The ending of Triangle of Sadness has been the subject of much discussion since the movie came out in September 2022.

The film follows a group of rich people, including two models, Carl and Yaya, who end up stranded on a deserted beach after pirates attack and their luxury yacht is destroyed.

Abigail, a cleaner from the yacht, takes control of the group of survivors because she’s the only one with useful skills like catching fish and starting fires to keep everyone alive.

However, when it becomes clear that the group may not be in as much danger as they thought, Abigail’s newfound power is at risk, leading to a tense ending that leaves a few big questions unanswered.

Abigail takes control of the group on the island, using her power over the less helpful members and even withholding food when two of them are caught stealing snacks. She invites Carl to sleep with her in the lifeboat, and it’s clear that they are having a sexual relationship at night. In return, Abigail gives Carl extra food, which he passes on to Yaya.

Meanwhile, Jarmo kills a wild donkey with a rock, and the group celebrates. However, their evening around the fire eating donkey meat becomes tense when Yaya gets jealous of Carl sitting too close to Abigail.

One morning, Yaya visits Carl and Abigail in the lifeboat to ask for the group’s backpack, as she wants to hike up the mountain to see if she can spot anything on the other side of the island. Abigail offers to go with her, and the two women set off.

While they are walking, Therese hears a man singing and finds out he is a beach vendor selling sunglasses, hats, and watches. Unfortunately, she can’t explain that the survivors need help, and the man walks away.

After a long walk, Abigail falls behind, and Yaya finds a beachside lift, revealing that they’ve been stranded near a luxury resort the entire time.

Yaya shows Abigail the lift, and Abigail asks to sit and enjoy the moment before they go to the lift. She then delays things further, going to a nearby rocky area to use the toilet.

While Yaya sits with her back to Abigail, she offers Abigail a job as her assistant, unaware that Abigail is sneaking up behind her with a large rock in her hands, ready to strike her head just like Jarmo did to the donkey.

The camera then cuts to Carl, running through the trees, and the end credits start, leaving us with two main questions: did Abigail kill Yaya, and why is Carl running?

Do we see Abigail kill Yaya?

We never actually see Abigail kill Yaya. The last moment we witness is Abigail holding the rock above Yaya’s head but looking unsure about what to do.

There is a reason Abigail might want to kill Yaya. While Yaya and the others want to be rescued and go back to their old lives, Abigail has more to gain by staying on the island, where she holds power over them, than returning to a life as a servant to the wealthy and spoiled people.

In the last scene, Abigail reveals that she doesn’t have much to go back to. Yaya asks if she’s excited to see her children, and Abigail responds that she doesn’t have any. Although Abigail’s backstory isn’t shared much earlier in the film, this shows that her life on the island might be better than her life before.

If Abigail kills Yaya, no one would know about the lift, although, without Abigail knowing, they might find out about the resort anyway, especially if anyone else has seen the beach vendor or if Therese has managed to communicate with them that she saw him.

Dolly De Leon, who played Abigail, knows what she believes happened between Abigail and Yaya, but she won’t reveal it. “I think that we can trust the audience enough to come up with their own ending,” she told Entertainment Weekly.

“But of course, I have my own personal take on it as the actor who played Abigail. Definitely I know what Abigail’s intention is, and I’m the only one who really knows it. I would love to answer the question, but the truth is it really changes depending on the date.”

Why did Carl run at the end of Triangle of Sadness?

The final scene of Triangle of Sadness shows Carl running frantically, but we don’t know exactly why. Just like with Abigail and Yaya, there isn’t a clear answer to this.

If Carl knows about the resort, he might have guessed that Yaya and Abigail’s hike could end badly. Or he could just be rushing to tell them the good news. Both ideas make sense, according to the film’s writer and director, Ruben Östlund.

“For that shot, I told Harris, ‘You have been on the beach camp with the others, and the beach vendor has arrived there. And maybe the beach vendor has told you that on the other side of the island, in the direction that Yaya and Abigail have gone, there is a resort hotel there,’” he told.

“And Carl realizes that for Yaya and Abigail, the whole situation maybe will be dangerous. He feels like something bad could happen, so that is why he’s running like that, bloody and frantic.”

There are other theories, too. One fan theory, which Östlund agrees with, suggests Carl is running to reclaim his male identity after becoming a sort of concubine to Abigail.

But clearly, whatever you think about the movie’s ambiguous ending, it seems that no one involved with the film will tell you you’re wrong, so it’s up to you to decide how to interpret it.