Bird Box ending explained: What happens to Malorie in the end?

Susanne Bier's post apocalyptic horror thriller Bird Box left us with quite a few questions. What does it mean to survive when everything around you is fracturing? How do you navigate survival when even your sight can betray you to death? In Bird Box, we see the world reduced to a constant state of fear, trumped only by characters who live blindfolded in the injury of the loss of life. Then, as the film nears its discomforting resolution, we are left to grapple with so many questions.

As Malorie and her children make their last steps towards safety, the ending of Bird Box does not end with discovery, completion, or safety. It simply ends by offering a psychological ending that re-examines the boundaries of survival, the cost of hope, and the potential realization that sometimes seeing can be more dangerous than being blind. Here's what happens at the end of Bird Box and what it means for the fates of the survivors.

Disclaimer: This article contains mention of suicide

What is Bird Box about?

Still from Bird Box (Image via YouTube/@netflix)

Bird Box deals with themes of grief, motherhood, trauma, and the human drive to survive debilitating unseen horrors. With a remarkable sense of grittiness and emotional conflict, Bird Box was a runaway success. Upon its release, Bird Box broke Netflix’s viewership record for a film, alongside both formal and informal praises being followed.

Based on the 2014 novel by Josh Malerman, the film stars Sandra Bullock as Malorie Hayes, who is trying to survive in a world taken over by an unknown invisible entity. When a person is exposed to their sight, they are compelled, by this entity, to commit suicide. The story takes place in two different timelines: one depicts Malorie's series of struggles and survival methods when the first wave of suicides occur; the later account follows Malorie's distressing adventure down the river, with two children, several years later, in search of a safe place.

The entities themselves remain elusive and we never see them directly, however, they are psychologically terrifying. The very first time a person sees these creatures, they are immediately struck with a crippling sense of despair that compels them to kill themselves. Others don't fumble with the idea of suicide, they enter a psychotic state of delusion in which they want others to see the creatures, enough to kill them. In this way, fanatic survivors play an added threat.

At the beginning of the film, Malorie is detached and skeptical of motherhood, and through the path of her experiences she develops emotional connections to other survivors and starts to take on the caretaker responsibilities for the children. She ironically names the children Boy and Girl to maintain some level of emotional distance.

How does Bird Box end? Does Malorie survive?

The ending of Bird Box delivers a powerful closure to the haunting and emotional ordeal of Malorie Hayes, where both relief and a subtle ray of hope reside. After purposefully traveling blindfolded for two full days with her two children, Boy and Girl, down a treacherous path of a raging river, she finally reaches a sanctuary that was described over the radio. The sanctuary is an old school for the blind that was remade into a refuge for survivors who are either blind or have protected themselves from unknown entities by protecting their sight.

At the sanctuary, she is greeted by a peaceful, thriving community living safely despite the outside threat. The blind residents are unaffected by the creatures, and the lush garden-like setting serves as a stark contrast to the bleak, violent world outside. Symbolically, the birds Malorie has carried throughout the journey are released into the large aviary at the sanctuary, free at last, much like her and the children.

While the ending does not eradicate the creatures, nor does it elaborate on the creatures' origins, it instead changes the focus to survival, companionship, and resilience. Rather than a grand victory over evil, Bird Box closes without the aftermath of battle but with a soft victory of Malorie finding safety, family, and even hope in a world still plagued by unseen terrors. Additionally, the conclusion speaks to the idea that emotional resiliency and community are just as important to surviving as travel of the physical body.

Through Malorie's attempts to safeguard her children from the loss that has been inflicted upon humanity during the apocalypse, she emotionally detached herself from the two children by never giving them names- she only referred to them as Boy and Girl. The fearful and treacherous journey resulted in Malorie having to confront her trauma, acknowledge her vulnerability, and accept her maternal instincts.

In the last scene, she proceeds to name the children Tom and Olympia as a way to honor the two people she lost during the apocalypse. Though she has suffered through an incredibly traumatic experience, this is the catharsis and acceptance of motherhood that she has been looking for.

Is there a sequel to Bird Box?

Still from Bird Box Barcelona (Image via YouTube/@netflix)

The story continues with Bird Box Barcelona, a chilling spin-off that broadens the terrifying universe introduced in the original 2018 film. Set in a post-apocalyptic Barcelona, the film follows Sebastián, a seer who has survived seeing the entities but is mentally affected. Unlike Malorie’s blindfolded fight for survival, Sebastián believes he’s saving souls by exposing others to the creatures- an eerie twist driven by grief and manipulation. His journey becomes more complicated when he meets Claire and a young girl, Sofia, forcing him to confront the morality of his actions and seek redemption.

The universe expands even further in Josh Malerman’s sequel novel, Malorie. Set years after the events of the original book, it follows Malorie and her teenage children as they navigate a world where the creatures remain a threat, and some humans may be learning to live with them. Together, Bird Box, Bird Box Barcelona, and Malorie offer a layered exploration of survival, fear, and the emotional cost of living in a world where seeing can kill.

Bird Box and Bird Box Barcelona are available to stream on Netflix.