The first half leans heavily into the horror genre, enhanced by eerie and chilling background scores that heighten the tension. In this installment, Frank finds himself on the trail of a serial killer who leaves behind cryptic clues at each crime scene. Though he has successfully remained hidden from society, he emerges from the shadows to uncover the murderer’s identity. The gripping question lingers: will Frank be able to solve the mystery? The film’s exploration of this quest keeps viewers on the edge of their seats as the plot unfolds.
Spoilers Ahead
The Initiated: Written from the Shadows (Los iniciados: El diario de las sombras, 2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The film begins with a younger Frank Molina scribbling notes about the dark future society is set to face. His ominous reflections are interrupted when guards from a psychiatric hospital drag him away to undergo electric shock treatment. From afar, a young boy watches Frank’s suffering. Frank, weary and beaten, entrusts the boy with his diary. The boy grabs the diary, and the plot moves 30 years into the future. Frank is older and is writing a news story about Tycoon Augusto Pombo, who remains tangled in legal trials. Set in a dystopian South Kasbah, the film reflects a society gripped by extreme water scarcity.
Frank’s girlfriend, Eva, works as a nurse at the same psychiatric hospital. Their lives follow an ordinary routine until a night of three disturbing events unfolds. First, the head of Jose Perez is found inside the hospital while his decapitated body is discovered in his apartment. Second, Frank finds a pair of eyes, later revealed not to belong to Jose, left at his doorstep with a cryptic note attached. Upon investigation, Eva reveals that Jose had worked at the hospital and was forced to resign after becoming violent with someone connected to an influential figure. The note, Frank soon discovers, bears his own handwriting, but it is from an old manuscript he once wrote.
What Happens to Eva?
Eva, a nurse with a hidden connection to Frank’s traumatic past, is found murdered after a tense confrontation. When Frank breaks into Ortega’s apartment, he discovers Eva’s involvement in his childhood suffering. It overwhelms him emotionally, driving him to confront her for answers. Frank does not know much about her involvement in the past. But Frank’s main discomfort was Eva not mentioning anything about being present in the hospital during that time. So, when Frank confronts her, she reveals little, already under immense pressure, fearing she may be the next target of a serial killer.
Eva, already stressed by the rising number of hospital staff deaths, likely understands that she’s in danger. The serial killer’s pattern suggests that members from a specific period in the hospital are being hunted down. With Frank’s arrival, her anxiety intensifies as he demands access to patient records to trace the killer’s identity. Though she tries to cooperate, it’s clear that Eva is running out of time. She knows she’s vulnerable, but her options are limited.
The man with large glasses, earlier seen purchasing a black rabbit, is revealed as the killer. His methodical killings seem ritualistic, with a focus on the hospital staff, yet his exact motivation remains unclear. It’s possible that Eva’s connection to both the hospital and Frank’s past made her an inevitable target, sealing her fate. Her involvement in Frank’s history likely ties into the killer’s deeper, perhaps personal, vendetta against those associated with certain patients or events at the hospital.
Why does Frank go back to the Psychiatric Hospital?
Frank returns to the psychiatric hospital driven by several key factors: grief, guilt, and manipulation by external forces. Each contributes to his fragile state of mind. Frank’s overwhelming grief for Eva, combined with his heavy drinking, makes him vulnerable. His consumption of alcohol leads to impaired judgment, pushing him toward reckless decisions. In his intoxicated state, his path is determined by Father Lazaro, who convinces him to confront his past, leading him back to the psychiatric hospital.
This suggestion by Lazaro, coupled with the note written in Frank’s handwriting, disturbs him, blurring the line between his guilt and reality. Frank, already struggling with trauma, is susceptible to this influence, further fueling his paranoia. Frank’s deep-seated rivalry with Augusto Pombo also plays a crucial role. Despite being tormented by his own memories, Frank seeks to unearth the truth and take revenge.
He learns about Pombo’s elder son, Isaac Pombo, after much screaming at the guards and finding the storage room filled with old files. Ultimately, his desperate need for closure leads him back to the hospital, where he is captured and subjected to further torture. In the end, Frank’s return is a tragic blend of unresolved grief, manipulation, and a thirst for revenge, leading to his downfall.
What does Isaac do to Augusto?
Isaac, filled with hatred toward his father, Augusto, seeks revenge. The years of neglect and psychological torment led Isaac to take drastic measures. Using a psychiatric drug, he manipulates Augusto into obeying his commands. Isaac orders Augusto to cut his own eyes out, effectively taking away his father’s vision. He enlists the help of Augusto’s driver, who aids Isaac by abandoning Augusto on the street afterward. Now blind, the once-powerful tycoon is left to wander the streets, helpless and unseen.
Isaac’s actions stem from years of emotional abuse. Augusto, more concerned with his reputation than his son’s well-being, sends Isaac to a hospital, hoping to ‘fix’ him. This only exacerbates Isaac’s internal struggles, turning him into someone who harbors deep resentment toward his father. Augusto’s pride and ambition blind him to the damage he causes, leaving Isaac emotionally shattered. The influence of Frank Molina plays a crucial role in Isaac’s transformation.
Frank’s words teach Isaac the value of truth and individuality, but his suffering also deepens Isaac’s hatred for his father. Watching Frank’s oppression fuels Isaac’s desire to break free from Augusto’s control, leading to his violent retaliation. Augusto’s refusal to show love or compassion for Isaac seals his fate. His obsession with image and success over family turns his son into his undoing. By the end, Augusto is reduced to a wandering blind man, ironically reflecting the emotional blindness that caused his downfall.
The Initiated: Written from the Shadows (Los iniciados: El diario de las sombras, 2024) Movie Ending Explained:
What is Isaac’s Last Message to Frank?
Isaac’s last message to Frank is one of deep disappointment. Once seeing Frank as a prophet, Isaac now views him as a coward. Frank had foreseen the impending doom of the world, the darkness creeping into the city and its people. His predictions shaped Isaac’s beliefs and actions, driving him to accept the harsh reality without fear. For Isaac, Frank’s words were not just warnings but guiding principles. He believed Frank was a visionary, a prophet who saw the truth when others were blind to it.
Frank’s words resonated deeply with Isaac, inspiring him to take radical actions. He interprets Frank’s warnings as a call to embrace the coming destruction without resistance. For Isaac, there’s nothing to fear in the darkness, not even death, and he acts on this belief with ruthless conviction. Isaac kills everyone who once tortured him or Frank inside the hospital. Despite being the one to predict the city’s fall, Frank now hesitates. He denies the reality of the world’s collapse and refuses to confront the coming doom head-on. This, to Isaac, is the ultimate betrayal.
Isaac’s letter reflects this disillusionment. He feels let down by Frank, the man he believed in and whose words gave him strength. In Isaac’s eyes, Frank’s failure to act is cowardice. The world is dying, and Frank is refusing to face it. This breaks Isaac’s heart because, in his mind, Frank should be leading, not retreating. Isaac (or someone he hires) even burns the whole psychiatric hospital down as a signature of protest against society’s darkness.
Isaac’s final message hints at a critical misunderstanding. He sees Frank’s warnings as a call to embrace destruction, even to the extent of taking lives. However, Isaac misses a key aspect of Frank’s vision: Frank never intended his words (prophecies) to lead to violence. Isaac’s actions, including the chaos he unleashes, are based on a misinterpretation. Frank’s warnings about the darkness were not meant to justify killing or abandoning humanity.
