Who is the old woman? Where did they bring another child? What is she injected with during pregnancy? And many more questions and an open end
96 Reviews
Not sure why everyone is confused
Jessica-katz528 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The ending is very clear. In the end, we find out that Lorenzo was right the entire time. The baby he was given wasn't the one he had seen in the beginning, and the mother was a complete psychopath.
The issue I had with this movie is that we never learn details:
WHY did the mother do this?
WHAT did she do with the baby? I'm not sure I'm buying the theories that the original was deformed and she cloned it... Because why would she take the "defective" one? Also, it's clear there was never a deformed baby to begin with, since Lorenzo DID see his child, at least a few times, and had dozens of drawings of him, and there was nothing wrong.
Was the grandmother the influencing factor here?
Why did she suddenly turn on her husband and then ultimately kill him?
What about the real child was worth this much secrecy and protection?
Where did this other child even come from? Was it stolen? Created in the lab? A fraternal twin?
I get endings that make you think, but this isn't one of those movies. We're told what happens in the end, but it falls flat since you're basically left with, "but why??"
The issue I had with this movie is that we never learn details:
WHY did the mother do this?
WHAT did she do with the baby? I'm not sure I'm buying the theories that the original was deformed and she cloned it... Because why would she take the "defective" one? Also, it's clear there was never a deformed baby to begin with, since Lorenzo DID see his child, at least a few times, and had dozens of drawings of him, and there was nothing wrong.
Was the grandmother the influencing factor here?
Why did she suddenly turn on her husband and then ultimately kill him?
What about the real child was worth this much secrecy and protection?
Where did this other child even come from? Was it stolen? Created in the lab? A fraternal twin?
I get endings that make you think, but this isn't one of those movies. We're told what happens in the end, but it falls flat since you're basically left with, "but why??"
Where is the ending?
zsuzsanna-s26 July 2019
Ohhhhkay hear me out!!!
iamryanreed30 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I loved the natural suspense, very much so. They didn't try too hard to build anticipation and I thought the pacing was well done. I couldn't tell throughout the film if she was actual crazy or if this was Argentina's Shutter Island and he was the loony one.
Anywayyyy hear me out. When Sigrid first meets the lawyer friend and her man, Lorenzo is explaining that his paintings are based off her new "experiments" which she quickly corrects him as "studies". These experiments were based on Echinoderms. Starfish and mollusks and such. Now, as we know they are asexual and starfish can actually reproduce by dividing into two halves when in a juvenile state. Now, when Lorenzo went to the basement after stabbing himself with a screwdriver, he sees a book of human embryology next to a starfish. He also sees this poster of twins above a diagram of the embryology process of a baby. What if, she did in fact find a way to turn her child into twins, and that's why she needed the additional blood cells like she mentioned to the obstetrician after the ultrasound. And whatever she injected into her belly was necessary to ensure she had whatever she needed in her body to support this wild science experiment.
I don't know if this ties into the Munchausen by proxy syndrome theory cuz why would that only apply to one child and not the other?
Orrrrr what if she doesn't give a flying duck about children and really it's all about her biology experiment and obsession with embryology and ability to create life in such manner, hence being okay with the child never leaving the basement lab, and not caring about all the crazy paranoia when it came to the imposter child.
What I don't know is what they did with the child upon birth when Lorenzo sees his "real" son for the first time.
Hmmmm cuz she really only needed the imposter child after he forcefully took her little science experiment to the outside world and she couldn't let that happen again. So she was just like "damn guess I gotta ditch one of these tykes in order to get dad off my back and allow me to psychotically enslave my child or children so she swapped the real baby for the laboratory baby and gave it away as bait.
Look I'm just as confused as y'all, but this is my theory and I'm sticking too it.
Also how legit would it be if the answer was actually in the Norwegian talk between Sigrid and the creepy granny. Could anyone get a translation on that? Like at the dinner table and such.
If you got thru all this, I applaud you.
I don't know if this ties into the Munchausen by proxy syndrome theory cuz why would that only apply to one child and not the other?
