Little Fish Ending Explained
TL;DR:
Little Fish (2020), directed by Chad Hartigan, is a sci-fi romantic drama set in a world where a mysterious neurodegenerative disease causes people to lose their memories. The film follows the love story of Emma (Olivia Cooke) and Jude (Jack O'Connell) as they navigate a pandemic that threatens to erase their shared past. The ambiguous ending leaves Jude's fate uncertain-he may have succumbed to the disease or chosen to leave-while Emma, despite her fading memories, clings to their love through photographs and mementos. The film explores themes of love, loss, and the fragility of human connection in the face of oblivion.
Detailed Explanation of the Ending
The finale of Little Fish is poignant and open to interpretation. In the final scenes, Emma wakes up alone in bed, suggesting Jude may no longer be with her-either because he has fully lost his memory and left, or because he has died from the disease. The film's cyclical structure mirrors the inevitability of memory loss, as Emma flips through a photo album, desperately trying to hold onto the images of Jude and their life together. The closing shot lingers on a photograph of the couple smiling, a bittersweet reminder of what was and what can never be fully reclaimed. The ambiguity forces viewers to grapple with whether love can outlast memory or if it, too, is doomed to fade.
Unresolved Questions and Possible Answers
- Did Jude die, or did he simply forget Emma?
- Possibility 1: Jude succumbed to the disease, as hinted by his worsening symptoms earlier in the film.
- Possibility 2: He forgot Emma entirely and left, mirroring earlier scenes where infected individuals abandon their loved ones.
- Does Emma still remember Jude by the end?
- Possibility 1: Her photo-album ritual suggests she's fighting to retain her memories, but the disease may eventually win.
- Possibility 2: The act of revisiting photos implies she's already forgetting and is trying to reconstruct their love artificially.
- Is there hope for a cure or a future for them?
- Possibility 1: The film's bleak tone suggests no cure is coming, emphasizing inevitability.
- Possibility 2: Emma's persistence hints at a quiet, personal resistance against oblivion.
Themes and Symbolism
The ending underscores the film's central theme: love as both a salvation and a vulnerability. The photo album symbolizes humanity's struggle to preserve meaning in the face of erasure, while the empty bed reflects the haunting void left by loss. The disease serves as a metaphor for Alzheimer's, grief, or even the erosion of relationships over time. By refusing a clear resolution, the film asks whether love is defined by memory or by something deeper-an imprint on the soul that persists even when the mind fails.
Personal Opinion
I found the ending devastating yet beautifully restrained. Unlike traditional apocalyptic films, Little Fish focuses on intimacy rather than spectacle, making the emotional stakes feel unbearably real. Olivia Cooke's performance-especially in the final scenes-conveys a quiet desperation that lingers long after the credits roll. The ambiguity is frustrating but fitting; it mirrors the uncertainty of real-life loss. While I wished for closure, the open-endedness ultimately strengthens the film's meditation on impermanence. It's a haunting reminder to cherish the present, because even love is not immune to time.
Final Thoughts
Little Fish is a rare gem that balances sci-fi conceits with raw emotional depth. Its ending doesn't offer easy answers, but it doesn't need to-the power lies in its ability to make viewers feel the fragility of memory and the tenacity of love. Whether Jude is gone or merely forgotten, Emma's defiance in revisiting their photos suggests that, in some form, their connection endures. The film leaves us with a question: Is love made meaningful because it ends, or because it existed at all? That resonance is what makes Little Fish unforgettable.