Warning: Spoilers ahead for Netflix's Lou.The Netflix movie Lou unfolds as a typical game of cat and mouse, but many twists and turns toward its ending reveal that there is a lot more to its linear storyline and character beats than meets the eye. In the beginning, the movie jumps from one action set piece to another, where the titular character, Lou (played by Allison Janney), sports a tough-as-nails demeanor. With a harrowing storm in its backdrop, Lou gradually delves into the main character's past and subtly foreshadows a pivoting reveal that not only adds more relevance to the movie's riveting action scenes but also multiple layers to its characters and their motives. While the big reveal is not as thrilling as the build-up behind it, it evokes intrigue by drawing references to real historical and geopolitical events.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
In its opening moments, Lou establishes that its main character is in a dark place by showing that she is on the brink of taking her own life. However, with a twist of fate, her neighbor Hannah shows up and asks her to help find her missing daughter, Vee. As the two women rage against an unforgiving storm to rescue Vee, Hannah (played in Lou by Jurnee Smollett) learns that Lou's dark past is somehow connected to her husband, Philip, who is the one who abducted Vee.
When Lou and Philip's game of tug of war reaches its close, Lou faces a grim decision, which shows that her cynicism stems from trauma and harkens back to a defining historical moment. All these twisty revelations surrounding Lou's characterization may be a little hard to comprehend because of how unevenly they are placed throughout the movie. Therefore, here's a breakdown of Lou's ending and all the key plot points that lead to it.
Why Does Philip Abduct Vee
As Lou progresses, Hannah opens up about her toxic relationship with her ex-husband, Philip (played by Logan Marshall-Green of Netflix's Intrusion), and reveals how his abusive behavior bled into their marriage and destroyed it. To save herself and her daughter, she fled and hoped she would never see him again. To her dismay, Philip put his Special Forces background to good use, tracked her down, and kidnapped Vee to get his revenge. What begins as a simple abduction plan later takes a grim turn when Philip reveals that he has been purposefully dropping clues for Lou and Hannah to lure them toward a lighthouse.
What Happened To Lou And Philip In Iran
Lou worked as a CIA field agent during the 1953 Iranian coup d'état. A significant part of her mission involved getting close to "a very dangerous man," but it took an unexpected turn when it resulted in her getting pregnant with Philip. Taking advantage of the situation, she kept the baby and used him as a ploy to keep her cover. One thing led to another, and Philip was taken away from her for a while and forced to live with his father. Knowing that his mother only used him as a tactical gambit, Philip turns resentful toward Lou and seems traumatized by his brief stay with his father.
The psychological damage Philip endures in Iran later reflects on his marriage with Hannah and explains why he goes on a warpath against Lou, Hannah, and Vee when they abandon him. His scarred childhood also likely played a part in him developing sociopathic tendencies and getting court-martialed after torturing hostages for fun in El Salvador. The movie's opening scenes, in which Lou almost ends her life, establish that she holds herself accountable for her actions and Philip's mental health issues. For this reason, she tries to ensure that her family's intergenerational trauma does not spill into Hannah and Vee's life.
What Sheriff Rankin’s Copper Bracelet Means
Although Sheriff Rankin (played by Matt Craven from the cast of Stumptown) is a secondary character in Lou's storyline, he plays a key role in highlighting Lou's catharsis throughout the movie. Rankin first appears in the film when he recommends a copper bracelet to Lou to help her ease her arthritis pain. When Lou blatantly dismisses his act of kindness, it reflects how she prefers being a lone wolf. Owing to her disturbing past, she has developed a morbid perception of the world where she trusts no one.
After finding her injured much later in the film, Rankin places the copper bracelet on Lou's wrist. His wholesome gesture goes a long way as Lou later uses the same bracelet to make an antenna and manipulate the frequency of the bomb that Philip plants at the lighthouse. This proves to be a turning point in their survival against Philip's masterful plan and symbolizes Lou's transformation by showing that as much as she wants to remain cut off from the rest of the world, she is stronger when she accepts the help she needs. The bracelet becomes all the more significant in Lou's epilogue when Rankin tells Vee that he will gift his second copper bracelet to "a friend."
Why Does Lou Kill Philip
In the showdown during the Netflix movie's ending, Lou and Philip fight each other to death. While Philip manages to stab her, Lou ultimately gains the upper hand. Killing her son undoubtedly proves to be a tough decision, but she realizes that if she does not do it, the dire consequences of her past actions will spiral into Vee and Hanah's life as well. Hence, to ensure their safety, she lets Philip die and, in turn, makes amends for her mistakes. This makes Philip's death symbolic in the sense that it helps Lou realign her life's purpose instead of living in the dark shadow of her past.
Why Lou Is Watching Over Hannah And Vee
Initially, Lou seems to sacrifice her own life in the pursuit of killing her son. But Lou's ending scene reveals that she is alive and still watching over Hannah and Vee. She secretly keeps an eye on them because she is now a fugitive, with the CIA trying to track her down. Her presence could again put them in danger, which would be counterproductive to everything she does throughout the 2022 action movie to bring them to safety. By staying hidden in the shadows, she can pursue her newfound purpose of guarding her family without causing them any harm. Not to mention, as she quotes herself, she believes Hannah will "leave the world a better place" than she did, which is a powerful reason for her to protect her.
What The Lou Movie Ending Means For Lou
Lou's rite of passage in the film helps her accept her past and forgive herself for abandoning her son. Unfortunately for her, she will not be able to reunite with Hannah and Vee for a long time as the CIA is determined to eradicate her. The new Netflix movie's ending scene suggests that Lou has adopted a new identity by coloring her hair brown and wearing thick-framed glasses, which could help her stay off the radar for some time.
Considering how the CIA did not declassify the documents confirming their role in the Iran Coup until 2013, she will have to keep a low profile at least for the next three decades. To her advantage, though, she now understands the value of seeking help when necessary. The closing frame at the end of Lou emphasizes this by showing Rankin's second copper bracelet on her wrist. This hints that she is still friends with the sheriff, and he is likely pulling some threads to protect her from the CIA.