Year: 2016
Runtime: 119 min
Language: English
Director: Antonio Campos
An ambitious journalist pursues her dream of becoming an on-air star, often clashing with her supervisor regarding the balance between serious reporting and sensationalized content. Battling insecurity and personal struggles, she finds comfort in a supportive friendship with a colleague, but also experiences unreciprocated romantic feelings. As her professional and personal life becomes increasingly complicated, Christine's determination leads her down a troubling and unforeseen path.
Warning: spoilers below!
Haven’t seen Christine yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!
Read the complete plot breakdown of Christine (2016), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
In this fact-inspired narrative set in 1974, we follow Christine Chubbuck, the dedicated reporter for WZRB Channel 30 in Sarasota, Florida. Having transitioned from her previous role in Boston, Christine seeks to deliver meaningful news stories that matter. One pivotal moment arises when she lands an interview with none other than President Richard Nixon, just weeks before his impending resignation, but to her dismay, she finds herself alone in the studio with no one to engage her in dialogue.
As the newscast starts with George at the anchor desk, Christine is poised to cover a contentious zoning issue. Amidst preparing for her segment, she faces challenges from her superior, Michael, the station manager, who emphasizes the need for heightened ratings. He conveys the shocking notion of sensationalism in news: “If it bleeds, it leads.” Christine grapples with her moral compass, reluctant to forsake her values.
Amidst her struggle, Christine experiences personal health issues and visits various doctors, facing difficult decisions about her well-being. Interspersed throughout the film are poignant scenes where Christine performs puppet shows for children, with each performance growing increasingly somber, reflecting her mental state. Tensions also rise at home with her mother, Peg, as they argue over daily life, showcasing their complex relationship exacerbated by Christine’s own insecurities and frustrations regarding her career and romantic pursuits.
In her quest for impactful stories, Christine encounters a police captain in hopes of better leads; however, when she leans into sensationalism by covering a house fire and neglecting its explicit footage, she faces scrutiny for prioritizing a narrative on addiction over visuals. She learns of a health concern—an ovarian cyst—that she is hesitant to address, fearing its implications on her dream of motherhood.
With the Fourth of July party looming, Christine exhibits her frustration, interacting poorly with coworkers, especially when her innovative story ideas are dismissed. Following a small argument with George, who reveals his upcoming move to Baltimore, Christine struggles with feelings of inadequacy both in her personal life and career.
She becomes more cooperative and tries to align with the expectations of those at WZRB, and even begins to bond with Jean, the camera operator. Yet, a dark turn comes when Christine’s dissatisfaction with the news industry culminates in her preparing to execute a shocking broadcast that would forever change the station’s reputation: a live suicide. In a shocking moment, she pulls out a gun during a live segment, shocking her colleagues and the audience.
Following this harrowing act, she is taken to the hospital, where the aftermath of her choice resonates profoundly. As Peg visits her daughter, the gravity of the situation weighs heavily on the family and the community. The film concludes with Jean creating a memorial for Christine, reflecting on the haunting legacy left behind.
This compelling story delves into the struggles of a woman fighting for significance in a world that often prioritizes sensationalism over substance, leaving an indelible mark in the annals of broadcasting history.
Last Updated: November 03, 2024 at 22:09
Still wondering what the ending of Christine (2016) really means? Here’s a spoiler-heavy breakdown of the final scene, major twists, and the deeper themes that shape the film’s conclusion.
Arnie meets his tragic end when Christine, the possessed car, tries to run over Leigh, Arnie’s love interest. In the chaos, Christine crashes into Leigh, and Arnie is thrown through the windshield and impaled on shards of glass, dying as he clings to the car’s bonnet. Unlike in the novel, where Arnie’s death involves him fighting off possession and trying to help destroy Christine, the film’s ending shows him fully consumed by the car’s evil, with no chance of redemption. His death signifies how deeply he has become intertwined with Christine’s murderous nature, valuing the car over his friends or himself. Following Arnie’s demise, Christine refuses to die quietly. The car continues to pursue Leigh and Dennis, trying to kill them even after Arnie’s death, showcasing that the malevolent spirit within Christine remains alive. The duo manages to trap the car and crush it with a bulldozer, but even then, the car’s sinister presence persists. When they take Christine’s remains to the junkyard and crush them into a cube, the eerie sound of ‘50s rock and roll begins playing again, and the car’s grille twitches subtly when they look away, implying that Christine’s evil spirit might still linger. This enduring malevolence leaves open the possibility of the car returning in future stories. Arnie’s choice to side with Christine and his death highlight the tragic loss of innocence and the destructive allure of material obsession. Unlike his novel counterpart, the movie offers no last-minute redemption for Arnie, emphasizing instead the tragic cost of succumbing to obsession and the dark power of Christine itself. The ending underscores how adolescence’s obsession with superficial things—like a powerful car—can lead to devastating consequences, warning against valuing material things over genuine human connections. Despite its simplicity, the final scenes effectively evoke a sense of lingering evil, leaving viewers with a memorable image of the possessed car still alive in some form, hinting that the terror isn’t over. The film’s ending—focused on the car’s relentless malevolence—thus leaves a haunting impression, suggesting that some evil, like Christine, never truly dies.
Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:44
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