Annihilation on Netflix: What does the ending mean? Conclusion EXPLAINED

The fantasy thriller was a mild hit in the US but, intriguingly, never saw the light of day in international movie theatres.

Instead it goes straight to Netflix – with much more critical acclaim behind it than the streaming service’s other recent premieres.

So what did that final moment mean exactly?

Warning: spoilers for Annihilation ahead.

At the very end of the movie, Lena (Natalie Portman) is reunited with Kane (Oscar Isaac) but it’s clear that not everything is as it seems.

He admits to her that he is not the real Kane – but he’s not a total stranger; with DNA meaning he still has his memories and, crucially, his feelings for her.

He asks her if she is the “real Lena”, and she doesn’t answer.

The two embrace and their eyes shine – with the same light seen earlier inside the Shimmer.

This leaves the movie’s closing moments open to interpretation. Did the real Lena escape, but she was just changed forever by her experiences? Was she somehow infected, and she IS her real self – but her real self has changed?

Or did the double she encountered earlier somehow make it out after all? It seemed like Lena had given her double a phosphorus grenade before it was set ablaze, but was all not as it seemed?

Neither solution is the definitive answer, so it’s pretty much up to each individual viewer to decide.

Whatever the case, Lena is changed forever. Whether or not she, as her changed self, can create a happy future with this man who is not exactly her husband – that’s perhaps another story altogether.

Annihilation is on Netflix now.