Else (2025) Plot Summary & Ending Explained

At the end of Else, what unfolds is a haunting reflection of the protagonist, Anx’s, internal world. Throughout the film, we see how his repressed grief, fears of loss, and inability to confront reality have created a mental landscape that blurs the line between the physical and psychological. The disease in the story, which causes people to merge with their surroundings, can be understood as a metaphor for how deeply trauma and unresolved emotions can distort perception. Anx’s isolation has made him a prisoner of his own mind, with the apartment becoming a womb-like space that keeps him safe yet also physically and emotionally enclosed. His obsession with the house and his refusal to leave symbolize his resistance to facing the outside world and his own vulnerability.

As the story progresses, the borders between reality and hallucination crumble, especially when Anx starts to see the disease and his environment merging into a surreal, organic entity. The story of the lungfish, told by Setsuko, highlights the importance of adaptation and evolution for survival. Yet, Anx remains rooted in his cocoon, unable to evolve or confront his past. His connection to memory, grief, and loss—particularly around his mother’s death—becomes embodied in the visual language of the film, with images shifting from vibrant to monochrome and finally into blinding white silence, emphasizing his mental collapse.