Run Rabbit Run Ending Explained – Netflix is currently streaming the recently released Australian horror film titled “Run Rabbit Run,” which offers an intriguing blend of supernatural and psychological elements. The storyline revolves around Sarah, a single mother and fertility doctor, and her daughter Mia, whose peculiar behavior and unexplained connections to missing individuals drive the narrative forward. As the protagonist, Sarah embarks on a challenging journey to unravel the mysteries surrounding her daughter. With its deliberate pacing and commendable acting performances, Run Rabbit Run maintains a gripping atmosphere. However, while the film exhibits solid qualities, it lacks groundbreaking elements to set it apart as a truly distinctive cinematic experience.
‘Run Rabbit Run’ Movie Plot Summary
The events of Run Rabbit Run begin as Sarah wakes up Mia on the morning of her seventh birthday and prepares a delightful batch of her favorite pancakes. After dropping Mia off at school, Sarah heads to her clinic, where she specializes in treating infertility. We learn that Sarah is still grieving the recent loss of her father, with whom she shared a close bond. While driving home from school, Mia surprises Sarah with a peculiar remark about missing her grandmother, despite never having met her. Sarah brushes it off, thinking it’s merely an innocent comment from a playful child.
Later that day, Mia’s excitement peaks when she discovers an abandoned bunny outside their house, and she pleads with Sarah to let her keep it. Reluctantly, Sarah allows Mia to adopt the bunny for the day. As evening approaches, Pete, Mia’s father, arrives with his new girlfriend Denise and their son Toby to celebrate Mia’s birthday. Although Mia and Toby are friends, Toby exhibits odd behavior by repeatedly attacking Mia, causing Sarah to become critical of him.
On the same day, Mia’s behavior turns disturbing as she begins running around in public wearing a rabbit mask, insisting on being taken to her grandmother’s location. Sarah and her mother, Joan, had a strained relationship, unlike Sarah’s strong bond with her father. Despite Joan suffering from dementia and residing in a senior care facility, Sarah had minimal contact with her.
Mia persistently pleads and sometimes demands that Sarah take her to visit Joan, prompting Sarah to oblige. Upon meeting Joan, who mistakes Mia for someone named Alice, their first encounter is filled with cryptic familiarity. Joan addresses Mia as though she already knows her, deeply unsettling Sarah. Furthermore, Mia has recently insisted on being called Alice and has made unsettling claims that Sarah is not her biological mother. Sarah is understandably terrified by Mia’s ability to assume the identity of her absent sister from their childhood.
What Happened To Alice In Run Rabbit Run?
Throughout the film, Sarah’s interactions with Mia are constantly influenced by the absence of Alice. This dynamic becomes even more pronounced when Mia starts assuming the persona of Alice. As the story nears its climax, Sarah experiences a mental breakdown, which leads to revealing glimpses of the true fate of Alice.
Piecing together the fragments, Alice realizes that when she was young, Sarah played a game of hide and seek, but instead of finding her, Sarah locked her in a cupboard in the barn. In a moment of distress, Alice screams that she has locked Sarah in and clings tightly to Sarah’s neck as the cupboard door swings open. Overwhelmed by the situation, Sarah seizes a rabbit trap from the ground and strikes Alice on the head. In disbelief, Alice starts running away from Sarah, who relentlessly pursues her across a meadow and up a precipice. It is at this point that Sarah forcefully shoves Alice over the edge.
Earlier in the film, Sarah’s father had been seen searching for Alice, unaware of her tragic fate. In a poignant moment, Sarah confesses to her parents, acknowledging that she had lied about Alice running away. Apologizing aloud to the ghost of the girl who never truly existed, Sarah’s deep guilt over killing Alice hints at the root cause of her strained relationship with her mother, Greta Scacchi.
‘Run Rabbit Run’ Ending Explained
To add a sense of mystery and intrigue, the ending of Run Rabbit Run deliberately leaves room for interpretation, allowing viewers to question the conclusion. The film does not provide definitive alternative outcomes but rather presents the impossibility of what we perceive, leading us to doubt the resolution.
In the second half of the film, Sarah and Mia move to Sarah’s childhood home in an attempt to give Mia a glimpse into the family she yearns for. The final scene of Run Rabbit Run features Sarah abruptly waking up to a worsening situation, rushing to open a window. She watches as a young Alice, still a child, carries Mia away from the house. Both girls briefly glance back at Sarah before continuing their journey toward their deaths, guided by Alice, who leads Mia to the same precipice Sarah had previously flung her.
One interpretation of the film embraces the supernatural aspect, accepting the events witnessed in the last scene. Throughout Run Rabbit Run, several instances establish the presence of a young girl, undeniably Alice, who is responsible for the eerie occurrences in the film. Viewing the finale through this lens suggests that Alice’s ghost has lingered on the earth long after her death, seeking revenge against Sarah. Mia, Sarah’s daughter, meets a similar fate as Alice did at the age of seven, as the ghost compels the family to return to their childhood home.
However, an alternative interpretation involves perceiving the story as a psychological horror, wherein Sarah loses control due to her repressed guilt. The death of Sarah’s father acts as a trigger, forcing her to confront the past wrongdoing she committed against her sister, Alice when they were children. Sarah’s imagination forms an instant connection between Mia and Alice upon finding and caring for the rabbit. Sarah may recognize similarities between Mia and Alice due to their shared affinity for animals and Mia’s unusual and inexplicable affection for her grandmother, Joan, whom she has never met. Mia displays eerie traits, and at times it seems as if Sarah and Mia have inherited Joan’s mental struggles.
There are subtle hints that Sarah begins to perceive Mia as the reincarnation of her deceased sister. For example, Sarah intentionally injures her hand by slamming the car door, reminiscent of the harm she used to inflict on herself if Alice was hurt. Sarah struggles to accept that her sister deserves love and care, as evident from her self-inflicted injuries to garner attention for both herself and Alice. Even without a father figure, Sarah may intentionally injure herself with the car door to prevent Mia from receiving all the attention. The film concludes with a glimpse of Sarah drawing a dark mark on the floor, suggesting that she may be the one sabotaging Mia’s artwork. Alternatively, it could be Mia’s doing, not due to possession by an evil spirit, but rather the painful yet common mental struggles that often manifest in young children. It’s noteworthy that both Sarah and Mia appear to be lonely individuals, with Mia lacking close friendships at school.
Assuming Sarah’s internal conflict, the ending of Run Rabbit Run may allude to Mia’s mental unraveling, even if no actual death is involved. Once Sarah begins mistaking Mia for Alice, losing the natural mother-daughter bond becomes inevitable. In Sarah’s confused mind, Mia ceases to exist because she becomes indistinguishable from Alice. In the end, Sarah confesses her actions to young Mia, but even this revelation cannot absolve her from overwhelming guilt.
Also Read: Rabbit in “Run Rabbit Run” is Real or Fake?
