Daughters (2024) Plot Summary & Ending Explained

The ending of The Lost Daughter leaves viewers contemplating whether Leda survives her wounds or has met her end. After being stabbed by Nina in a confrontation fueled by deep maternal and personal conflicts, Leda attempts to drive herself to the airport but crashes her car. She then stumbles onto the beach, where she is found the next morning, nursing her injury and talking to her daughters on the phone. The crucial question is whether she is alive or has died on the beach. On one hand, she is shown holding her wound and even has a seemingly innocent conversation with her daughter, displaying signs of life. The recurring motif of oranges, symbolic of her memories with her own daughters, reinforces her ongoing connection to life, and her statement, “Dead? No, I’m alive actually,” suggests she is still alive and perhaps at peace. However, the film’s ambiguity is heightened by the presence of the orange and her possession of her phone when she wakes, implying she might be dead and experiencing a kind of afterlife. The final scene hints that Leda might have found some form of closure or understanding, possibly feeling serene about her role as a mother, as reflected in her peaceful act of peeling the orange—an act tied to her childhood memories and her desire for control amid chaos.

This ambiguity is intentional, echoing the last line of Elena Ferrante’s novel, which states, “I’m dead, but I’m fine.” In the film, Gyllenhaal’s altered version leaves room for interpretation—Leda could be dead and at peace, or she could be alive, having finally accepted her complex relationship with motherhood. The orange and her phone symbolize both her connection to her identity and her family, and potentially her final acceptance of her life’s chaos and beauty. Ultimately, the ending suggests that whether alive or dead, Leda has found a kind of resolution—somewhere between grief, acceptance, and understanding—that allows her to face her past and her daughters with a renewed sense of presence or peace. The film’s open-ended conclusion invites viewers to reflect on the ongoing struggles and nuances of motherhood, identity, and self-acceptance.