By the end of The Roses, the тιтular couple’s marriage is just about finished, but is there any hope for resolution? The new black comedy from director Jay Roach tracks the vicious downfall of Ivy (Olivia Colman) and Theo Rose’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) marriage, all the way through its bittersweet end.

Though the movie is a reimagining of the 1989 film The War of the Roses and the novel it’s based on, it has a similar ending to both, though one that plays out a bit differently. Whether viewers are familiar with the previous iterations or are coming into this one completely blind, it’ll leave everyone reeling.

Ivy and Theo start the movie perfectly in love, but when their lives are reversed as Ivy’s career soars while Theo’s sinks, they gradually spiral into dislike and resentment, culminating in a drawn-out divorce that largely hinges on who gets the state-of-the-art house Theo designed. Though their attacks against each other are initially petty, the climax sees things turn ᴅᴇᴀᴅly.

Do Ivy & Theo Die?

Throughout the movie, Ivy’s raspberry allergy functions as the perfect barometer for the state of her marriage. Whereas at the beginning, Ivy and Theo tag-team tending to her allergic reactions, the ending sees Theo withholding an EpiPen while Ivy nearly asphyxiates, all in the hopes of getting her to give him the house.

Though Theo comes through in the end and saves Ivy, this kicks off a brutal, no-holds-barred fight between the two, with Ivy pulling out a gun and Theo smashing her beloved Julia Child oven to pieces. They very nearly come to fatal blows, but when Theo locks himself in the bathroom, they’re finally able to talk. Really, and truly, talk.

They realize that, despite what they both had thought, they still love each other. Theo emerges from the bathroom, and he and Ivy laugh over how close they’d come to losing each other. And yet, even with this happy reversal, the broken oven has spread gas throughout the house. When Theo starts a fire for a romantic reunion with his wife, all we see is a white screen.

Though this is a somewhat ambiguous ending, there’s little question that Ivy and Theo do, in fact, die. As they are reconciling, the camera frequently cuts to the kitchen and hallway to emphasize just how much gas is in the air, suggesting it is extremely unlikely that they made it out alive.

How The Roses’ Ending Compares To The Original Film

In the original War of the Roses, Oliver (Michael Douglas) and Barbara (Kathleen Turner) also die, though it’s a far darker ending. They end up falling from a chandelier – one that Barbara tampered with – and in their final moments, when Oliver attempts to reach out, Barbara pushes him away.

This strangely makes The Roses‘ conclusion more uplifting, even though it too results in the main couple dying. Theo and Ivy end up reconciling, and their last minutes alive are spent rediscovering their love. One could almost believe that, had they lived, they might’ve worked out their problems properly.

Additionally, though Ivy pulled a gun on Theo, and he nearly poisoned her, the gas leak was accidental. Their deaths were a tragic side effect of their fighting, not the result of an intentional sabotage with bigger ramifications, as in The War of the Roses.

The Real Meaning Behind The Roses

Some might be hard-pressed to find any trace of optimism in The Roses. After all, the whole movie focuses on a couple falling apart and actively fighting with each other, and it ends with their sudden deaths. Even though the whole thing plays like a comedy – albeit one with a lot of suicide jokes – it’s really a tragedy.

Despite that, though, there’s an underlying sense of hope, particularly within the final minutes. Ivy and Theo still love each other, and it’s only when they take a second to breathe, all their walls down, that they realize it. It’s actually rather sweet to see them come back together, even if it is short-lived.

They spent so long loathing each other, making their lives miserable, when all they truly had to do was communicate. There are a few instances in The Roses where they seem to make an effort towards being together; they go to therapy and attempt to take a romantic trip to New York. However, they never truly faced their resentments head-on, which only allowed the issues to fester.

The heart of the problem really lies in a lack of support, rather than a lack of love. Theo felt like Ivy didn’t understand his struggles with staying home and raising their kids, while Ivy only registered her husband’s resentment toward her booming career. They both still wanted to be together, but they felt alone in their individual struggles.

Once it spiraled out of control, particularly after the dinner party, it felt like pure hatred – no longer the “sporadic” sensation Theo mentioned before. Still, as the very last scene of The Roses confirms, it didn’t mean the two had lost their love for each other. Ultimately, they needed to be more open and honest with each other, which they finally were at the very end… of their lives.