The Nocturnal Animals ending is one of the movie’s most talked-about aspects. The 2016 thriller ends on an emotionally gut-wrenching yet ambiguous note. Nocturnal Animals stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a writer named Edward, who sends his latest novel manuscript to his ex-wife Susan (Amy Adams). As Susan immerses herself in the nail-biting tale of violence and death, she revisits the ups and downs of her own failed marriage with Edward. The novel’s premise serves as a parallel storyline in Nocturnal Animals, capturing its protagonist, Tony’s pain as he tries to get over his wife and daughter’s ᴀssault and murder.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Edward and Tony, the dual role allowing him to capture the emotional nuances of both characters. While Edward struggles with his professional insecurities and romantic missteps, Tony seeks nothing but blood-stained revenge for the drifters who destroyed his family. Interestingly, the neo-noir psychological thriller is based on Austin Wright’s 1993 novel, Tony and Susan. Nocturnal Animals’ unique narrative structure and complex characters build to an impactful ending while leaving questions worth exploring.

Edward Doesn’t Show Up At The End To Get Revenge

Susan Is Left Realizing A Reconciliation Was Never Intended

In the present-day reality of Nocturnal Animals, Edward never physically meets Susan. Their past relationship is covered in flashbacks, and it is implied that Edward wishes to communicate with Susan after all these years through his novel’s manuscript. Even though Susan never believed Edward would make it big as a writer, his penmanship finally gets to her. Towards the Nocturnal Animals ending, it is established that Edward is a brilliant author, as his unabashedly raw narration makes Susan teary-eyed.

Suffering from a failed second marriage, Susan wishes to reacquaint herself with her ex, but he never shows up. While no direct answers are offered, it is heavily implied that the novel was a strategic move by Edward to seek his revenge from many years ago. Not only did Susan belittle him in their youth, but she also cheated on him with Hutton (who would go on to be her second husband). The betrayal has affected Edward so intensely that he channeled his frustration into his frighteningly dark novel.

Edward standing up Susan was the final blow, completing his elaborate revenge plan. He knows Susan might be a wealthy art curator but is cursed with solitude. The Nocturnal Animals ending is ultimately tragic for Susan. Karma catches upon her as even Hutton is revealed to be cheating on her. On the professional front, Susan also seems to be getting disinterested in the art world, as is evident from her cold-hearted behavior towards her co-workers.

Edward somehow knows that she’s in a vulnerable state of mind and goes on to exploit her helplessness by giving her hope of rekindling their romance. If he had met her for dinner, Nocturnal Animals would have ended on a wholesome note. However, as Edward’s plans come to fruition, Susan is left alone, her ego bruised.

What Ray’s Death Symbolizes

Nocturnal Animals Theme Of Revenge Shows Its Unsatisfying Results

In Edward’s novel (also тιтled “Nocturnal Animals”), Ray is a constant villain in Tony’s life. First, he stopped Tony’s car in the middle of the night. Then, he and his minions ᴀssaulted him and murdered his family. It takes Tony a year to seek vengeance with help from hardened lawman Detective Bobby Andes. However, even when he manages to kill Ray by the novel’s end, the extremely bruised and exhausted Tony doesn’t get any relief as he also shoots himself accidentally.

This bitter end to a dark cycle of violence makes Nocturnal Animals one of the most disturbing psychological thrillers in recent memory. Ray, who bleeds to death overnight, gets what he deserves by the ending of Nocturnal Animals. However, his death also symbolizes the futility of violence. Even with him ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, Tony wouldn’t be able to get back to his deceased family members. Edward’s novel grimly touches upon how vigilante justice is ultimately pointless.

With insufficient evidence against him, Ray couldn’t have been punished by legal methods. When Tony resorted to other means, the result continued to be brutal for himself. He doesn’t even look satisfied on seeing Ray’s corpse. With Ray having killed his family, Tony didn’t have anything else to look forward to anymore. What’s all the more shocking about the Nocturnal Animals ending is that the novel serves as a metaphor for Edward’s own life.​​​​​​​

Much like Tony’s pursuit to kill Ray, Edward desires revenge on Susan. With Susan’s pain and loneliness in the final scene, it is easy to deduce that Edward had the last laugh. However, like Tony, Edward’s pursuit was ultimately pointless. His revenge plan is so intricate that it goes on to show how Edward continues to be a broken man. He might be a great author now but his obsession with his past with Susan has entirely consumed him.

