Year: 2022
Runtime: 95 min
Language: French
Director: Régis Blondeau
A rogue police officer finds himself the target of a mysterious whistleblower who sends increasingly alarming warnings. As he investigates, his world begins to unravel, forcing him to confront a dangerous cover-up and the repercussions of his actions. He must race against time to identify his pursuer and prevent further exposure, but the truth may be more damaging than he anticipated.
Warning: spoilers below!
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Restless (2022), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Since internal security was conducting an inspection at the police station, Thomas, a police officer, was busy on the phone trying to stay updated with their movements. Meanwhile, his family—his sister Agathe and daughter Louise—were anxiously waiting for him to say his final goodbyes to their deceased mother before the casket was closed. Distracted by his responsibilities, Thomas’s driving grew careless. When he spotted a dog in the road, he swerved to avoid it, causing him to lose control of his car for a brief moment.
Upon exiting the vehicle, Thomas discovered a man lying unconscious. After a closer look, he realized the man was not breathing. Panic surged through him as he feared the consequences and chose to cover up the incident. In an attempt to hide his mistake, he placed the man’s body in the trunk of his car. Just then, luck seemed to abandon him as the police pulled him over for questioning. Without any identification or badge to show, the officers were initially suspicious. However, once they discerned that Thomas was a Lieutenant, they let him continue on his way.
Arriving at the morgue, Thomas faced the daunting task of disposing of the corpse while concocting a plausible plan. Meanwhile, the security team was investigating allegations of corruption within the police force, which threw Thomas further into a panic. His colleagues, wary of his reputation for dishonesty, decided to take action when he was late returning. They broke into his locker and disposed of his cash stash by flushing it down the toilet. Thankfully, they later expressed their gratitude to Thomas for having assisted them during that chaotic time. But Thomas still faced the critical issue of the body hidden in his trunk.
Determined to eliminate the evidence, Thomas directed his focus towards the air conditioning vents in the morgue. He maneuvered the body inside the vent and cleverly attached his daughter’s remote-controlled toy to pull it through. Claiming to need a moment alone with his mother, he waited until he was alone in the room before executing his audacious scheme. Using the toy to navigate the body through the vent into the chamber with his mother’s corpse, Thomas cleverly blocked the security camera with balloons. Despite the odds stacked against him, he managed to remove the nails from the coffin and positioned the body beside his mother. Just as he finished, a ringtone echoed from inside the coffin, but fortunately, it fell silent when the attendant entered the room. His mother’s coffin was finally interred the following morning, granting Thomas a moment of relief.
Back at the station, Thomas and his partner Marc found themselves assigned to locate a missing person named Barcelo, the very individual Thomas had struck with his vehicle. They investigated the site of a reported accident, where the traffic police revealed they possessed surveillance footage. Luckily for Thomas, the camera angle failed to capture the crucial moments of the incident. Nonetheless, Marc deduced that Thomas’s car had been involved, as the brake lights had illuminated.
As Thomas thought he had escaped the worst, he began receiving ominous calls from an unknown number. The voice on the other end revealed knowledge of Thomas’s crime, issuing veiled threats. It was later made clear when Marelli, the Head of the Narcotics Department, entered Thomas’s office and slapped him, mistaking him for someone else. Marelli’s true intention was to obtain the corpse, dragging Thomas into a perilous conspiracy. Faced with the risk of endangering his family, Thomas knew he had to comply with Marelli’s demands.
Marc discovered damning evidence linking Thomas’s vehicle to the accident involving Barcelo. Meanwhile, Marelli leveraged his authority, engaging in illicit activities with the seized drugs rather than destroying them. Together with Barcelo, they ran a booming business, selling drug-laced alcohol at underground clubs, ensnaring customers with addiction. However, when Barcelo sold all their drugs to the Albanians without informing Marelli, it incited Marelli’s wrath, leading him to murder anyone involved in the betrayal, including Barcelo himself.
As the police began investigating Barcelo’s disappearance, Thomas sought to understand Marelli’s interest in the dead body. He tracked down an associate who had called Barcelo frequently before his demise. The man divulged vital details under interrogation. Upon retrieving Barcelo’s body from the burial site, Thomas found it riddled with bullet wounds, confirming Barcelo had been murdered prior to being struck by Thomas’s vehicle. It soon became evident that Barcelo harbored a key to a secret vault hidden inside his body—this was the reason Marelli sought the corpse.
Armed with this crucial key, Thomas attempted to convince his colleague Marc of the precarious situation. However, their desperate plans crumbled as Marelli orchestrated Marc’s brutal execution, forcing Thomas to realize his entanglement with a far more dangerous adversary than he anticipated.
Determined to put an end to Marelli’s reign, Thomas devised a daring counter-strategy. He covertly delivered Barcelo’s body to Marelli, having embedded a bomb within it. As Marelli drove away, the timer activated, and the explosive detonated. Remarkably, Marelli survived the blast, albeit with severe facial burns, setting the stage for a ferocious confrontation between the two.
In an explosive clash, Thomas ultimately fired the fatal shot, killing Marelli. Although he was apprehended and brought in for interrogation, the police department opted to bury the case to avoid tarnishing their reputation. After resigning from the police force, Thomas generously donated his severance pay to Marc’s widow, Naomi, who had progressed to Lieutenant.
In a twist of fate, Naomi later handed Thomas the vault key she’d discovered while investigating Marc’s murder. In the end, Thomas found himself strangely fortunate—armed with the key to a treasure trove of drug money hidden by Barcelo, the hit-and-run incident unexpectedly transformed into an opportunity for unimaginable wealth.
Last Updated: November 15, 2024 at 17:05
Still wondering what the ending of Restless (2022) really means? Here’s a spoiler-heavy breakdown of the final scene, major twists, and the deeper themes that shape the film’s conclusion.
After Thomas successfully disposes of the body of Barcelo, he becomes entangled in a deeper conspiracy involving corrupt police officials and drug traffickers. Marelli, the head of the Narcotics Department, is revealed to have been exploiting his power to run a drug and alcohol operation with the stolen drugs, which he sold at private clubs. When Barcelo grows dissatisfied with Marelli and starts dealing drugs independently with the Albanians, Marelli’s fury leads him to murder Barcelo and hide his body. The key to a secret vault containing hidden drug earnings was found inside Barcelo’s body, which explains why Marelli wanted him dead.
Marelli’s greed and deceit continue to cause chaos. Thomas, trying to protect himself and his family, decides to give Barcelo’s body to Marelli in a trap. In a daring move, he plants a bomb inside Barcelo’s body, which is set to explode when Marelli takes the body. This act of treachery results in Marelli’s plan backfiring; he is blown up but still manages to survive with severe burns. The confrontation ends with Thomas shooting Marelli dead to eliminate him once and for all.
After the chaos, Thomas is arrested and interrogated, but the police decide to cover up the incident to prevent tarnishing the department’s reputation. In the aftermath, Thomas leaves the police force and uses his severance pay to help Marelli’s widow, Naomi. The crucial twist comes when Naomi hands Thomas a key she found while investigating Marelli’s death, revealing the existence of a hidden vault filled with drug money. This discovery signifies that, through all the turmoil and danger, Thomas has inadvertently come into a fortune, fulfilling his covert desire for wealth in the most unexpected way. The film ends with the idea that sometimes, a moment of bad luck, like the hit-and-run, can unexpectedly lead to a fortunate ending.
Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:58
Don't stop at just watching — explore Restless in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Restless is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of Restless with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Restless. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
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