Outside End Explained: Did Francis’ Family Survive?

The end of Netflix’s zombie horror Outside Takes the tired trope of zombies not being true monsters and applies it to a very dark and personal subject: domestic abuse. Outside Follows the struggling Abel family as they return to Francis’ (Sid Lucero) childhood home to weather the zombie apocalypse. As it progresses, Iris (Beauty Gonzalez) expresses her desire to leave the house and take their sons, Josh (Marco Masa) and Lucas (Aiden Tyler Patdu) to a military camp. Francis, however, has other ideas, quickly becomes the real source of his family’s fear, and turns Outside In one of the best horror movies on Netflix.

In the final act of OutsideFrancis’ abuse of his family both escalates and begins to unravel. After Corcuera (Enchong Dee) arrives and dispels his lies, Josh leaves the house to find help, Francis locks his family in the room he was abused in as a child, and he begins to make even more irrational decisions. He kills and cooks the dog that got into the chicken head, he stole Corcuera’s uniform and started wearing it, and he had some of his worst blocks when his father used to abuse him. So much happened so quickly at the end of Outside That an explanation may be in order.

Why Francis killed the soldier and took his uniform

Almost everything that Francis has in Outside was for one reason: to maintain his abusive control over his family. He did this in several ways, from violence to emotional abuse, but his biggest weapon was his ability to lie. After the soldier, Corcuera, arrived, he started talking about the outside world. He tells the family about Delta Camp, the settlement Josh heard about on the radio, how few zombies are still around outside, and Diego (James Blanco), Francis’ brother, who he claims has already died. Corcuera dispelled all of Francis’ biggest lies, and since he felt like he was losing control, Francis killed him..

Francis’ lie about the outside world was the main reason his family remained in the house. Iris would have demanded that they leave for Delta Camp if Francis hadn’t lied about the broken van and dismissed what Josh had heard on the radio. Corcuera, however, took the avenue of control away from Francis, so he had to resort to another method: violence. Killing Corcuera was both a way to stop him from exposing Francis’ lie, but it also served as a warning to Iris. If he could smash in the head of an innocent man with a hammer, there is no telling what he would do to her.

One of the more confusing parts of Corcuera’s murder was the fact that Francis stole his uniform and wore it herself. But this was also a desperate bid to control. Lucas carried his soldier action figure around everywhere, and Francis even mentioned that the toy would protect him. The reason Francis stole Corcuera’s uniform is because he desperately wanted Lucas to see him as a protector.. He had already done so much harm to Iris and Josh by this point, however, that Lucas would never see his father as a source of safety again, so Francis tried to “become” his action figure.

Why did Francis start helping his family again at the end of the season?

Despite the fact that Francis quickly became more abused and unhinged, in the final moments of OutsideHe started helping his family again. When the zombified Diego attacked, Francis was locked in the basement, reliving the trauma of his childhood abuse. Iris and Lucas’ screams, however, were enough to snap him out of it and spur him to action. Then, after Iris had to amputate Lucas’s bitten arm, Francis realized that he needed to be a caring father again if he wanted his favorite son to live.. So, for a brief moment, Francis prioritized his family’s safety over his need for control.

There were several other reasons Francis could have started helping again. One of the biggest reasons may be because he broke the door to the basement in which he was being abused. The space held a lot of meaning for Francis – almost every time he entered it he had a panic attack and relived his childhood trauma – and being able to escape it may have helped him resolve his past trauma.. Once he did, he might have been in a better mental state to help his family and realize how much he had hurt them.

It is also important to note that while none of Francis’ actions or abuse can be excused, he is also a victim. Francis probably never wanted to become an abuser, but victims of abuse are six times more likely to become abusers (by the Office of Justice Programs). In a way, the lingering effects of Francis’ father’s abuse lasted long after Francis became an adult, as Francis essentially became the man he despised so much.. Once he breaks down the door, and once Lucas’ screams snap him out of him, Francis may have decided to let go of his father’s hold on him.

The deeper meaning behind Francis’ vigil outside explained

After Josh shot and killed Francis on the bridge, the last time Outside showed that the father was with his watch. When they first arrived at the house, Francis removed the Rolex from his own father’s body, and he began to wear it as his own. The watch was given special attention throughout OutsideAnd almost always after Francis did something abusive, like slamming his fist on the table or smacking Josh across the face. Francis’ watch is a symbol of the cycle of abuse he was trapped in: his father wore it while abusing him, and Francis wore it while abusing his own family.

