The Map That Leads To You’s ending is a beautiful culmination of everything we’ve seen in the movie: “If you want something, the universe will conspire to give it to you.” Okay, well, in the movie it’s “if you think it, it’s yours,” but hey, I’d like to be a little bit dramatic. The movie follows Heather, a woman who knows her life plan straight out of college. She’s got everything all laid out, all her future plans made, until one day, when she’s vacationing, she meets Jack, a man who is simply experiencing life through his great-grandfather’s little journal. In The Map That Leads To You, Heather and Jack’s love story takes the back seat, because it’s a film more about finding yourself and what you want. This is not to say it’s not romantic; it is obviously a romance film, but the romance aids Heather in recognizing what she’s missing and why she needs to be with Jack, a man who is the complete opposite of her. With that said, let’s jump straight into the film’s ending.
Spoiler Alert
Does Heather Commit To Her Banking Job?
The one thing I quite appreciate in this movie is that Heather does end up getting on the flight back to New York, even without Jack, because she has her entire life ahead of her. She could’ve decided to stay back and give him another chance, but fortunately, she didn’t make that mistake for herself. Jack and Heather’s relationship has literally been a rollercoaster ride right from the start. The first time they kissed, they were in a cable car (even if it was closed). What I mean is, they were up in the air, and literally broke into a tourist attraction. Jack tells Heather, within a few minutes of meeting her, that they should get married because they’re the complete opposite of each other. This is the pace of their relationship throughout. It’s breakneck and clearly fleeting because Jack has always known he is not going to go with Heather.
Of course, it’s the one phone call that makes this perfectly clear to him. I don’t appreciate that Jack never told Heather about his cancer. I mean, if you’re in love with somebody and tell them how you feel, then you should also have the courtesy to tell them that you’re sick enough to die any moment. Leaving somebody at the last moment is the worst thing anybody can do. There’s a very beautiful thing Heather’s dad tells her when she’s back for the holidays after she’s already started working. All parents want for their kids is their happiness, so he understands that Heather had a good time with Jack, and those are memories she’s made for life. But then, he tells her that the thing she’s looking for is freedom, which she won’t find in banking. He understands that Heather is eager to travel again, but she doesn’t want to be shackled to work like she’s been all her life. She was always caught up with her plans and the future, and Jack (as ironic as it may be) helped her slow down and take it all one thing at a time. So I also think that Heather, in a way, is seeking that freedom alongside Jack, which is why she keeps turning back.
What Is The Map That Leads To Heather?
In the letter that Jack sends to Raef for Connie and his wedding (iconic), Jack tells Heather that the journal, which he thought was the purpose of his life, was actually a map that led to her. This isn’t to say that it was a literal map, of course, but sticking to the themes of the film, it implies that their meeting was a gift from the universe, and it was meant to happen, no matter what. But more importantly, this is the thing that makes Heather realize where Jack might be, months after they last saw each other. Now, you have to keep in mind, this is after she told him she’s letting him go, but she did ask Raef about him one last time. So, in the same way, the journal becomes the map that leads to Jack as well. “Dancing In The Face Of Death.” These few words help Heather realize that Jack is likely at Santa Pau, because he’s quite literally dancing in the face of death because his leukemia has returned.
The duo also believe in past lives, which is very sweet, and they talk about going back to the tree they planted in another life, but maybe it’ll be in this life. The other thing they have in common is that the first time they meet, they’re both reading Hemingway. Jack later looks him up and finds the story about his last wife interesting. They survived many disasters together before Hemingway ultimately killed himself, and while Jack isn’t going to do that, I can imagine this is some sort of reference to what the future holds, in that the duo will struggle a little bit before Jack leaves Heather (yes, they’re living a grand life on the stolen buck, but you know what I mean).
On the other hand, this surprise turn of events doesn’t change Heather’s life, but it also gives Connie and Amy a clear direction of what they want for their futures. For Connie, it’s a love connection with Raef, and they’re happily married at the end of the movie, which is very sweet. For Amy, it’s finding herself after a terrible breakup, literally the whole point of the trip. Everybody changes massively after they’re enlightened during their European vacation and that’s okay, it’s just a part of growing up.
Is It A Happy Ending?
Yes…and no. In the end, Heather leaves everything behind on a whim for one last chance to find Jack again. She goes to Santa Pau after she gets the letter from Raef and finds Jack there. They get together, they kiss, and even though he says he can’t give her a future, she says she doesn’t care; she wants this now. “If you think it, it’s yours,” you know? The movie ends with them dancing away in the crowd as the camera pans out. But does this mean they will continue to be happy for a long time? Very unlikely. With how Jack is made to look and the seriousness of his illness, there’s no chance he’s got much time left. Especially considering where Heather found him. These are probably his last moments, so we can assume Heather will be around until he’s gone (sound familiar? Yeah, think of that one Netflix movie that came out recently).
The Map That Leads To You’s ending is bittersweet, and though Jack’s situation will not change, and Heather will face heartbreak, Jack has given her something that she can keep with her forever: their love and their time together. He’s opened her eyes to a different way of living, which will lead her to other things, other ways to be happy. Heather still has her friends to go back to, a loving father who has a one-on-one relationship with her, and a life that she will eventually enjoy, now that she’s seen the other side of things. So, I suppose, while the end of the movie seems quite optimistic, at the end of the day, we have to know that it won’t last forever, but that’s okay. Life has its ups and downs, and Heather will emerge from this experience a whole new person, just as she did when Jack left her at that airport. What did you think of the ending of the film?
