Hurry Up Tomorrow ending explained: Is Anima real?

Hurry Up Tomorrow feels like the end of an era for The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) fans who have seen him grow as an artist for over a decade. Love him or hate him, his work has been instrumental in shaping the direction of the R&B genre in the last decade. So, Tesfaye dropping this moniker means something unique to them and so to him.

The latest film, starring Tesfaye, Jenna Ortega, and Barry Keoghan, serves as a companion piece to his last album as The Weeknd. So, in line with this, the film feels like Tesfaye shedding off his old skin (the attributes often associated with The Weeknd persona), to get in touch with his inner self. Instead of being stuck in a mirage, he hopes to break free.

Trey Edward Shults, known for his collaborations with A24, has directed this film and co-wrote its screenplay with Tesfaye and Reza Fahim. Tesfaye plays a fictionalized version of himself in this film, which was released on May 16, 2025, in US theaters.

At the end of Hurry Up Tomorrow, Abel shares regret for his past and hopes to improve himself. Seeing his desire to change, Anima sets him free. He walks over for his next performance.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Hurry Up Tomorrow. Reader discretion is advised.

What is the plot of Hurry Up Tomorrow?

Hurry Up Tomorrow takes cues from some of The Weeknd's real-life experiences to show his journey toward being his better self. After a painful breakup, Abel grows increasingly resentful and gets high on drugs with his manager Lee (Keoghan) to numb his pain. However, it puts him in more trouble as it causes him to lose his voice during a performance.

That's when he notices Anima, a young woman, who traveled a long distance to see him perform. They spend the night together in a hotel where he plays a sample of his new song. She relates to its themes of loneliness and abandonment. Soon, he decides to return to his world tour, but doesn't want Anima to join, considering her emotional troubles, which makes her feel used.

What happens at the end of Hurry Up Tomorrow?

A still from the Hurry Up Tomorrow trailer (Image via YouTube/LionsgateMovies)

Overwhelmed by emotions, Anima knocks Abel in the elevator. He wakes up to find himself in a hotel room, tied to a bed. Anima plays his older tracks to make him confront his self-destructive behavioral pattern that stops him from having a healthy relationship.

Lee breaks into the room to break Abel free, but Anima kills him. She throws gasoline into the room to set it on fire. At that moment, Abel starts singing the tune of 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' to accept his mistakes. In the end, he reconciles with Anima, who sets him free to be his better self.

Was Jenna Ortega's character real?

Jenna Ortega's character appears as The Weekend's huge fan, who helps him be in touch with his emotions, confront his past, and change for the better. Her name is Anima, which represents the inner feminine side of the male unconscious according to the Jungian theory. So, in this story, Anima represents Abel's soul.

In the past, Abel had been the problematic half of his romantic relationships. As The Weeknd, he has explored similar themes through his songs, including Blinding Lights and Gasoline, which appear in the film. Their lyrics portray him regretting his past choices in hopes of reconnecting with his lover.

Hurry Up Tomorrow acts as a final chapter in his self-introspection. Here, he realizes he must leave his toxic self behind in order to continue working as an artist.

In this context, Barry Keoghan's Lee serves as his ego (in Jungian terms), which feeds into his egocentric tendencies and makes it nearly impossible to be anyone else. So, Lee's death symbolizes Abel letting go of his egocentric self for good. The elevator scene that appears after Anima hits Abel represents the Shadow aspect of the self. That's why it shows him in a dreamlike, hazy state, processing his repressed emotions.

The Weeknd is not the only artist who has explored these Jungian themes through his project. Previously, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke also explored the aspects of the male unconscious in his 2019 solo album, Anima. Its accompanying film, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, also showed Yorke's character in a dreamlike state, desperately trying to get in touch with his soul, only to be bogged down by the mind-numbing conformity of the modern world.