Orrrrr what if she doesn't give a flying duck about children and really it's all about her biology experiment and obsession with embryology and ability to create life in such manner, hence being okay with the child never leaving the basement lab, and not caring about all the crazy paranoia when it came to the imposter child.
What I don't know is what they did with the child upon birth when Lorenzo sees his "real" son for the first time.
Hmmmm cuz she really only needed the imposter child after he forcefully took her little science experiment to the outside world and she couldn't let that happen again. So she was just like "damn guess I gotta ditch one of these tykes in order to get dad off my back and allow me to psychotically enslave my child or children so she swapped the real baby for the laboratory baby and gave it away as bait.
Look I'm just as confused as y'all, but this is my theory and I'm sticking too it.
Also how legit would it be if the answer was actually in the Norwegian talk between Sigrid and the creepy granny. Could anyone get a translation on that? Like at the dinner table and such.
If you got thru all this, I applaud you.
Mostly confused...
bkayb-0997831 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I tried to understand throughout the movie what was going on but was upset with no captions for the foreign language spoken. I think I understand what was going on except for why there were two kids; what the heck were those silver pipe cylinder things coming out of the houses; and we always knew there were two kids but no clue why at all and then the very end we think we're going to get an answer to all our questions and we get no answers at all! I know I wasn't the only one PO'd at that ending! 😤
Open ended ending.
Nemesis4227 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
With this one, some more options for an ending should have been offered.
We have a pattern of police being called from earlier in the film, so it's likely the lawyer did call the police, the two murder suspects processed, the real Henry identified and the protagonist vindicated.
But, perhaps the lawyer got shot as she was peering through the window? Or did she trip, run for the street, then when she came back with the police the villains were gone? Or was Henry a Mollusk boy created by gene splicing for the purposes of satisfying a weird cult?
It would be good to know where the replacement kid came from. Likely a clone but who knows? Why did the villains bother with the whole affair? What were their desires and philosophy?
We have to create a complex multifaceted ending by ourselves. Being so, this film is ultimately unpleasant for its lack of resolution but this ping of unrest does forge a unique memory of the film.
We have a pattern of police being called from earlier in the film, so it's likely the lawyer did call the police, the two murder suspects processed, the real Henry identified and the protagonist vindicated.
But, perhaps the lawyer got shot as she was peering through the window? Or did she trip, run for the street, then when she came back with the police the villains were gone? Or was Henry a Mollusk boy created by gene splicing for the purposes of satisfying a weird cult?
It would be good to know where the replacement kid came from. Likely a clone but who knows? Why did the villains bother with the whole affair? What were their desires and philosophy?
We have to create a complex multifaceted ending by ourselves. Being so, this film is ultimately unpleasant for its lack of resolution but this ping of unrest does forge a unique memory of the film.
Not confusing just incomplete
gozdeheper29 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The movie goes great until a certain point which is actually the ending. All the building up - mom being biologist, the drawings on evolution, the creepy nanny, creepy books- creates a great puzzle and a variety of theories for the viewer. It gives the feeling of suspense beautifully but the ending doesn't fulfill all the work that was put in. It's not even a "think hard you'll get there" kind of ending. It's just... disappointing.
The end... THE End
ehouli-128 July 2019
Protective mom
johannesriski30 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
My guess is that most people overthink the story. Sigrid has had miscarriage once and is desperate to have baby. When Henrik is born she comes possessive and overprotective about the child. She just loses her mind and tries to protect the child from everything. She didn't show any emotion when giving her son away after being so obsessed over the child before. Isn't that odd if the child is her own? Other baby is stolen I think. Ultra did prove that there is no twins and cloning is quite far fetched.
No room for the groom.
ulicknormanowen20 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A very interesting case of over possessive mother ,which verges on monstruosity ; the construction of the movie uses flashbacks with skill .
