyfriend and leaves him a furious voicemail, telling him that she relied on him for support and that he abandoned her when she needed him. She then goes downstairs to find the rest of the family enjoying a toned-down version of Thanksgiving dinner without her. Robyn refuses to allow her to join the table and takes her out of the room. Robyn laments the fact that Krisha lied about her sobriety, telling Krisha that she defended her when other members of the family didn't want to invite her at all. Later, after looking through Trey's room and finding a bottle of vodka, a distraught and increasingly unhinged Krisha interrupts dinner once again, demanding that Trey tell her he loves her. When Robyn asks her to leave and Trey disowns her, the argument escalates and becomes violent, with Krisha breaking silverware and attacking Robyn as she is removed from the house. The film ends with an abrupt shot of Krisha looking into the camera, trying and failing to hold back tears.
The film is based on a short film of the same name which also starred Fairchild in the titular role of Krisha. Many of the film's cast are relatives of Shults, including Krisha Fairchild who is Shults' aunt, his mother and grandmother, and other actors being friends of Shults. Bill Wise and Chris Doubek were the only non-relatives or friends cast in the film. A Kickstarter.com campaign was created to fund the film. A $10,000 goal was set, which ended on July 20, 2014, with a total of $14,260 from 64 backers. Principal photography began on August 2, 2014, and concluded on August 10, 2014. The film was shot over the course of nine days, and was filmed at Shults' parents' house.
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 95% based on 75 reviews, with an average rating of 8.24/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Raw, bracingly honest, and refreshingly unconventional, Krisha wrings fresh -- and occasionally uncomfortable -- truths from a seemingly familiar premise." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 87 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Justin Chang of Variety gave the film a positive review, considering "its stylistic experimentation anchored by a subtly wounding performance from Krisha Fairchild in the eponymous lead role. More festival berths await, and while commercial prospects look decidedly modest, critical support should spur select arthouse bookings and discerning-viewer interest ahead of VOD play." Sherri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review writing: "The story will eventually draw the viewer outside Krisha’s perspective, but the beauty of the film is that its compassion deepens along with its very real sense of horror — compassion not just for Krisha but for those who still love her or have given up on trying".
