Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

Run Rabbit Run (2023) movie poster

Ending Explained

Run Rabbit Run (2023) Ending Explained – Final Scene & Meaning

Release, runtime and language
2023 · 100 min · English
Echo score 60
JustWatch #1,894 8
Directed by
Daina Reid
Starring
Damon Herriman, Genevieve Morris, Georgina Naidu, Greta Scacchi, Julia Davis, Katherine Slattery

Sarah, a fertility specialist, finds her understanding of the world challenged when her daughter displays strange behavior suggesting supernatural forces are at play. Haunted by a difficult past, she must confront unsettling truths and reconcile her scientific beliefs with a growing sense of dread. As she investigates, Sarah uncovers a connection between her daughter's experiences and a past she thought she had left behind, threatening her family's safety and forcing her to confront a disturbing reality.

On this page (7)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens at the end
  3. 3 Final events in order
  4. 4 Ending questions answered
  5. 5 Movie threads
  6. 6 Movies like Run Rabbit Run
  7. 7 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Run Rabbit Run (2023)

Where can you watch Run Rabbit Run? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Netflix and Netflix Standard: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

Streaming availability powered by JustWatch

Ending explained · contains spoilers

What Happens at the End of Run Rabbit Run?

How Run Rabbit Run (2023) ends, what the final scene means, which earlier moments set it up and how to read the ending if the film leaves it open. The full ending explained, with every spoiler.

The ending of Run Rabbit Run leaves viewers questioning whether the supernatural or psychological factors are at play. Throughout the film, we see signs that suggest the presence of Alice’s spirit haunting Mia and manipulating events, especially as Mia starts acting increasingly strange, claiming to be her grandmother and demanding to see Alice. The final scene shows Mia being taken by Alice’s younger self to the very same cliff where Sarah had earlier pushed Alice to her death. If one believes in the supernatural interpretation, this could mean that Alice’s spirit is still seeking revenge or closure, trying to punish Sarah for her past cruelty by ultimately returning to her original place of death and claiming Mia as her vessel or proxy. The presence of supernatural elements is reinforced by recurring ghostly sightings and eerie atmospheres throughout the film.

However, the psychological reading offers a different perspective. It suggests that Sarah’s guilt and trauma from her childhood murder of Alice have fundamentally warped her perception of reality. As Sarah’s mind begins to crumble under the weight of her secrets, she projects her repression onto Mia, seeing her as her sister Alice, who she never truly let go of. Mia’s strange behaviors and connection with animals tend to mirror Alice’s, fueling Sarah’s delusions. Scenes of Sarah injuring herself, mimicking her childhood acts, symbolize her internal struggle to confront her guilt. Ultimately, the ending represents Sarah’s mental breakdown: her belief that Mia has become Alice signifies her losing her grasp on reality, and her guilt manifests in her inability to distinguish her daughter from her sister. Whether supernatural or psychological, the film’s conclusion underscores the devastating impact of buried trauma and unaddressed guilt that can consume a person entirely.

Last updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:57

Was this helpful?

The last 4 events

How Run Rabbit Run Ends: The Final Events in Order

The last events of Run Rabbit Run (2023) in chronological order, the run-up to the ending explained above. The complete timeline has all 15 events, scene by scene.

Open the full timeline
  1. Sarah's Hallucinations

    As Sarah's mental instability increases, she experiences disturbing hallucinations that blur her perception of reality. This culminates in a tragic incident where she accidentally harms Mia with scissors.

  2. Confronting the Past

    Haunted by memories of her sister, Sarah's mental state continues to deteriorate. Flashbacks reveal the traumatic day Sarah pushed Alice off a cliff during a childhood scuffle, exacerbating her emotional turmoil.

  3. Mia Goes Missing

    In a panic, Peter and Sarah search for Mia who has gone missing. The urgency rises as they both realize the gravity of the situation and the implications of their fraught family dynamics.

  4. Final Haunting Revelation

    The following morning, Sarah has a chilling vision of Mia hand in hand with Alice as they approach the cliff. This haunting image symbolizes the fragility of their reality and the unresolved mysteries of their past.

