Crimes of the Future (2022) Ending Explained
TL;DR:
Crimes of the Future (2022), directed by David Cronenberg, concludes with a haunting meditation on the evolution of humanity, bodily autonomy, and the merging of art with biological transformation. The film follows performance artist Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen) and his partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux), who surgically remove his mutant organs as public spectacles. The ending sees Saul embracing his ultimate metamorphosis by allowing a mysterious child, Brecken, to "eat" him-a symbolic act that blurs the lines between creation, destruction, and transcendence. The film leaves audiences pondering the ethics of evolution, the commodification of pain, and the future of human identity in a world where the body is both art and artifact.
The Ending Explained
The climax of Crimes of the Future revolves around Saul's final performance, orchestrated by Caprice, where he allows Brecken-a child with a unique digestive system capable of processing synthetic materials-to consume his body. This act is framed as both a sacrifice and an artistic statement, symbolizing the cyclical nature of creation and consumption. Brecken represents the next stage of human evolution, a being adapted to a world where pollution and synthetic environments have rendered traditional biology obsolete. By letting Brecken ingest him, Saul completes his own artistic journey, transforming his body into a literal medium for the future. The act is ambiguous: Is it suicide, transcendence, or simply the logical endpoint of his art?
Caprice's role in this finale is equally significant. She initially facilitates Saul's performances as a collaborator, but by the end, she becomes a kind of high priestess of this new biological order. Her decision to document Saul's "consumption" suggests a cold, almost clinical detachment, raising questions about whether art can ever be separated from exploitation. The film's closing shots linger on her face, hinting at either remorse or fulfillment, leaving her emotional state deliberately unresolved. The performance space, a sterile, surgical theater, underscores the film's central theme: the body as both a site of suffering and a canvas for meaning.
Unresolved Questions & Possible Answers
What does Brecken represent?
- Possible Answer: Brecken is the next evolutionary step, a child adapted to a toxic world, suggesting humanity's future lies in embracing mutation rather than resisting it.
- Alternative Interpretation: Brecken is a metaphor for society's voracious consumption of art and pain, devouring creators in the name of progress.
Is Saul's death a triumph or a tragedy?
- Possible Answer: It's a triumph of artistic expression, as Saul willingly becomes part of something greater.
- Alternative Interpretation: It's a tragedy, highlighting how art demands self-destruction in a world that fetishizes suffering.
What is the significance of the "Inner Beauty Pageant"?
- Possible Answer: It critiques how society commodifies the grotesque, turning biological anomalies into entertainment.
- Alternative Interpretation: It's a celebration of the beauty in mutation, challenging traditional norms of aesthetics.
Does Caprice feel guilt?
- Possible Answer: Her stoicism masks deep guilt, as she realizes she's pushed Saul to his literal end.
- Alternative Interpretation: She feels no guilt, seeing Saul's consumption as the purest form of their art.
Themes & Symbolism
The ending reinforces Cronenberg's lifelong obsession with bodily transformation and the intersection of technology and biology. Saul's body, constantly sprouting new organs, becomes a metaphor for humanity's uneasy relationship with change. The film suggests that evolution is not a passive process but an active, often painful act of self-destruction and rebirth. The sterile, clinical environments-operating rooms, galleries-mirror the dehumanization of the body under the gaze of art and science. Even love, as seen in Saul and Caprice's relationship, is mediated through incision and spectacle, questioning whether intimacy can exist without violation.
Personal Opinion
Crimes of the Future is a challenging, deliberately opaque film that rewards patience and interpretation. The ending is both beautiful and grotesque, a fitting culmination of Cronenberg's vision. While some may find it emotionally distant, I argue that its coldness is intentional, forcing viewers to confront their own discomfort with the themes. Mortensen and Seydoux deliver mesmerizing performances, balancing vulnerability and detachment. The film's ambiguity is its strength, refusing to provide easy answers about art, evolution, or ethics. It's not for everyone, but for those willing to engage, it's a profound meditation on what it means to be human in a world where the body is no longer sacred.
Final Thoughts
The film's ending lingers like a slow-healing wound. Cronenberg doesn't offer catharsis but instead invites us to sit with the unease of transformation. In a culture obsessed with progress, Crimes of the Future asks whether evolution is a choice or an inevitability-and whether we'll be the architects or the artifacts of our own undoing. The final image of Brecken, now carrying Saul within him, suggests that the future is not something we inherit but something we consume, digest, and become. It's a bleak yet strangely hopeful conclusion, emblematic of Cronenberg's genius for finding beauty in decay.