Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Lost City.

The Lost City ending explained in detail. The film stars Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Radcliffe as their characters go in search of an ancient artifact. The film — directed by Aaron and Adam Bee from a screenplay co-written by them and Oren Uziel and Dana Fox — ends as viewers would expect, but it’s all about the journey.

The Lost City follows Loretta Sage, a best-selling romance novelist who is in the midst of a book tour when she is kidnapped by billionaire and criminal Abigail Fairfax, who is in search of Calaman’s Tomb and the treasure within it — the Crown of Fire. Fairfax believes Loretta is the only person who can help him find it because she wrote about this mysterious Lost City of D in her latest novel. Fairfax would have gotten away with it, too, if not for Alan, the cover model for Loretta’s romance book series, who goes after the author in a bid to rescue her from the greedy rich man.

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The Lost City ends on a happy note for Loretta and Alan, who are vacationing together after their adventures conclude. With Loretta having written a new book and happier than ever, the film brings her and Alan’s stories to a close. We break down the film’s ending, including its overall meaning.

Why Alan Really Wanted To Rescue Loretta

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Alan may have expressed a part of the reason for his daring attempted rescue for Loretta, but it goes deeper than that. He was very invested in Loretta, and it wasn’t solely because he was her book’s cover model. Alan actually liked Loretta as a person and wanted her to see that her life could be more than what it currently was. She was barely holding on and, in many ways, so was he. Just like Alan wanted to be seen as more than a cover model, he wanted Loretta to break through her own layers so that they could both fully see each other for who they really were on the inside. Knowing how embarrassed he was about modeling for a romance book series, Alan eventually grew to embrace it. The same goes with Loretta, who studied archaeology and dead languages before becoming a writer. Alan wants her to accept how happy her books make people and to live life to its fullest despite everything. Alan’s heart was certainly in the right place and he tried his best to be daring, inspired by his heroic book counterpart.

What Is The Well Of Endless Tears?

the lost city

The Well of Endless Tears is a clue from the hieroglyph that Loretta was able to translate. She initially believed it to be some kind of metaphor, but it turned out to be an actual location. The Well of Endless Tears is the place where Calaman and his wife Taha were buried together. The location isn’t a tomb in the traditional sense — it’s not in an area that is easily found or that can be visited by many. Rather, the Well of Endless Tears is more of a literal reference. After Calaman’s death, Taha never stopped mourning her lover and the location of his tomb is not only surrounded by water but by several waterfalls as well, flowing downward like tears falling from Taha’s own eyes. It's also a direct parallel to Loretta's own story of grief and how she much she loved her husband.

Are Calaman’s Tomb & The Crown Of Fire Real?

the lost city ending

Calaman’s Tomb and the Crown of Fire are not based on any real legends or history as far as we know. The Lost City fashions itself like a modern-day Romancing the Stone or Indiana Jones with some Tomb Raider thrown in for good measure. But similar to Indiana Jones, the ancient artifacts and the legend of the Lost City of D are mythologies created specifically for the film. Granted, something such as the Holy Grail is based on real-life lore, but The Lost City of D seems to have made up all of its own legends. That said, the Lost City of D itself might be fashioned after the Lost City of Atlantis, a fictional island that, as legend would have it, was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. In The Lost City of D, the titular city was never found because it was hidden beneath lava that had previously buried the city.

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What’s Next For Loretta & Alan?

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It might have taken them a while, but Loretta and Alan finally got together at the end of The Lost City. The film ends with them on a vacation after Loretta finished another book and, considering how long it took the pair to get to where they are at the end, it’s likely they’ll be together for quite some time. At this point, Loretta has accepted the fact that Alan is her cover model and he’s okay knowing that he brings a lot of joy to readers in his job. Finally on the same page and comfortable with each other, Loretta and Alan are primed to continue learning about themselves together and individually, perhaps on another archaeological adventure. What’s clear is that the pair is certainly smitten and, though it’s hard to say how long they’ll be together, one can expect this is no short-term romance.

Why Rafi Was Helping Fairfax Despite Heritage

the lost city ending explained

The Lost City sees Rafi, one of Abigail Fairfax’s primary henchmen, helping him find Calaman’s Tomb and the Crown of Fire. It’s revealed that Rafi is from the island and that his grandmother used to tell him stories about what would happen if the tomb is disturbed. But he continues working with Fairfax despite the warnings and unease he feels throughout, leaving his motivations rather unclear. He eventually ditches Fairfax, but it’s possible Rafi was drawn to Fairfax’s money at the start of the expedition. He likely didn’t know how far Fairfax would go or how his own feelings and ties to his heritage would stand in his way from helping the billionaire achieve his large-scale theft. Once he realized, he changed his mind, though the film doesn't explore his headspace very much.

The Lost City’s Real Meaning Explained

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The Lost City is all about chasing what seems impossible. For Alan, it’s attaining Loretta’s validation of him beyond being a dimwitted cover model; for Loretta, it’s choosing to write her own story and to continue living after the loss of her husband, as well as finding Calaman’s Tomb. Alan is driven yet terrified of finding Loretta on his own, but he does it anyway. Meanwhile, Loretta becomes adamant about finding Calaman’s Tomb because it’s an adventure she didn’t think she’d ever be on and she has to see it through. Both of these characters’ journeys seemed insurmountable at the start, but as they grow and acknowledge certain things, they become more vulnerable and open to being seen. This is especially true for Loretta, who has closed herself off from people and the world for five years. By the end of The Lost City, she's in a much better place and willing to believe in what's seemingly out of reach.

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