Darlings

In the climax of “Darlings,” Badru manages to outsmart her abusive husband, Hamza. She records a video of him claiming he will leave everything behind and return to his village, believing this will be proof of his intention to walk away from her and their unborn child. However, her true plan is darker; she intends to eliminate him permanently. Hamza is drugged and taken to the railway tracks where Badru has planned his supposed escape. Just as she is about to push him into the oncoming train, Badru experiences a moment of clarity and recognizes that killing him would make them no better than him or worse—she chooses not to go through with it. Instead, she saves him, but Hamza, enraged and refusing to accept his downfall, threatens to kill her as he had threaten her during their marriage. In a final act of desperation, Hamza is run over by the train, but everyone perceives it as his suicide, driven by the video Badru had made, which was meant to look like a farewell or a suicide note.

In the aftermath, the women in the story—Badru, her mother Shamshunissa, and the other women around her—connect through their shared understanding of survival within oppressive patriarchal structures. Shamshunissa and Badru had previously taken control by kidnapping Hamza, symbolizing their reclaiming of power. The film closes with Badru walking into the cinema hall alone, now unshackled by the violence and control that once defined her life. She is shown enjoying her own company, signifying her transformation into a woman who is independent and self-reliant. The ending underscores a powerful message about resilience and the strength women find in unity and self-empowerment, even amid brutality and oppression. Despite the film’s narrative flaws, this ending leaves viewers with a sense of hope and the possibility of rebirth through rebellion and self-acceptance.

Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:58