    When
    Next morning

Ending questions answered

Run Rabbit Run Ending: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about the ending of Run Rabbit Run (2023): what the final scene means, how the twist works, what happens to each character and how to read the ending. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

What happens to Mia at the end of Run Rabbit Run?

In the final scene, Mia is taken by Alice's younger self to the same cliff where Sarah pushed Alice to her death as a child. If the supernatural interpretation is true, Alice's spirit claims Mia as her vessel to return to the place of her death. If the psychological reading is correct, Sarah's guilt manifests as seeing her daughter being taken by her sister's ghost, representing her loss of reality.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Mia claims to be her grandmother and demands to see Alice, hinting at her spiritual connection.

  • Mia
  • Alice
  • cliff
  • ending
  • taken
Q2

Does Sarah actually kill Alice in Run Rabbit Run?

Yes. The film reveals through flashbacks that Sarah pushed her younger sister Alice off a cliff during their childhood. This murder, motivated by unclear reasons, has haunted Sarah her entire life. She has kept this secret buried, but it resurfaces when Mia begins exhibiting Alice-like behaviors, threatening to expose Sarah's crime.

Foreshadowing: The opening scenes hint at Sarah's troubled past through her strained relationship with her mother and her reluctance to discuss her childhood.

  • Sarah
  • Alice
  • murder
  • childhood
  • cliff
Q3

Why does Mia say she's Alice's grandmother?

Mia begins claiming she is Alice's grandmother, which confuses both Sarah and viewers. This statement likely reflects the generational trauma and identity confusion in the family. Whether supernatural (Alice's spirit speaking through Mia) or psychological (Sarah's guilt warping her daughter's identity), the statement signals that Mia is becoming entangled with Alice's spirit or memory.

Foreshadowing: Mia's strange connection to animals and her increasingly eerie behavior mirror Alice's characteristics from the flashbacks.

  • Mia
  • Alice
  • grandmother
  • identity
  • confusion
Q4

What is the significance of the cliff in Run Rabbit Run?

The cliff is the central traumatic location from Sarah's past where she murdered Alice. In the ending, Alice's younger ghost leads Mia back to this exact spot, completing a tragic cycle. The location symbolizes how Sarah's past crime continues to define her present, and how trauma repeats across generations unless confronted.

Foreshadowing: Sarah's extreme reaction to visiting the cliff with Mia earlier in the film reveals her traumatic connection to the location.

  • cliff
  • Alice
  • location
  • trauma
  • cycle
Q5

Is the ending of Run Rabbit Run supernatural or psychological?

The film deliberately leaves this ambiguous. Evidence supports both readings: recurring ghostly sightings, Alice's spirit appearing to Mia, and supernatural manipulation suggest real haunting. Conversely, Sarah's self-injury mimicking childhood behavior, her trauma responses, and her complete mental breakdown indicate that everything may be a projection of her guilt. The film refuses to confirm which interpretation is correct.

Foreshadowing: Throughout the film, ambiguous scenes could be interpreted as either genuine supernatural events or Sarah's deteriorating mental state.

  • supernatural
  • psychological
  • interpretation
  • ambiguous
  • ending
Q6

What does the ending of Run Rabbit Run mean?

The ending demonstrates how buried trauma and unaddressed guilt destroy lives across generations. Whether Alice's spirit truly claims Mia or Sarah's mind creates this幻觉, the result is the same: Sarah loses her daughter because of the crime she committed against her sister. The film offers no catharsis or hope, only the devastating consequence of unresolved guilt.

Foreshadowing: The steady escalation of Mia's behavior and Sarah's psychological deterioration throughout the film builds toward this inevitable tragic conclusion.

  • ending
  • meaning
  • guilt
  • trauma
  • generational
Q7

What happens to Sarah at the end of Run Rabbit Run?

Sarah experiences a complete mental breakdown. She watches helplessly as her daughter walks away with the ghost of her sister, the sister she murdered. Unable to distinguish reality from her guilt-driven delusions, Sarah loses her grip on both her sanity and her family. The film ends with Sarah alone, consumed by trauma with no possibility of redemption.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Sarah injuring herself in ways that mirror her childhood actions, symbolizing her internal struggle to confront her guilt.

