‘Run’ Summary & Ending, Explained – An Original Premise Wasted

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The Sarah Paulson starer, Run, is a mystery thriller that often takes the liberty to play with the psychology of its characters. The enigma that the story holds within itself originates via this psychology. As we start understanding the behavioral aspects of the characters we see that slowly the story also unwinds itself. The film has been written and directed by Aneesh Chaganty and co-written by Sev Ohanian. Even though the outer covering might seem familiar but the film does maintain an original tone not only in the way it is written but also in the treatment of it. 


‘Run’ Summary

Chloe Sherman (Kiera Allen) is an enterprising teenager who is bedridden due to the multiple problems she had been facing since her childhood. She cannot walk as her legs are paralyzed and suffer from diseases like diabetes and asthma to name a few. But all these hurdles do not stop her from going after her dreams. She had been taught by her mother, Diana Sherman, and is quite an able student. Chole was raised in isolation and is totally dependent upon her mother. She does not have a mobile and no other means to connect to the outer world. Where she goes, she has to be accompanied by her mother as she is wheelchair-bound. But things were going to finally change. She was going to be admitted to a university and then those dreams would get wings finally. But one day, call it destiny, she finds something which turns her life upside down. She finds out that in the bag of groceries that her mother had brought, there was medicine with her mother’s name. It was strange as she didn’t know that her mother was suffering from some ailment. 

She enquires about the same but her mother says that her name was there just on the receipt but she had brought it for Chloe only. There is a kind of obscurity in her tone, which makes Chloe suspicious. The next day she finds her name written on medicine. She tries to find the effect of the medicine but is unable to as the internet is not working in the house. 

Chloe asks her mom to take her to watch a movie and in between, she sneaks out to a medical store only to find out that the pill she was having was a dog medicine which if taken by humans could lead to numbness of limbs. Just then Diana comes and gives her a shot of some medicine, after which Chloe loses her consciousness. 


Major Spoilers Ahead

A Meandering Narrative

Post the big revelation, the film doesn’t seem to know how to go about things in an impactful manner. The penetration seems to be missing which is required in dealing with such a psychotic character. Everything starts to seem very convenient and moves away from the realm of realism. The film loses upon the build-up that is created in the first half. 

Run misses digging into the possibilities and behavioral intricacies of a person suffering from a mental ailment. It seems like the writers wanted to create an authentic ending but somehow missed the plot and were unable to carry forward a stinging and more deep approach. 


‘Run’ Ending Explained

A cat and mouse chase begins as soon as Chloe realizes that her mother was giving her that dog medicine. But why was she doing so? 

Diana’s newborn died moments after being born due to severe complications. In despair and utter disbelief, she steals another baby from a couple. Diane was suffering from a mental condition. She was just not ready to accept that her baby had died. Chloe is the baby that was stolen and Diana makes sure that she is dependent on her by inducing false medication in her system. 

Chloe for a lifetime had believed that she couldn’t walk. She realizes that more than her, Diana is dependent upon her. She knows that with numb legs there is no way she can escape Diana. So she gulps down medicine and ends up in a hospital. She does all this so that she could tell the world and get outside help. But Diana wouldn’t just let go so easily. She takes Chloe and tries to run away from the hospital. Chloe at this point cannot speak due to the medicine taken but she did leave a note for the doctor in charge. The hospital guards confront Diana. They shoot at her, giving her an injury, saving Chloe after the whole fiasco. 

In the last scene, it is seen that Chloe goes to see her mother, Diana, who is in a mental facility. Diana is in bad shape. In her mouth, Chloe takes a medicine, hidden from the eyes of the guards. She administers it to Diana so that she stays in bad shape forever. It serves as a sort of revenge on the part of Chloe where she is making sure that Diana has to pay back and go through the same hell she once went through. 


Run fails to make use of an exceptional premise. It ceases to leave any impact and adds to the list of thrillers that miss the target even after laying down a solid foundation. Sarah Paulson does an amazing job as a deranged mother and fills life in the moments of epiphany, even when not backed by strong and befitting writing


Run is a 2021 mystery thriller film streaming on Netflix.

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Sushrut Gopesh
Sushrut Gopesh
I came to Mumbai to bring characters to life. I like to dwell in the cinematic world and ponder over philosophical thoughts. I believe in the kind of cinema that not necessarily makes you laugh or cry but moves something inside you.

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