Ending Explained: Animals

💡 What does the ending really mean?

At the end of Animals, Mark wins the mayoralty as a national hero, while Ramón, Cecilia, and Héctor return to Mexico as millionaires, thanks to Mark's help.

What happens at the end

Mark and Sam meet with the kidnappers in Frogtown. Mark offers Dayle more money to kill the kidnappers while he recovers Héctor. As a bet, she records her order to kill. Mark goes to meet the kidnappers, but Dayle arrives late and is killed by a third kidnapper. Mark recovers Dayle's phone, thus eliminating any evidence of her involvement in the killing. Mark finds no connection between the three kidnappers and himself, but decides not to investigate further.

Ramón, Cecilia's boyfriend, helps Mark hide the bodies of the kidnappers, except for the sniper. Mark and Sam present a version of the events where Mark is the hero who rescued Héctor, Ramón and Cecilia's son. The strategy works and Mark wins the mayoralty as a national hero. Ramón, Cecilia, and Héctor return to Mexico as millionaires, thanks to Mark's help.

What it means

The ending of Animals is an unexpected twist that subverts the audience's expectations. The film begins as a suspense thriller, but ends with Mark Kimball's political victory. The film critiques the corruption and hypocrisy of politics, showing how Mark, a man who presents himself as an honest and empathetic leader, ends up using dirty tactics to win the mayoralty. The film also explores the hypocrisy of the political class, which promises to improve the lives of citizens but, in reality, only seeks its own benefit.

The strongest symbol in the film is money. Mark spends all his money on the election campaign, but at the end, money doesn't save him. The film shows how money can buy freedom, but can also be used to buy death. The film also shows how money can be used to buy the image of an honest and empathetic leader, but in reality, it's just a facade.

The film ends with Mark as a national hero, but at a terrible price. Mark has lost his family, his integrity, and his soul. The film shows how politics can be a game of power and manipulation, where values and morality have no place. The film ends with a question: What price is Mark willing to pay for political victory?

What is left open

The film does not completely resolve the identity of the kidnappers. Mark finds no connection between the three kidnappers and himself, but the film does not explain how the kidnappers were able to track Mark and his family. The film also does not explain how the kidnappers were able to capture Héctor by mistake. The film ends with Mark as a national hero, but does not explain how the Latino community in Los Angeles has changed as a result of the film's events. The film ends with a question: What has really changed in Mark's life and in the life of the Latino community in Los Angeles?