How Nocturnal Animals Foreshadowed Its Ending

The Truth Of Edward’s Motivations Present Themselves To Susan

Nocturnal Animals has an anti-climatic finale, but the central theme of revenge is foreshadowed throughout the film. A noteworthy visual giveaway is the painting that features the word “Revenge”. Nobody knows where the painting appeared from, and no explanation is offered either. But the painting serves as an omen for Susan for what is to come.

The very тιтle of Edward’s novel proves that he’s still obsessed with Susan (as he used to call her a “nocturnal animal” in the past), and he wants her to still be a nocturnal animal. Susan eventually waits for Edward at a restaurant till closing time, left alone with sleeplessness and solitude.

How The Movie’s Ending Differs From The Novel

The Source Material Gives Susan More Hope

The Nocturnal Animals ending slightly differs from the one in Tony and Susan. Much like the movie, the novel’s version of Susan gets stood up by Edward. However, the book also covers the next day’s events. Despite being moved by his words, Susan initially writes a harsh note of criticism for Edward, but she throws it in the trash.

Instead, she writes another note in which she says that she wants to express her thoughts on Edward’s writing but will tell him only if he wants to hear them. It is implied that Susan is still trying to find new ways to talk to Edward who continues to ignore her.

The Real Meaning Of The Nocturnal Animals Ending

Both Edward & Tony Want Revenge But Know They Will Never Be Happy

The real meaning of Nocturnal Animals’ ending — both the movie and the fictional novel within the movie — deals with being broken. In both, Tony/Edward have lost what they loved the most. For Tony, a man killed his family and left him alone and broken, wanting revenge. He seeks revenge and gets it when he kills the person who robbed him of his happiness. However, even after killing the man, he knows he will never get his family back and sees that his life is as empty as ever before.

Similarly, Edward finds a way to get revenge. He lost his love thanks to another man. Instead of killing his family, that man sleeps with the woman he loves, which destroys their relationship. As a result, he seeks revenge, just like Tony in the novel. However, instead of killing anyone or even targeting the man, he goes after Susan. He doesn’t “kill” her in real life, but he does kill her in the novel. In the Nocturnal Animals book, just as in the movie, Edward finds no peace after this, still broken but knowing he will never go back.

How The Nocturnal Animals Ending Was Received

Nocturnal Animals has decent reviews from critics and fans, both groups rating it at 74% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The critic’s score is “Certified Fresh,” and many praised the film’s ending. In their review for Polygon, film critic Toussaint Egan wrote, “Nocturnal Animals is a dark, dense, and beautifully crafted thriller with a killer ending that will stick with you long after it’s over.” An audience reviewer agreed, writing, “The story may be a bit slow at points but the first third is very tense and the rest keeps you engaged revealing the why of what happened.“

The audience’s reaction to the ending was mixed. Some people said they were “mesmerized” by it, and others needed help understanding it. In one Reddit thread, the OP said they were confused about the chronology and whether the book’s events really happened. Redditor Falcon-Background loved the ending and explained,

“Edward stands her up. The fantasy is broken. Edward’s story was not a love story, but a revenge story that shows how far she hurt him. There’s no need for him to show up and explain his feelings, because his story already mirrors the brutality, devastation, and general apathy he was subjected to by Susan, and now he’s made her feel the same way”

There was also another Reddit thread where @No-Control3350 wrote the Nocturnal Animals ending “continues to mesmerize” them. “I watched this again and had a totally different interpretation than before, probably because I’m at an older age with a different perspective​​​​​​​,” they wrote. “Whatever you interpret the end of the film to mean is ultimately your view of how you perceive human nature. It’s supposed to be hold a mirror up like a painting or rorschach test, that’s why she’s an art curator so that the film will purposely be viewed in this way.“