The Electric State, Netflix’s latest sci-fi offering directed by the Russo brothers, takes viewers on a thrilling journey through an alternate 1990s America ravaged by technological addiction. While the film draws inspiration from Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel, its ending diverges in intriguing ways that warrant closer examination.
A Bittersweet Reunion
At the heart of The Electric State is Michelle’s (Millie Bobby Brown) quest to find her brother Christopher, whom she believed dead after a tragic accident. Her journey leads her to Sentre, a sinister tech company using Christopher’s extraordinary mind to power a vast network of drones and virtual reality devices called neurocasters.
The film’s climax sees Michelle infiltrating Sentre’s headquarters, where she finally reunites with Christopher - but not in the way she hoped. Christopher’s physical body lies in a vegetative state, kept alive by machines. His consciousness, however, can interact with Michelle through the virtual world of the neurocasters.
The Painful Choice
This reunion forces Michelle to confront an agonizing decision. Christopher reveals that his mind has become symbiotically linked to Sentre’s network. Disconnecting him would not only end his life but also shut down the entire system that has enslaved humanity to addictive technology.
Christopher urges Michelle to make the difficult choice, arguing that his sacrifice is necessary to free people from Sentre’s control. After an emotional farewell in the virtual space, Michelle reluctantly complies, turning off Christopher’s life support.
Diverging from the Source
The Electric State’s cinematic ending takes a more definitive stance than Stålenhag’s original work. In the graphic novel, Christopher’s fate remains ambiguous. He removes his neurocaster, suggesting a return to reality, but whether he can survive without the technology is left to the reader’s interpretation.
The film, however, offers a clearer resolution while still maintaining an element of hope. As Sentre’s drones crash and people awaken from their technological stupor, we’re given a final, crucial scene.
A Spark of Hope
In the movie’s closing moments, we see the Cosmo robot - the vessel Christopher’s consciousness initially used to contact Michelle - discarded in a junkyard. Just as viewers might assume this is the end, Cosmo unexpectedly reactivates, turning its head as if newly aware.
This subtle yet powerful scene implies that some part of Christopher’s consciousness may have found a way to survive within Cosmo. It’s a testament to Christopher’s extraordinary mind and perhaps a hint at future possibilities for the characters.
Themes and Implications
The Electric State’s ending reinforces several key themes:
- The double-edged nature of technology
- The power of human connection in a digitally saturated world
- The weight of sacrifice for the greater good
By having Michelle make the heart-wrenching choice to “let go” of Christopher physically while leaving open the possibility of his survival in a new form, the film strikes a delicate balance between loss and hope.
A New World Order
In the aftermath of Sentre’s collapse, The Electric State paints a picture of a world struggling to redefine itself. Humans and sentient robots, once at odds, begin to explore the possibility of peaceful coexistence. The film leaves viewers with thought-provoking questions about the nature of consciousness, the ethics of advanced AI, and humanity’s relationship with technology.
The Electric State’s ending manages to be both conclusive and open-ended, offering closure to Michelle’s immediate quest while hinting at new horizons. By diverging from its source material, the film crafts a finale that resonates with modern anxieties about technology’s grip on society while still offering a glimmer of optimism for the future.