Since the very beginning ,one feels that the future mother is irrational :why does she wait a fortnight to tell her husband he will be a father ? Why this sinister-looking "nanny " , a Norwegian who, with her language , builds another wall between the man and his wife? ;even when he's with them,their conversation is undecipherable for the unfortunate husband who does not know a single word in this cold nordic language :Some kind of Cerberus at the gate of Hell, for the hero begins his descent into Hell; he's even denied access to the room where his wife is giving birth to his child ,although he desperately knocks on the door till he grazes his hand.
Although he gets some comfort from his friendly couple -who are not cardboard for once ;the lady is not the brilliant always winning lawyer one meets in too many films but a woman longing for a child - , the whole word is against him ,he passes for neurotic (he's an artist ,after all) and the viewer sometimes stops and wonder whether he might have gone crazy too :see the disturbing look at his friend holding the baby in her arms ,the walls of his flat covered with pictures of a child he's never seen and probably never will.
Does the mother want to keep the child for herself? Is he really sick, an illness which will remind you of Nicole Kidman's children's in Amenabar's 'los ostros" ;even though the last scene is eminently predictable in the epilogue, the mystery is not solved ; one does not catch a glimpse of what the lawyer sees .
Sensational performance by Joaquin Furriel ,and the rest of the cast rises to the occasion;not to be missed.
Since the very beginning ,one feels that the future mother is irrational :why does she wait a fortnight to tell her husband he will be a father ? Why this sinister-looking "nanny " , a Norwegian who, with her language , builds another wall between the man and his wife? ;even when he's with them,their conversation is undecipherable for the unfortunate husband who does not know a single word in this cold nordic language :Some kind of Cerberus at the gate of Hell, for the hero begins his descent into Hell; he's even denied access to the room where his wife is giving birth to his child ,although he desperately knocks on the door till he grazes his hand.
Although he gets some comfort from his friendly couple -who are not cardboard for once ;the lady is not the brilliant always winning lawyer one meets in too many films but a woman longing for a child - , the whole word is against him ,he passes for neurotic (he's an artist ,after all) and the viewer sometimes stops and wonder whether he might have gone crazy too :see the disturbing look at his friend holding the baby in her arms ,the walls of his flat covered with pictures of a child he's never seen and probably never will.
Does the mother want to keep the child for herself? Is he really sick, an illness which will remind you of Nicole Kidman's children's in Amenabar's 'los ostros" ;even though the last scene is eminently predictable in the epilogue, the mystery is not solved ; one does not catch a glimpse of what the lawyer sees .
Sensational performance by Joaquin Furriel ,and the rest of the cast rises to the occasion;not to be missed.
Good story
spagnolo-gm30 July 2019
Confusing
kathleenbehar29 July 2019
This could have been a good movie. Lorenzo's performance was great but too many mistakes were made. And what about the ending?? Makes you feel as if you were better off spending the time you watched the movie on something else. There was potential but it wasn't developed properly.
Confusing ending
sqpudm27 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The movie starts slow. And up to the middle, it is an average flick. But the ending is really bad. The wife took off with the real baby. So where is the other baby coming from? They could not be twins because she had at least one ultrasound scan at the beginning of the movie. Did she steal the extra baby? Did she clone it?
Unexpected
natalialaurapalacios26 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The end is clear. The lawyer finally sees what Lorenzo found out. Baby cloned or had twins. This is why he didn't recognize the one given to him. She took off with the "original" baby. All along he was made look like he had this syndrome where you don't recognize faces. Brilliant
THE SON!! What did she do?
WoodcuttingLVL998 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Great slow burning film. Builds great intensity with every minute passing by. The ending leaves you wondering like no other movie. Did you miss anything? Is there an explanation? You don't really know. There is no moral decisions to interpret in the end and it really teases you with unanswered questions.
Here is my take on the ending that lets me at least cope until someone analyzes the original books or finds clues from the Norwegian dialogue spoken:
SPOILER: Although you could come up with crazy scenarios like cloning, mutations and whatnot, I don't really think that's the case. Like most theories, I think the woman just has Munchausen syndrome by proxy ("mental health problem in which a caregiver makes up or causes an illness or injury in a person under his or her care") and she goes to expected limits relevant to this mental illness. The midwife might know about Sigrid's condition but ultimately it does not matter because no scene implicates the midwife's importance. We could maybe go deeper if the Norwegian was translated.
