Here's everything you should know about Birds of Paradise's ending. Birds of Paradise is based on the young adult novel Bright Burning Stars by A.K. Small. The Amazon Prime original showcases writer-director Sarah Adina Smith's talents at bringing a level of subtle beauty to the ballet film. The cinematography is a mixture of Edgar Degas paintings coupled with Euphoria-like surrealism. Not only that but the lead actresses went through three months of intense ballet training prior to filming in order to master the movie's intricate choreography.
Birds of Paradise follows Kate Sanders (Diana Silvers) after receiving a scholarship to attend an elite ballet academy in Paris. The academy hosts a competition for their dancers to win a contract with the Opéra national de Paris. Kate ends up rooming with Marine (Christine Froseth) after the pair get into a physical altercation over an ill-informed comment Kate makes about Marine's deceased twin brother. After becoming friends, the two make a pact that both of them will win the competition or neither of them will take the contract. As the stakes get higher and higher, Kate starts dabbling in self-destructive tendencies to dance better and calls off the pact. It all leads up to the finale, where audiences find out who wins, who loses, and, more importantly, the fate of both dancers.
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The drama film is enticing enough to keep audiences wondering what will happen next, though Birds of Paradise doesn't quite compare to Natalie Portman's performance in Black Swan. The third act of the movie is easy enough to follow, with a few bizarre moments thrown in for dramatic effect. Filmmakers smartly put title cards in the movie to show the countdown to the competition, which helps with heightening the suspense. As the big day draws closer and closer viewers get sucked into the complications of Kate and Marine's burgeoning relationship, and how that will affect the outcome of the contest. Surprisingly, the film doesn't end directly after the winner is announced. Rather it comes three years after the event. So, what happens in end?
What Happens In Birds Of Paradise's Ending
The entire movie leads up to the day of the competition, with the assumption that the dancers will perform in pairs. All of the ballerinas covet the seductive Felipe (Daniel Camargo) as their partner because, for some reason known to Madame Brunelle (played by Jaqueline Brisset from Casino Royale) a ballerina good enough to dance with Felipe is worthy of the Opéra national de Paris. Under the false impression that Marine got her scholarship revoked, Kate destroys Marine's reputation by revealing a rumor about her and her brother having an incestuous relationship. Initially, Marine gets to dance with Felipe. However, in a surprising twist, Marine decides to perform a solo piece and Felipe partners with Kate. Marine's solo is an interpretive dance that is painful to watch in its emotionality, while Kate's is romantically charged with strict adherence to the choreography.
Shockingly, there are three envelopes for the judges to open. The first goes to Felipe, but then the second is an apprenticeship offered to Gia. Before Mme Brunelle can announce the winner, Marine abruptly forfeits and leaves. In a stunning performance by Diana Silvers (known from Netflix's Space Force), she demands to know who the real winner would have been. Three years later, Marine runs into Kate outside of her show. The two make tense chit-chat before Marine tells her that she's choreographing dances at the club The Jungle. Marine informs Kate that she's free now, and hopes Kate can be, too. Kate breaks down and apologizes, and the movie ends with Kate performing an interpretive dance for Marine, chronicling the story she was told when she was a child.
Who Really Won The Grand Prize In Birds Of Paradise
Madame Brunelle announces Kate as the winner, albeit by default. What Birds of Paradise seems to be saying is that the real result doesn't matter because what happens is final. However, on a deeper level, Marine is the only one that actually sticks to their pact. Channeling Margot Robbie's fury in I, Tonya, Kate makes an impassioned command to admit who the real winner would have been; the judges sit in silence, and the scene changes to three years later. When the ballerinas meet, Marine is obviously in a healthier place than Kate is, despite her success. In the end, Marine is the one who decides to let go and move forward with her life, while Kate stays stuck emotionally. This shows that really Marine is the true winner.
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Were Ollie & Marine Romantically Together?
When Celine Durand (Caroline Goodall) finds her daughter and son dancing in the living room, she impulsively believes the two are having an incestuous relationship. The consequences of this reach so far that Ollie kills himself. When Marine entrusts this to Kate, she throws it back in her face by telling the entire Academy about the incident. In the end, no one believes Marine. Marine and Ollie may have a Love and Forty-type codependency (à la You), but audiences are inclined to trust Marine. With that in mind, Birds of Paradise touches on themes of contemporary cultural topics, namely through a feminist lens, which certainly plays into the depiction of Ollie and Marine's relationship.
Was The End Show In Birds of Paradise Real?
The final sequence has Marine performing an interpretive dance at The Jungle. The dance is an adaptation of a story she was told when she was young about birds and the creation of the night sky. Coupled with Marine's mantra -- "Blessed is she who falls. Blessed is she who rises again." -- Kate plummets to the stage floor with a thundering crash and struggles to rise again, but eventually does. The performance is symbolic of the film's message, but is the end real or a dream? Birds of Paradise suggests that the final dance is very real. Kate's piece at The Jungle is foreshadowed throughout the entirety of the movie in the form of small vignettes. While it does seem that falling from such a great height would probably kill Kate, the performance is meant to be surreal in order to match Kate's perception of her artistry.
Why Marine Was Set Free, But Not Kate
The film has a phenomenal character arc in the form of Marine. She starts out extremely hair-trigger and impulsive. Upon meeting the character she lashes out at Kate when Kate says that she heard her brother was "pushed off of a bridge," not really knowing that she was talking about Marine's twin. It's doubtful that the two would become friends, much less lovers. After an emotional conversation with Madame Brunelle, Marine takes on her new mantra and leaves her abusive mother's home to go start over as a choreographer. Netflix's The Society actress Kristine Froseth plays the drastic arc with grace and surprising believability.
Kate's character, on the other hand, faces a downward arc. She starts taking drugs to improve her dancing, unwittingly sabotages other dancers in her way, and breaks her heartfelt pact with Marine. When she encounters Marine three years later, it is abundantly clear who has been set free and who hasn't. Kate's tearful apology does show hope for the ballerina and the final dance is representative of her encouraging future.
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The Real Meaning Of Birds of Paradise’s Ending
On the surface Birds of Paradise is about redemption, letting go, and the dangers of extreme competition. The first two themes are brought to life in Marine's total transformation, while the latter personifies Kate's experience. Marine is able to let go of her past and her grief over her brother's tragic suicide by focusing on what she actually wants to do with her life. In a Natalie Portman-esque Black Swan move, Kate sticks to her guns and falls further down the rabbit hole of dangerous ambition. Under the surface, the movie explores themes of feminism and victim-blaming. The fact that whoever wins the competition is dependent on Felipe proves the industry is still in need of some change in regards to how it perceives women. Also, everyone's disbelief in Marine's side of the story is a chillingly accurate reflection of how society has a problem with believing women.
Birds of Paradise is a haunting story about two women competing for the same goal, while taking two wildly different directions with its fulfillment. The ending brings completeness to the film, while also providing hope that Kate can face up to change in the future. While the movie never reveals the "true winner," the final scene makes it clear who truly won in the game of real life.
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