Perhaps the most important part of the watch and its symbolism was the fact that Josh did not take it from his father. Josh leaving the watch with Francis’ corpse could be a sign that he broke the cycle of abuse, and that he won’t have to become his father like Francis did. Francis had emotionally neglected and abused Josh even before the apocalypse, mainly because he was the product of Iris and Diego’s affair, but Josh had the strength to leave Francis and his abuse behind, literally and figuratively.

There are several reasons why Josh may have been able to escape the cycle of abuse when Francis was not. For example, Josh killed Francis, which could have given him the closure Francis never got with his own father. Francis’ last words, call Josh “my son,” could also be a type of apology, which would have helped Josh forgive himself and his father. On top of that, Francis returned to the house to save Iris and Lucas, although Francis always harbored some guilt for Diego’s role in his childhood abuse, which could indicate that Josh was able to work through his trauma more healthily.

Why Iris started singing her wedding song at the end of Outside

The last moments of Outside Iris and Lucas are shown sitting together, waiting for the van to return so Lucas can go to the hospital. As they waited, Iris began singing the same song that was on the tape of her and Francis’ wedding. Given how much abuse Francis has dished out by this point, it seems strange that Iris would recall such a happy memory with him, but she has several possible reasons for singing the song again. The most likely reason Iris sang her wedding song is because she needed one last act of love from Francis.

The lyrics of Iris and Francis’ wedding song are quite important – the song is about a woman telling her partner that even if they won’t love her tomorrow, they need to love her today. That’s essentially what Iris was doing at the end of Outside: She asked Francis to show her one last act of love, even though she knew he didn’t really love her anymore. Iris needs Francis to get the van so they can take Lucas to the hospital. It didn’t matter what happened tomorrow, as long as he pulled through and got the van today.

Besides being a plea for Francis to show one last moment of kindness, the wedding song could also be a sign of what Iris was thinking at that moment. For many couples, the wedding is the happiest moment of their marriage, and represents a high point in the entire relationship. This applies doubly to Iris, who is already unhappy before arriving at the Abel house. Iris may have sung the wedding song because she was trying to remember Francis as the man she fell in love with and married, rather than the abuser he became..

The real meaning of outside’s ending

Outside is an examination of cycles of abuse and generational trauma

For all its horror elements and its setting in a zombie apocalypse, Outside is a very personal story about cycles of abuse and generational trauma. The whole film is, essentially, about Francis not being able to escape the cycle of abuse and becoming his father. There are several places in Outside Which showed Francis turning into his father: taking his watch, gun and clothes, forcing Josh to learn to shoot, locking his child in the basement, and more. This, along with the several times Francis has flashbacks to the abuse he endured as a child, shows how he carried his trauma into adulthood.

Outside Also dedicated a little time to show how one person’s past trauma can destroy an entire family. At the beginning of the film, Francis and Iris have problems, but they can still live with each other. Josh and Lucas also admired Francis, and loved him as a father. At the end of OutsideHowever, Francis ruined everything: Lucas lost an arm, Josh killed Francis, and Iris was physically and emotionally abused many times..

Along with showing how generational trauma starts and its effects, Outside Also shows how abuse is maintained. Francis was only able to abuse his family for so long because he did everything he could to maintain control over them. Francis used lies to keep them in, violence to keep them obedient, and psychological manipulation – like burning the map, forcing Iris to tell the kids about her desire to leave, and his manufactured “heroics” – to keep them dependent on him.. Outside Holds a harrowing light to abuse, and exposes how it works.

The name of Francis’ family – Abel – is also symbolically significant. In the Bible, Abel was the first murder victim, after his brother, Cain, killed him. Cain and Abel’s parents were Adam and Eve, the first humans who were cast out of the Garden of Eden. Outside May have named the Abel family as it had to refer to the fact that Adam and Eve’s original sin indirectly led to Cain killing Abel, which could be an example of generational trauma. The biblical reference serves as a distillation of Francis’ entire journey and the generations of trauma he suffered. Outside.

Source: Office of Justice Programs