Find Me Falling Ending Explained: What That Final John Twist Actually Means
Starring Harry Connick Jr., Netflix's romantic comedy Find Me Falling chronicles the story of John Allman, a washed-up rock star who discovers his purpose after purchasing a cliffside house on Cyprus. John soon discovers, after moving into his house, that the cliff is a suicide hotspot. The cranky, antisocial man acts fast to save others intending for suicide.
Discussions of suicide abound in this movie and article.
MAJOR SPOILERS for Netflix's Find Me Falling abound in this page.
What John Hands Melina In Find Me Falling And What It Means?
John hands Melina an envelope transforming everything for all three characters after serenading Sia outside her apartment. The sheet music John composed for the eponymous song he sung earlier in Find Me Falling is inside the envelope. He notes Melina to follow her passion at the top of the sheet music. For John in two respects, this is a momentous occasion.
First, he battled to complete writing the song early on in the film. But he gets the drive to finish it from his revived love for Sia and his new relationship with his daughter Melina. Second, he could have left the island and reboot his career using that song. What split John and Sia the first time around was music taking precedence over love. John giving Melina the song marks him realizing his past error and deciding not to repeat it.
In the end, this little incident in Find Me Falling gives Sia hope that this time would be different from past. It lets the couple reunite after roughly two decades apart. The sheet music also passes the torch from father to daughter, so launching Melina's aspirations of being a lifelong musician.
The Importance Of Anna's Pregnancy In Find Me Falling
A young woman called Anna visits the cliff to commit suicide at the end of Find Me Falling, but John persuades her to back off from the brink. He lets her stay the night sleeping on his couch after learning she has nowhere to go, watching the door to stop her from going back to the cliff edge. Anna's pregnancy is hardly more than a device to enable John develop as a character.
John is furious at Sia for hiding her pregnancy from him before Anna meets her; but, Anna helps him to see the matter from Sia's point of view. Like Sia was after John left the island, she is a scared, pregnant young woman feeling alone. Anna quells his sense of betrayal by helping him to forgive Sia for hiding their child. Anna's circumstances in the Find Me Falling film also gives John the chance to play a father. Soon he understands he must prioritize Melina in the same manner he treats Anna.
Melina and John's Connection Clarified
John and Melina collide in a father-daughter kind of manner right from the moment they meet in Find Me Falling. She calls John an ahole in Greek and he lectures her about being drawn to someone too old for her. They also share a passion of music and look alike. Seeing the moment they connect for the first time while brainstorming music is magical.
Later, after John chastises Melina about smoking, she steals his lighter—something a rebellious daughter would do. She clearly enjoys running his buttons. Though John first thought Melina was approaching him, their relationship is clearly not romantic.
The choice of the film to keep the real link between John and Melina a secret until midway through creates suspense. This intentional pace lets the viewers piece together the puzzle simultaneously with John, so increasing the emotional impact of the reveal. It's more tragic when John angrily blurts out the secret during their song since the viewers become attached to the two's dynamic.
John moved to Cyprus for what reason?
John travels to Cyprus at the beginning of Find Me Falling apparently in search of escape following a career comeback gone sour. He regrets not being able to create more music and the fact his last album performed so poorly. Still, it soon becomes clear he chose the island for other purposes. John had earlier traveled to Cyprus, where he developed feelings for a woman who would inspire his popular song "Girl On The Beach."
John secretly longs for a similar emotional connection to what he had before, even as much as he strives to distance himself from everyone he encounters. This clarifies why he asks Sia for another chance, opens up to Melina, steps in to stop those trying suicide. By the time Find Me Falling ends, he once more has the community and love that motivated him. He settles into this support instead of feeling compelled to flee from it.
The Importance Of The Cliff In Find Me Falling
One filming location—a small house on the brink of a cliff that is a suicide hotspot— shapes Find Me Falling completely. Not knowing the history of the house, John moves there. Though austere and antisocial, he soon takes it upon himself to stop others from dying by suicide there. Building a fence to physically keep them from getting to the cliff is his first thought for a solution. People still come, pointing out that John's idea is more of a band-aid than a fix despite best efforts.
Manoli says everyone choosing that spot does so because they want the house occupant to save them. He says they are looking for relationships to help them survive. When John is with Anna, he at last starts to lean in this direction. He shows her pity instead of yelling at her to leave. The film implies that this is the kind deed and relationship that will save people.
Find Me Falling is right in that a conversation can help someone and suicide is avoidable. Sadly, the movie runs the danger of simplifying a difficult problem. Suicidal thoughts arise for several reasons, not only a lack of social contacts. Moreover, Anna's mental problems in the film are readily resolved right upon her return home. People experiencing suicidal ideation need help with the underlying causes, preferably provided by a qualified mental health professional, for long-term recovery.
Should you or someone you know be considering suicide, kindly call your local crisis line or the National Suicide Hotline at 988. This page contains many international hotlines and preventative tools.
The Real Interpretive Value Of Find Me Falling's Terminality
John's path in this film captures the deeper significance of the ending for Find Me Falling. John first begins trying to drive everyone away. He comes to value community and human connection at the end. Rather than erecting a fence to keep people out, he designs a sign urging everyone contemplating suicide to come talk. Melina, Sia, and he grew into a family. John even keeps close to Anna, her parents, and her child. Ultimately, the ending of Find Me Falling relays the message that everyone needs relationships and connections with others – whether platonic, romantic, or familial – to survive.
