The Spanish spin-off of Bird Box, starring Sandra Bullock, Tom Hollander, Sarah Paulson, and John Malkovich, Netflix’s Bird Box Barcelona, released on Netflix on July 14th.
Set in a post-apocalyptic dystopia, set up in the 2018 hit, this Spanish thriller follows a father, Sebastián (Mario Casas), and his daughter, Anna (Alejandra Howard), in their harrowing quest for survival. In a world plagued by mysterious entities that drive anyone who gazes upon them to madness and death, the two must rely on the help of others to stay alive. But, of course, there is a massive twist to the story.
Unlike Bird Box, the point of view in this sequel shifts from survivors to the fallen, providing a more rounded idea of how things might have gone down, and there is also hope for a ‘cure’.
For those who have not yet watched the film, turn away if you do not wish to stumble upon any spoilers. However, you can read our review of Bird Box Barcelona in the meanwhile.
Bird Box Barcelona ending explained:
Two of the most significant departures from the original is that our protagonists are more than what meets the eye at first. While it seems like Sebastián is trying his best to protect his daughter, we quickly learn that Anna is actually dead and Sebastián has been exposed. Like Hollander’s character in Bird Box, Sebastián has seen the mysterious entities described in this sequel as shapeless quantum beings. But unlike most who kill themselves after seeing the creatures, Sebastián survives.
These creatures manipulate Sebastián to expose more people to their mind-altering ways. Playing upon his religious beliefs, they appear to him as angels with promises of eternal salvation and reunion with Anna in the afterlife. To Sebastián, the souls of those who succumb after seeing the beings appear to float towards biblical heaven.
He meets with a group of people—Octavio, Rafa, Claire, Sofia, Isabel, and Roberto—who learn about a safe zone in Montjuc castle across town. Claire (Georgina Campbell) unwittingly helps Sebastián break the spell when she realises he is being troubled by Anna’s apparition. Claire explains that these creatures exploit people by using their vulnerabilities and memories of loved ones against them.
It is then revealed through flashbacks that Father Esteban (Leonardo Sbaraglia), a priest who interpreted the invasion of the creatures to be Judgement Day, was responsible for the death of Anna and countless others.
As the hallucinations let go of their grip on Sebastián, he gains his redemption arc. He helps Claire and Sofia reach safety by fighting off the priest and other ‘believers’. Claire takes on the daunting task of escaping with young Sofia, while Sebastian sacrifices himself.
Eventually, Claire and Sofia reach the Montjuc castle, where they find a thriving community of survivors protected by military personnel akin to the sanctuary Malorie (Bullock) arrives in at the end of Bird Box.
Inside the castle, Claire learns that the military is calling the likes of Sebastian ‘seers’. The military examiner attending to Claire informs her that they believe that the seers’ DNA has been altered due to extreme stress and trauma, rendering them immune to the monsters. Sebastián’s transformation into a seer seems to stem from the recent heart-wrenching loss of his daughter.
Of course, by this logic, everyone should turn into a seer a few years into the invasion, which is depicted in Bird Box. After all, living in a post-apocalyptic world must be severely stressful and traumatic for all. But this bit of retconned logical fallacy is scooted right over in Bird Box Barcelona.
The medical examiner further discloses their attempts to create a vaccine using a captured seer’s blood. Echoing Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) fate in The Last of Us, the vaccine proves ineffective in tests on lab rats. The fate of the captured seer and the possibility of developing a successful vaccine is now left to the devices of any potential sequels.
Bird Box Barcelona is currently streaming on Netflix.
