British science fiction film, Settlers is a slow drama directed by Wyatt Rockefeller. It plays upon human perplexity whether to settle down or explore new wonderlands. Historically, humans have lived 99% of their lives as nomads, but this contemporary society lays out different terms. Can we outrun our inherent nature and settle down on a piece of land that suffocates us every day?
Rockefeller’s films chronicle a family living on some far-off Extraterrestrial lands. Through them, he explores the confusion further.
Plot Summary
A middle-aged Reza (Jonny Lee Miller) lives in a shuttle settlement with his wife, Ilsa (Sofia Boutella), and nine-year-old daughter, Remmy (Brooklynn Prince). Their small territory, inhabited by no one else, incorporates a poultry farm and a greenhouse garden, making them self-sufficient. Everything is perfectly mundane except their curious daughter Remmy who wants to explore the planet more. However, her mother prohibits any such actions.
Remmy discovers the word “LEAVE” painted on their kitchen window pane that horrifies the family one dreadful morning. Reza and Ilsa’s secretive conversation suggests that they have an idea about the mysterious warning, but they hold back the information from their daughter. Before anything prominent is offered, three khaki-dressed rangers attack the family. Reza successfully shoots them and leaves the settlement to finish the job but never returns.
Ilsa and Remmy spend their days in a panic, waiting for Reza to come back. To their surprise, a strange ranger with a gun appears in their house and takes them hostage.
‘Settlers’ Ending Explained
The mysterious ranger who appeared in their house was Jerry (Ismael Cruz Córdova). The house belonged to his parents. Jerry accused Reza and Ilsa of murdering his parents and taking over his place.
Ilsa finally confessed that they didn’t kill his mother. She was already dead when they arrived at the settlement. They were inhabitants of Earth routed to some other planet, but their transport system broke off, and they had to land on this planet. Jerry’s father took them in, but he pulled out a gun on her when he found out about Ilsa’s pregnancy and their Earth connection. In self-defense, she slit his throat and started living under the same roof.
Speculatively, Jerry killed Reza before he reached the house, and due to ongoing conflict, he killed Ilsa. Remmy was too weak to put up a fight, but all through the years, she planned an escape. During her visit to the edge of the settlement, Remmy discovered that the area is protected through a transparent glass-kind atmosphere. A metallic chamber was the only way in or out of the glass concave, but she needed an oxygen mask to survive without the suitable atmosphere.
Jerry convinced Remmy that they have everything available in the settlement. There were other things outside it, but now they were all gone. If she tried to move out, she would be dead in a day or two. But falling prey to her curiosity, Remmy wanted to visit the unexplored lands.
Remmy couldn’t emotionally afford to live with her parents’ murderer. Additionally, Jerry was trying to seduce Remmy so that he could keep his race going with newborns. Initially, he started a relationship with Ilsa, but Remmy was his only option to carry on the lineage after she was gone. Jerry thought he had a responsibility to continue his race, but Remmy didn’t want to take part in it. It became an apparent conflict between the two.
Jerry burnt all oxygen masks so that no one dared to leave the settlement. But Remmy hid one in a trunk under her bed. When Jerry found out, he tried to assault her, but Remmy’s precious Robot saved her life. In the end, Remmy shot Jerry with a gun and killed him for good.
Through her expertise, Remmy rebuilt the Robot and made an oxygen mask for herself. She handed over the settlement to the Robot and left. With the help of an underground chamber, Remmy walked to the other side of the atmosphere to explore new lands and meet new people if she survived the odds.
Settlers is a 2021 Science Fiction Film written and directed by Wyatt Rockefeller.
