Beast Ending Explained (Spoilers)

A father and his two teenage daughters find themselves hunted by a massive rogue lion intent on proving that the Savanna has but one apex predator.

Beast: Spoilers Below

Why did Nate fight the lion with another pride watching?

In Beast, the male lions are willing to fight to the death to protect their pride from external threats. It's the law of the jungle. Without any other options, Nate realized he would have to risk luring the lion in front of a rival pride. The doctor knew that the other two lions would eventually see the other big cat as a severe threat to their pride. Roaming through the savannah, a rogue lion stalks its prey - a lone human. The lion is not afraid to take on this opponent, but the other lions in the area are. Wanting to protect their pride, they face off against the rogue lion in a deadly match. This shifts the rogue lion's focus away from the human, allowing them to escape. It's clever that it involves the animals fighting each other while leaving humans out of it. Male lions have been known to fight each other to assert dominance over pride. The lions that protect the pride are usually the males, while the females are the ones that typically hunt. Male lions who stray into other prides may threaten the existing males and their cubs, potentially taking over the pride and killing them. In such cases, the other lions will rise to fight the intruder to protect themselves.

Why did Nate keep seeing his wife in his dreams?

Nate is desperately searching for his wife in his dreams, but he can never find her. Nate would often dream of being close to his wife, only to wake up abruptly and feel guilt and remorse. It's possible that he kept having this dream because he felt guilty about what had happened. Nate feels guilty for not realizing his wife was ill sooner, especially since he's a doctor. He's always asking her where she is, and the tone of his voice implies he's worried about her. The dreams Nate has throughout Beast may be meant to reveal his state of mind to the audience and foreshadow future events. Nate feels lost and out of his depth when it comes to his family and their trip, and he is worried that he'll never be able to make amends with his wife. These dreams may be his way of revealing his inner turmoil to us and hinting at what is to come. Nate has been having a series of nightmares in which he is separated from his family. In the final dream, however, he is reunited with his wife, who tells him everything will be okay. This dream symbolizes the relief he feels being reunited with his family, contrasted with his previous dreams of anxiety and worry. The dreams ultimately foreshadowed that things would get tough but turn out in Nate's family's favor despite his feelings of unease.

The meaning of Beast's ending

The final confrontation between Nate and the lion in Beast is symbolic of him facing up to his past. Throughout the film, Nate is constantly confronted with the reality of his wife's illness and his failure to be there for her or even notice the signs until it is too late. The loss of his wife left Idris Elba's character feeling like he had failed his daughters. Nate blamed himself for Mer and Norah's turmoil about their mother's death and his leaving them behind. He felt like he hadn't been able to protect his wife or prevent her death, regardless of their separation. Nate can confront his demons by fighting the lion, and in doing so, he can protect his daughters. This is an act he could not complete before because he had left his family behind. Nate knows he is taking a risk by stepping up to protect his family from the lion, but he is willing to sacrifice himself if it means keeping them safe. The fighting of the great lion represented the medical doctor's chance at redemption, as he had to face the trauma of his past, which was constantly following him. Nate wasn't safe until he fought the lion at the movie's end. It was the only way he could move past his trauma and protect his family with a clear conscience, which he couldn't before the film's events.

Beast Ending Explained (Spoilers) - ALL HORROR Tweet it