The Last House’s Polarizing Ending Addressed By Netflix Sci-Fi Thriller Star

Warning! Major spoilers ahead for The Last House.

The Last House star Wagner Moura shares a thoughtful response regarding those final moments.

Directed by Louis Leterrier, the new Netflix sci-fi thriller follows the Delgado family as they become trapped inside their house as a mysterious threat looms outside. The Last House‘s ending sees the Delgados finally emerge from their house, free to roam a changed, flooded world after making the decision to spare the life of one of the monsters holding them captive.

In an interview with CinemaBlend, Moura, who plays Jason Delgado, shares a hopeful interpretation regarding The Last House‘s conclusion. According to the star, the movie gives the family of four an opportunity to journey into the world as evolved beings, something that he says didn’t happen in real life after the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out Moura’s comment below:

Well, I hope they discover that of course, the world changed. But I hope that they discover that there are good things about that change. I think that we came out of COVID when, when COVID sort of happened in the end of the whole pandemic, I was like, ‘Okay, the world is gonna change. We are gonna come out of this with a different mindset.’ And I don’t think we did. So I hope it’s different for the characters of the film.

The Last House‘s final moments do feature some ambiguity. After years of rain, the film ends with the rain ceasing and the Delgados setting out across the flooded landscape in a salvaged boat, where they eventually find more survivors.

Despite also featuring Greta Lee as Ann Delgado, The Last House as a whole has proven divisive with viewers. On Rotten Tomatoes, the Netflix movie has only a 28% Popcornmeter score from general audiences, indicating broad dissatisfaction with the experience of watching The Last House. The critics’ score is better, but only barely, at 30%.

ScreenRant‘s The Last House review by Alex Harrison was especially harsh, with a score awarded of only two out of 10. For Harrison, the film has essentially no redeeming elements beyond its production value, with Leterrier’s direction and a flawed script making for a frustrating viewing experience. Of the ending, Harrison writes:

The ultimate reason for the family’s confinement is interesting in principle, but a mix of underexplored and nonsensical in practice. The ending is bafflingly insufficient. The only mystery worth pondering once The Last House rolls credits is how all this potential resulted in a sum far lesser than its parts.

Despite the poor reception and polarizing ending, The Last House has been a viewership success in the days since its August 7 release date. As of writing, the film remains atop the U.S. and worldwide Netflix top 10 charts, its second day in this position.

Also starring Noah Alexander Sosnowski, Riley Chung, Gabriel Barbosa, Audrey Anderson, Arden Cho, and Emma Ho, The Last House marks Leterrier’s follow-up to Tycoon in 2024 and Fast X in 2023. The latter film earned mixed reviews and was a box office disappointment. His next major release will be Fast Forever, billed as the conclusion to the Fast & Furious saga.

It remains to be seen whether The Last House‘s viewership success will continue, but the negative reception to the movie suggests it may end up with a faster falloff compared to something with positive word of mouth. The film’s ending is sure to continue to be polarizing, but Moura evidently sees the fate of the Delgado family as a hopeful one.