  • Sarah
  • breakdown
  • mental
  • guilt
  • ending
Q8

Is Alice seeking revenge in Run Rabbit Run?

If the supernatural interpretation is correct, Alice's spirit may be seeking either revenge or closure. She targets Mia to punish Sarah for murdering her and to finally return to the location of her death. However, the psychological reading suggests Sarah's guilt has created this narrative of revenge to explain her own traumatic memories and present fears.

Foreshadowing: Alice's ghostly appearances become increasingly directed toward Sarah as the film progresses, suggesting a personal vendetta.

  • Alice
  • revenge
  • spirit
  • supernatural
  • closure
Q9

Why does Sarah think Mia has become Alice?

Sarah's guilt causes her to perceive Mia as Alice. As Mia's behavior increasingly mirrors Alice's characteristics, her connection to animals, her strange demands, her eerie presence, Sarah's mind cracks under the weight of her buried secret. She literally sees her daughter as her dead sister, representing her complete inability to separate her past from her present.

Foreshadowing: Mia begins displaying behaviors that directly parallel Alice's from the flashbacks, triggering Sarah's traumatic memories.

  • Sarah
  • Mia
  • Alice
  • perception
  • delusion
Q10

What does the title Run Rabbit Run mean in relation to the ending?

The title references the nursery rhyme that appears throughout the film, symbolizing cycles of violence and escape. In the ending, the 'running' represents Sarah's failed attempt to outrun her past, she cannot escape the consequences of killing Alice. The 'rabbit' may symbolize vulnerability or prey, reflecting both Alice's fate and Sarah's ultimate helplessness as her daughter is taken from her.

Foreshadowing: The nursery rhyme is heard during key traumatic moments, reinforcing its connection to the cycle of violence.

  • title
  • rabbit
  • nursery rhyme
  • cycle
  • escape

Movie threads

More Movies Like Run Rabbit Run, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Run Rabbit Run tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Maternal horror films like Run Rabbit Run

Stories where a mother's worst fears threaten her child and her sanity. Discover movies like Run Rabbit Run where a mother's love is tested by supernatural forces or psychological terror. If you enjoyed the theme of maternal dread and a child in peril, these films deliver similar stories of parental fear, guilt, and the fight to protect a family from unseen horrors.

  • unsettling
  • anxious
  • dread-filled
  • haunting
  • melancholic
  • paranoid
  • Tone: dark, dreadful
  • Pacing: steady escalation
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread typically follow a mother protagonist whose worldview is challenged by events threatening her child. The narrative often involves her investigating a mystery linked to a traumatic past, leading to a confrontation where her protective instincts clash with a horrifying reality, resulting in heavy emotional consequences.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their intense focus on the maternal experience of horror, blending deep emotional weight with psychological or supernatural threats. They share a dark tone, high emotional stakes, and a central conflict that tests the bond between parent and child.

Slow burn psychological thrillers like Run Rabbit Run

Where tension builds methodically, trapping characters in a creeping sense of unease. Find movies similar to Run Rabbit Run that master the art of the slow burn. If you liked the methodical pacing and the escalating psychological dread, these recommendations feature a steady build of tension, dark tones, and stories where characters confront unsettling truths about themselves or their reality.

  • slow burn
  • psychological
  • claustrophobic
  • anxious
  • unsettling
  • dread-filled
  • Tone: dark, tense, bleak
  • Pacing: steady, slow burn
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a linear but deliberate unveiling of a central mystery or psychological conflict. The pacing is steady, allowing unease to accumulate through small, disturbing events rather than major action beats. The protagonist's perception of reality is often the main battleground, leading to a climax that is emotionally devastating rather than explosively cathartic.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their controlled pacing and focus on psychological unease. They create a cohesive experience through a dark tone, high intensity derived from mental pressure, and a narrative structure that prioritizes the slow suffocation of hope and sanity.

If you liked this

Movies Like Run Rabbit Run

Similar movies to Run Rabbit Run: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

Browse all movie summaries

Every angle

Run Rabbit Run (2023) Explained: Plot, Ending, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Run Rabbit Run in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning, the ending explained and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app