Jesse Armstrong’s “Succession” has left such a huge cultural imprint that it is hard not to mention it when talking about any uber-rich-people drama. “Humane” (2024), which revolves around a wealthy family’s members fighting for their inheritance, is eerily similar to the Roy family’s messed-up dynamic. In this fairly typical narrative, director Caitlin Cronenberg attempts to blend multiple genres – be it a dark comedy, a dystopian survival thriller, to a bit of body horror. It is yet another film in the ongoing ‘Eat the Rich’ themed narratives. Its cast includes Jay Baruchel (Blackberry), Emily Hampshire (Schitt’s Creek), Peter Gallagher (The O. C.), Enrico Colantoni, Sebastian Chacon, Alanna Bale, Sirena Gulamgaus, and Uni Park.
Spoilers Ahead
Humane (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
What is Caitlin Cronenberg’s ‘Humane’ about?
“Humane,” directed by Caitlin Cronenberg, is a dystopian narrative that feels closer to reality than ever before. It follows the members of a wealthy family who get together for dinner at their family house. Things take a drastic turn when the family patriarch mentions he has opted in for the government’s euthanasia programme with his wife as a part of healing their ailing planet. This leads to a heated debate over the family’s inheritance that uncovers their past, present, and future.
What happens in Caitlin Cronenberg’s ‘Humane’?
“Humane” deals with a near-future scenario where an environmental collapse has forced humanity to shed 20% of its population. In the wake of this crisis, Charles York (Peter Gallagher) decides to enlist in the government’s new euthanasia program with his partner, Dawn (Uni Park). Charles was once a popular TV news presenter/reporter, whereas Dawn ran a restaurant until it was burnt down by the racists. This wave of racism was fuelled by the likes of Jared (Jay Baruchel), Charles’ son, who was a pawn for a highly exploitative system. He blamed the Earth’s present condition without realizing the repercussions of his hateful rhetoric.
Predictably, Jared’s system benefited the crème de la crème wealthy folks at the cost of the lives of others. He professed his far-right ideas that portrayed the program as a chance of charity for people to ensure the financial security of their future generations. Besides him, his sister, Rachel (Emily Hampshire), is another corporate cog who refused to take her company’s OTT drugs off the shelves despite knowing their detrimental impact. So, she represents the side of inhumane practices exercised by the likes of Purdue Pharma. Unlike them, Charles’ youngest daughter, Ashley (Alana Bale) is a struggling actress whereas his adopted son, Noah (Sebastian Chacon) is a recovering addict.
What happens at the Yorks’ family dinner?
Charles decides to invite his children for a family dinner to share the news about his participation in the euthanasia program. Around that time, Noah had gotten into a relationship with Grace, another recovering addict. For the first time in years, he started to look forward to his future. But, Ashley was struggling to get any work in her competitive field. Unlike them, Jared and Rachel were wealthy and self-assured and thought their actions were justified. Once they get together for dinner, Charles shares his decision to enlist in the government program. He believes it will exempt his children from going through the ordeal.
Since Charles didn’t give enough time for his children in the past and focused largely on his work, he decided to use this opportunity as a sacrifice. But that doesn’t go down well with his children. Jared notes that the government’s rules are not designed for super-privileged people like them. Ashley gets furious and sees enlisting as her father’s way of letting the family name die on noble terms. While they get into a heated debate, Dawn suddenly disappears. Since Dawn was also supposed to undergo the procedure, Charles falls into a conundrum.
What happens after Dawn’s disappearance?
After Dawn mysteriously leaves the house, Charles decides to cancel their appointment altogether. Soon after, Bob (Enrico Colantoni) arrives at their doorstep as a representative for D.O.C.S. (Department of Citizen Strategy). Charles explains the situation and asks for a cancellation. Bob accepts his request and takes him to sign the necessary documents. Once Charles reads the clauses, he changes his mind and decides to go through the process. Before dying, he announces having shared his inheritance evenly among his children.
What happens after Charles’ death?
After Charles’ death, the Yorks think the procedure is over. But Bob throws them a curveball: he needs another corpse to call it a day. So, the Yorks have to decide between themselves whom to sacrifice. Rachel’s daughter, Mia (Sirena Gulamgaus), is exempted because she is a minor. While Bob keeps her in his van, the Yorks need to figure out a sacrificial lamb. If they can’t figure it out in three hours, Bob is supposed to do it for them. Initially, the children are against the idea of any such sacrifice. But eventually, they realize the stakes and come up with alternate solutions.
Jared and Rachel think Noah should be sacrificed because he was adopted and did not achieve anything significant despite his inherited wealth. Since Ashley shares a closer bond with Noah, she is against this idea. But Rachel sways her mind, noting Charles spends a significant amount to close a case against Noah. Noah mentions that he didn’t tell Charles to pay them off. But it was already too late to change the minds of Charles’ biological children. They join hands against Noah and try to kill him. Noah fights back and hides himself.
Does Noah get killed?
When Noah hides inside a room, Ashley shows up and apologizes for going against him. So, Noah walks out, sees a photo of them as kids, and gets emotional. While he reminiscences their past, Rachel attacks him. He stabs her back and then attacks Jared. Before he can escape, Ashley attacks him and leaves him unconscious. Meanwhile, in the van, Bob tells Mia about his deceased wife, who decided to go through euthanasia. She thought it would help her future generations instead of paying for her existing health issues. Unlike his family, the emotional issues of Yorks are immaterial and far from grueling.
By then, Grace tried to get in touch with Noah but failed. So, she shows up at their doorstep, asking Noah to come out. She also starts recording the interaction between them at the D.O.C.S. officials. So, Bob tells his associate to shoot Grace. Once she gets killed, the Yorks ask if she can be the sacrifice. Bob explains that he specifically needs a York body. So, Jared, Rachel, and Ashley walk back inside but can’t find Noah. Eventually, he attacks every one of them. Before he can choke Ashley to death, Rachel manipulates him to think otherwise.
Humane (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Who replaces Dawn for the Euthanasia program?
After Noah attacks his siblings, Ashley starts bleeding heavily. Suddenly, they all decide to come together and save her life. They try to stop the bleeding. Moments later, the three-hour window is over. So, Bob returns to their house. He finds Ashley’s wounded body lying on the ground and believes she is dead. While he plans to take her out, she suddenly gets up and stabs an officer. Then, the Yorks attack Bob and his associates and kidnap them. Bob goes into survival mode and offers them a way out. Rachel reveals that the corpse on the floor is not Ashley’s.
Suddenly, Bob reveals that they have Dawn at their headquarters. It makes the Yorks angrier since Bob pitted them against each other. They make Bob go through the ordeal. Soon after, we see Yorks get together for an event to see Noah play the piano. In the audience, we see Rachel, Mia, Jared, his son, and Dawn. Meanwhile, we see news about Ashley and Grace sacrificing themselves by enlisting for the government’s program to help heal the ailing Earth. So, in the end, the narrative gets given a spin that profits the super-privileged class. Everyone did everything in their power to ensure their survival.
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