I think Henrik that we don't get to see at the end is in fact sick from the lack of sunlight, vitamins and breastmilk, but ultimately a normal unmutated child. It's just the discovery of the child that leaves Julieta with the shocked look. There is no evidence of twins and the lab equipment to be related to any twisted experiments. Sigrid is not planning anything and she just firmly believes in Henrik being sick. Lorenzo did not seem overly surprised about the appearance Henrik their final scene either. The origin of fake Henrik is not important to the story as well - maybe Sigrid bought him from the dark web. It does not matter.
We already know Lorenzo is right and the ending does not bring any revalation to that. Julieta is shocked just to find the child, and everything Sigrid does is just the reflection of her mental illness and protectiveness of her child.
Not the best ending for a great build-up and it leaves you with only stoner theories about what Sigrid could actually be doing with Henrik in that basement. Just a straight-forward story that if longer, could've left you with just an unsuspensful "oh, Henrik is fine and Sigrid is feeding him dairy-free yoghurt".
Here is my take on the ending that lets me at least cope until someone analyzes the original books or finds clues from the Norwegian dialogue spoken:
SPOILER: Although you could come up with crazy scenarios like cloning, mutations and whatnot, I don't really think that's the case. Like most theories, I think the woman just has Munchausen syndrome by proxy ("mental health problem in which a caregiver makes up or causes an illness or injury in a person under his or her care") and she goes to expected limits relevant to this mental illness. The midwife might know about Sigrid's condition but ultimately it does not matter because no scene implicates the midwife's importance. We could maybe go deeper if the Norwegian was translated.
I think Henrik that we don't get to see at the end is in fact sick from the lack of sunlight, vitamins and breastmilk, but ultimately a normal unmutated child. It's just the discovery of the child that leaves Julieta with the shocked look. There is no evidence of twins and the lab equipment to be related to any twisted experiments. Sigrid is not planning anything and she just firmly believes in Henrik being sick. Lorenzo did not seem overly surprised about the appearance Henrik their final scene either. The origin of fake Henrik is not important to the story as well - maybe Sigrid bought him from the dark web. It does not matter.
We already know Lorenzo is right and the ending does not bring any revalation to that. Julieta is shocked just to find the child, and everything Sigrid does is just the reflection of her mental illness and protectiveness of her child.
Not the best ending for a great build-up and it leaves you with only stoner theories about what Sigrid could actually be doing with Henrik in that basement. Just a straight-forward story that if longer, could've left you with just an unsuspensful "oh, Henrik is fine and Sigrid is feeding him dairy-free yoghurt".
Disappointing ending
emailline6 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The Norwegian language was not captioned, maybe because the sentences were too simple and repetitive, and because the nanny was actually Germán and spoke very unclear Norwegian.. Just a guess. I am Norwegian myself, but had to rewind a lot to catch what Gudrun was actually saying. (Before leaving the house, with the suitcases all packed and ready, when Lorenzo sneaked inside: :Nanny: Taxi will be here in ten minutes. Sigrid: Ok. I just have to eat a little first. N: ok, the taxi will be here in ten minutes. S: I think I forgot my jewellery. I will go and get them...
At the house at the end of the movie: Where is Henrik? Is Henrik sleeping? Yes, Henrik is still sleeping. Did you get bananas for Henrik?)
I kind of liked the movie, but was expecting a more closing story.
At the house at the end of the movie: Where is Henrik? Is Henrik sleeping? Yes, Henrik is still sleeping. Did you get bananas for Henrik?)
I kind of liked the movie, but was expecting a more closing story.
I liked it
robariosa13 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I didn't find it confusing because I assumed the questions. Here's my theory:
The mother wants to transform its child into some demon; that's why she gives him meat and keeps him in the dark. There is nothing wrong with the child.
