“Rich Flu” (2025) is a drama film that revolves around the themes of class conflicts. It is co-written and directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, the Spanish filmmaker known for his work on the “Platform” films for Netflix. This is his first English-language directorial, which stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the leading role. She plays Laura Palmer, a wealthy woman, living in a world where the rich are affected by a mysterious virus. Rafe Spall (“Trying,” “The Big Short”) and César Domboy (“Outlander,” “The Walk”) star alongside Winstead in key supporting roles.
Rich Flu (2025) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis
Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia directed the film from a script he co-wrote with Pedro Rivero, Sam Steiner, and David Desola. It is set in a world where rich people empty their fortunes for fear of death.
What happens in Rich Flu?
“Rich Flu” follows Laura Palmer (Winstead), a high-powered, filthy-rich executive. She has a strained relationship with her husband Toni (Spall) and their daughter Anna (Dixie Egerickx). The film begins with a Succession-like satirical tone, by addressing Laura’s irreverence about things that do not directly affect her. She listens to Eat the Rich-themed scripts from doe-eyed writers and executives, not from a place of concern, but from a desire to exploit. She hops on the bandwagon and presumably, decides to strike while the iron’s hot.
Laura attends a cozy, exclusive meeting meant only for a select few financially privileged. Sebastian Snail Sr. (Timothy Spall), an old white man, preaches how their hard work brought them to their place. They all have a condescending way of looking at everyone but themselves. While attending this gathering of self-serving who’s who, Laura overlooks Anna’s birthday. She and Toni attend it over a video call, pretending that they have a happy ‘normal’ family, while the reality is anything but that. The couple values their egos more than their daughter’s emotional needs.
What is the flu affecting the rich?
Laura attends an art auction along with a group of wealthy people in Buckingham Palace. She negotiates for a specific painting and seems particularly hungry to get a hold of it. Suddenly, her phone starts ringing. She makes a substantially higher bid so she can walk out without losing that painting to others. Over the call, Anna asks her to meet just so they can spend some time together. Laura ignores her request. Within moments, she notices a man struggling for life in the palace. It becomes sensational news across the nation.
This incident starts a chain where privileged people start dying from a mysterious virus. It is too early to know its origins. Still, the news channels politicize this event to gain traction through sensationalism. Laura soon realizes that there is no way out of this for her. So, she starts gearing up for a safe escape. It’s particularly difficult in a world where money can’t buy her security, privacy, or goodwill. Wealth is not seen as a sign of achievement but a sign of accumulation. So, those like her burn their assets, not because they genuinely want to get rid of their material possessions, but because it would be difficult to survive otherwise.
Rich Flu (2025) Movie Ending Explained:
Does Laura survive the flu?
Since the world grapples with the effects of the rich flu, Laura escapes her house like a fugitive. She enters a plane with others like her, which works against her. They all believe in the Darwinian ‘survival of the fittest’ theory and quickly turn into animals—to kill others in order to save themselves. Laura realizes that she is not safe in the company of wealthy people. So, she finds a way to travel to the isolated house of her mother Martha (Lorraine Bracco)—the same place she refused to join Anna for her birthday. Toni joins her.
Unlike them, Anna finds the place comforting. Laura tries to make peace with this new situation. The locals soon realize her financial status and hope to seek revenge against her. It leaves her family with no option but to be on the run. They leave at night, on a boat, to enter a presumable haven in another country. However, they don’t consider the global impact of the virus. So, they get pulled into a boat to a camp. They struggle to find even the simplest of their necessities.
How does Laura survive the flu?
Before leaving her home on a plane, Laura decides to hand over all her assets to her assistant and close friend, Christian (César Domboy). She hopes it will protect her from the curse of the flu. Christian doesn’t sign the relevant document. He feels betrayed and leaves Laura. Later, in the foreign camp, Toni accepts Laura’s assets, hoping to protect her. Soon, he gets brutally attacked. Laura reluctantly leaves him behind to find a safe place. She escapes in a boat and finds a way to a secluded island. She becomes part of the local community that expects all to share their possessions.
Laura reluctantly hands over the few things she has. Unlike other people who get along well, she can’t connect with any of them. She starts collecting shells on the shores and polishes them. Soon, she decides to offer them to another woman who got hold of her costly watch. She follows this woman so that they can speak privately. Laura opens her palm and lets the woman take one of the shells. However, when the woman reaches out for another one, Laura closes her palm. She wants the woman to hand over her watch in exchange for more shells.
The final moments of “Rich Flu” show Laura grinning like a maniac. It shows her resorting to her true nature. The ending shows that the only way she, or others like her, can survive is by exploiting the desires and vulnerabilities of others. So, the end reshapes the concept of the film’s title, showing that greed and a lust for power are the actual rich flu.
What do the ‘shiny teeth’ mean?
The film shows some of its characters opening their mouths to show off their shiny teeth. It indicates wealthy characters accepting their financial privileges. Toni shows his shiny teeth after he becomes the rich husband Laura always wanted. Otherwise, Laura’s wealthy friends show it. It appears to be a visual cue that sets them apart.
Rich Flu (2025) Movie Themes Analyzed:
Wealth redistribution
Somewhere in between, the film shows Henry David Thoreau’s quote – “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.” In line with this, the film is an attempt to explore wealth redistribution on a practical front. It revolves around citizens from developed and rich countries who are forced into seeking refuge in third-world countries that they would have looked upon any other time.
However, the attempt feels half-baked since the script doesn’t address how gender, race, or complexion plays a part in this reckoning. It shows a flattening of these aspects in the wake of this calamity but doesn’t analyze them nearly enough. Instead, it becomes a survival thriller about a wealthy person learning to be human and pursuing community-driven goals over individualistic ones. Her character arc doesn’t feel contrived mainly because of Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s committed performance.
