The Similars

The transformations occur because Ignacio, a young boy with special abilities, made contact with aliens and brought their reality-altering power into the depot. The aliens from a comic book Ignacio owns are stealing humanity's individuality by giving everyone the same face, Ulises's face. The phenomenon spreads from the first transformed person (Ulises himself) to everyone else in the depot, including Roberta, Irene, and eventually all the characters.

The radio hints at a worldwide phenomenon of unknown origin before the transformations begin.

Ignacio is the catalyst for everything that happens. He is a famous unsolved medical case that Alvaro recognizes, and he possesses the ability to make contact with aliens. Rather than being a victim, Ignacio actively causes the comic book prophecy to come true by using his reality-altering power to prevent people from leaving and to spread the transformation. He is the only one who remembers what happened after humanity's memory is wiped.

Gertrudis injects Ignacio with a hypodermic needle, hinting at his special medical condition.

The comic book tells the story of aliens who steal humanity's individuality by making everyone look identical. Ignacio shows this to Ulises in Martin’s office as evidence of what is happening. After Gertrudis escapes, she confirms that Ignacio caused the comic book to come true, meaning the transformation spreading through the depot is exactly what the alien story predicted.

Ignacio locks people in the back room to show Ulises the comic book before the full transformation occurs.

Ignacio uses his reality-altering power to prevent anyone from leaving. When Alvaro tries to exit through the doors, he discovers they are locked and bulletproof. Ignacio later admits he was preventing their departure, trapping all eight people inside the depot while the transformation spreads. This ensures the alien phenomenon cannot be stopped or escaped.

Alvaro's attempt to leave reveals the doors are sealed, confirming someone is actively trapping everyone.

Ulises dies after being stopped by Ignacio's reality-altering power during the climax. Before dying, he claims he no longer recognizes the faces of the people around him, not because he is blind, but because everyone now bears his own face. The transformations have made everyone's features identical to Ulises's, so he literally cannot distinguish between any of the people in the depot.

Roberta's features begin mirroring Ulises with facial hair appearing on her skin before the full transformation spreads.

Irene dies during childbirth, but her baby is born alive. Tragically, the newborn already bears the cloned face, the same face that everyone else in the depot has acquired. This confirms that the transformation affects even newborns and that the alien phenomenon has spread to the next generation, continuing the cycle of lost individuality.

Irene undergoes a startling change during the transformation before going into labor.

After Ignacio collapses from exhausting his power, Roberta concludes that he made contact with the aliens and, by doubting their reality, allowed them to control him. She believes Ignacio's skepticism about the aliens' existence is what invited them to use him as a conduit for their transformation power. This explains how a young boy could be the source of such a worldwide phenomenon.

Ignacio collapses after using his reality-altering power, suggesting he was channeling something beyond himself.

Ulises is the first person to transform, though he is unaware of it. After Martin reveals that his own face has morphed to resemble Ulises, the group discovers a photograph in Ulises's wallet showing the original Ulises, unbearded and different from the cloned version everyone now bears. This photo tips off the group that Ulises was patient zero, the first to undergo the transformation.

Martin's face morphing to look like Ulises is the first visible transformation anyone notices.

After all the characters transform, humanity's collective memory is wiped. People once again perceive themselves as individuals, completely unaware that they have collectively lost their identity. The final narration explains that with few exceptions, Ignacio is the only one who remembers what actually happened, much like in the comic book story where the aliens erase humanity's memory of losing their individuality.

The radio updates hint that the storm could be a worldwide phenomenon before the memory wipe occurs.

The police arrive at the scene after the transformations and deaths have occurred. They blame Alvaro for the deaths, presumably because he was one of the able-bodied adults present during the violent events. This is a miscarriage of justice since Alvaro was not responsible for the deaths, Ignacio caused the transformations, and Ulises, Irene, and Rosa all died as direct results of Ignacio's actions or the transformation phenomenon.

Alvaro tries to maintain order and protect others throughout the night, making his arrest ironic.

Martin's face is bandaged because he has already begun transforming before anyone else realizes what is happening. When he emerges from his office with a rifle and blames everything on Ulises, his bandages are covering the early stages of his face morphing to resemble Ulises. He is the first person to physically show signs of the transformation, which is why he is so hostile toward Ulises, perhaps subconsciously sensing the connection.

The bandaged face is visible from Martin's first appearance, hinting at the transformation to come.

Rosa and Roberta both suffer epileptic seizures that are identical in nature, occurring shortly after the transformation phenomenon begins. These seizures appear to be a physical reaction to the alien influence spreading through their bodies. Rosa later transforms and kills herself in the back room, while Roberta's transformation continues to spread, with facial hair appearing on her skin. The seizures seem to mark the onset of the transformation process.

The seizures begin happening after the radio mentions a worldwide phenomenon of unknown origin.

Gertrudis injects Ignacio with a hypodermic needle because he is a famous unsolved medical case, as Alvaro recognizes when he sees the injection. This suggests Ignacio has some kind of medical condition that requires regular treatment. However, the injection appears to be related to his special abilities or perhaps a way to keep him sedated or controlled. The injection happens before the transformations begin, hinting at Ignacio's unique nature.

Alvaro's recognition of Ignacio as a famous unsolved medical case suggests there is something extraordinary about the boy.

The intermittent radio updates from Fernando Becerril hint that the storm could be a worldwide phenomenon of unknown origin. The radio mentions worsening news that suggests this is not just a local storm but something much larger affecting the entire world. This foreshadows that the transformation event at the bus depot is part of a global phenomenon, not an isolated incident.

The radio provides the first hint that the strange events extend far beyond the bus depot.