The mother is a psychopath, maybe part of a cult in Norway, that's why they want to go back there, to make some ritual.
In the end, the lawyer realises that Lorenzo was right all along, and probably she called the police right after.
Of course, you may disagree with it, and the movie could have been better in answering questions, but I don't think it deserves a 1 star. I was in tension the whole film and (at least in Spanish) the acting was quite good.
The mother wants to transform its child into some demon; that's why she gives him meat and keeps him in the dark. There is nothing wrong with the child.
The mother is a psychopath, maybe part of a cult in Norway, that's why they want to go back there, to make some ritual.
In the end, the lawyer realises that Lorenzo was right all along, and probably she called the police right after.
Of course, you may disagree with it, and the movie could have been better in answering questions, but I don't think it deserves a 1 star. I was in tension the whole film and (at least in Spanish) the acting was quite good.
- "Hey, I have a great idea for half a movie!"
tommypeters30 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
- "What's missing?
- "Why, how and an ending. How should I continue?"
- "Start with the why."
- "A woman is acting strange but I don't really know why..."
- "Make her Norwegian. They are by nature strange. Perhaps add one more Norwegian so thay could speak Norwegian to each other. remember Skarsgård speaking swedsih in true Blood? That went down really well."
- "OK, and the rest?"
- "Just start making the movie and hopefully the rest will come to you."
- "But I think I need an extra kid..."
- "An extra kid?"
- "Yes, one that no-one seems to be missing."
- "That's tough. I will think about it and come back to you if I come up with something."
- "And I have trouble with the ending and I can't get it all together..."
- "Well, then give it an "artistic touch" by ending the film just before the natural ending. Then you could always say that "it's up to the viewers to..." you know..."
- "And I don't have a good name for the girl..."
- "Girl??? It should be a boy. People care more for boys, makes the film much more interesting."
- "OK, if you say so..."
The ending is clear
kijburb2 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The movie was watchable and the acting was good. There are a lot of clues throughout the movie that help you fill in the motivation of Sigrid. It reminds me somewhat of the theme of the Boys from Brazil.
The final scene where Julietta looks into the lab indicates that Lorenzo was right and that there was indeed another child. It also shows that Sigrid is still continuing her biology experiments in a secluded house in the woods, since the hose from the outside indicated that there was still a lab in the basement.
The final scene where Julietta looks into the lab indicates that Lorenzo was right and that there was indeed another child. It also shows that Sigrid is still continuing her biology experiments in a secluded house in the woods, since the hose from the outside indicated that there was still a lab in the basement.
terrible ending
malajmi-1303028 July 2019
is this a end or to be continued?
mahedee00726 July 2019
French Ending
kenbond-5380510 August 2019
A lot of movies we watch leave us with a question mark ending; it's what we call a French Ending. This one left us with two. Performances were all pretty good. Scenes a little too dark, but they suited the story line.
Ending was contrived, but consistent with Sigrid's behavior; i.e. clandestine location for new residence. My wife's theory on the second baby was that she had had wins, and left one behind when leaving . My theory, given her obsessive behavior, is that she obtained a second infant (maybe adoption) and swapped him to Lorenco for Henrik. Whichever happened, the Lawyer is legally bound to report her findings and bring Sigrid before authorities. DNA's will finally tell the real story.
CONTRIVED, but INTERESTING. I'm so surprised at the overall rejection of my fellow commenters. T'was a Shame!
Is this some sort of a joke?
islammdohiul30 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
My time is valuable. If I am watching some movie with my partner it doesn't have to be an oscar_winner but should have some sort of a plot. It feels like whoever wrote the movie doesn't have any idea how to write an ending. The entire plot is used to validate that the artist is not really paranoid. That's something that's already been given away at the beginning. What really is up with the real child, where did the decoy child come from? A lot of questions without answers or any viable clue to wonder about. It feels like the writer forgot to click save and sent the unfinished manuscript to the publisher. I want my 2 hrs back, Netflix.
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