Written and directed by Matthew Loren Oates, Xeno is a sci-fi drama exploring the bond between a young girl and an alien. Renee wasn’t a regular youngster; she had a snake, a scorpion, and a bearded dragon for pets, and while her peers thought she was weird, she always chose to be her authentic self. The film quickly establishes that Renee was extremely empathetic, and she felt deeply, especially for those who weren’t considered ‘lovable’ by society. She barely had any friends, except Gil, an unpopular introvert. Things at home weren’t favorable for Renee either. Her mother hadn’t healed from her father’s sudden demise, and her present boyfriend, Chase, was an alcoholic freeloader who didn’t really love her. Life wasn’t easy for Renee, and things got all the more complicated when she came across an alien creature in the desert late at night. Her initial instinct was to run, but she realized it was in pain, and she couldn’t just turn away.
Spoiler Alert
How did Renee strike up a bond with Xeno?
After an argument with Chase that turned violent, Renee got on her ATV and drove into the desert. And that was when she came across Xeno for the first time. Its loud screech left her terrified, but she soon realized that it was in pain. It had fallen into a leg-hold trap and been left immobile. Without giving it a second thought, Renee released the massive shiny black creature from the trap. The next day, she came up with a list of things she needed before she made another attempt at getting to know the creature. In exchange for helping with an essay, Gil agreed to give Renee his mother’s video camera; she already had binoculars, and she somehow managed to steal Chase’s gun from his van.
When she arrived at the same spot where she’d seen the creature, she couldn’t find it at first, but soon she spotted him hiding in a corner. She decided to video record her first interaction with the creature because—a) she was afraid that it might kill her, and she wanted her mother to know what happened to her; (b) she was hopeful that if she made it out alive, she could sell the tape and make a quick buck. She removed the end of the trap that was still clinging to its foot, and surprisingly, the alien creature didn’t react. Just when she thought of grabbing her camera and setting it closer by, the creature pounced on her. Renee freaked out, but to her surprise, the creature didn’t harm her. It aggressively sniffed her and gently moved away. Renee was no longer afraid of Xeno; she even offered it an apple, but given its large sharp teeth, it was evidently not interested in fruits. When Renee noticed helicopters, she figured it was the government hunting for the alien, and she warned Xeno that they were dangerous. She wished it the best and went back home only to realize that she’d left Chase’s gun in the desert. As soon as she stepped out, she noticed Xeno hiding outside her house. It had started to trust Renee, and it felt safe with her. On their way to the desert, Xeno released a radiant, energy-charged web and swept Renee off her feet. When Renee regained consciousness, she realized she was covered in Xeno’s saliva.
How did the CIA capture Xeno?
During Xeno’s ending, we learn that the process was called bonding, and the stronger the bond, the more impossible it was to keep the two apart. Renee immediately felt responsible for Xeno’s safety, and she decided to hide it in her basement. She decided to name it Croak because of the strange noise the creature made. Gil was the only one who’d found out about Croak. He was terrified of the creature, and Croak wasn’t really the most welcoming when it came to strangers. But it soon realized that Gil mattered to Renee, so it didn’t harm him. Gil had a crush on Renee, so when she begged him to keep the creature’s existence a secret, he chose to respect her decision. But things soon took a turn when the Central Intelligence Agency started an operation to find Xeno. The operation was headed by Jonathan Keyes, and they soon started suspecting Renee. They’d been keeping an eye on the locals and recording anything that looked suspicious, and as it turned out, Renee’s mysterious conversation with Gil, where she stated, ‘You can’t say anything,’ had also been recorded.
Keyes offered Renee a lift to school one day, and he made it very clear that he’d already figured out that she was hiding the creature and he expected her to tell the truth instead of making him look like the bad guy. Agent Browne also visited Gil and threatened to harm his family if he failed to cooperate. Gil didn’t have a choice, and he ended up telling the agent the truth.
Renee had realized that it wasn’t safe to keep Croak locked up in her basement anymore, especially after he attacked a plumber who’d come to fix their water system. She released her pets in the desert and decided to head to the reserve and stay with Croak for a few days until she was completely sure that the place was safe. Gil thought it was a ridiculous idea, and there was no way she could hide him from the world, but that was the only solution Renee could come up with. Just as she was about to get into Chase’s van (that he left behind after Linda kicked him out of the house), Chase returned. He grabbed hold of Renee and dragged her into the house, and he woke up Linda to have a conversation. Chase had a revolver; he was mad that Linda broke up with him after she caught him assaulting Renee. He thought it was unfair even though throughout their relationship he’d always been lying to Linda. While her mother tried to tackle Chase, she asked Renee to run for her life. But Chase overpowered Linda and knocked her unconscious. He grabbed hold of Renee and was about to hit her when Croak came out of nowhere and mauled Chase to death.
Due to the ‘bonding,’ any time Renee was in pain, Croak sensed it, and this was what the CIA used to their advantage. Gil had told them that Renee had moved Croak to the canyon, but by the time they arrived, it was gone. Croak left immediately after saving Renee. She was a little surprised to see Gil at her house. He confessed that he’d told the CIA about Croak, and he wanted her to know that he didn’t have a choice; they’d threatened to deport his grandfather if he didn’t cooperate. Soon, Jonathan Keyes showed up as well, and Renee realized that there was no way she could escape. She was tied to a chair, and they had wires wrapped around her head that were connected to a machine. Once they figured out that Renee’s bond with the creature was the strongest they’d ever seen, they used it to find Croak. Keyes snapped Renee’s finger, and she screamed in pain. As expected, Croak came to her rescue, but they’d already set up an electric trap, and as soon as it stepped into it, Croak was unable to move.
What was Jonathan Keyes’ theory?
Croak wasn’t killed, but the shock left him almost unconscious. Meanwhile, Renee was held back in the CIA detention center. She was locked up in a room, and Jonathan tried to explain why she must cooperate with them instead of helping the deadly creature. Renee retorted, stating that she’d acted within her rights and there was no law explicitly stating that one is not supposed to help an extraterrestrial being. Renee told Keyes that his idea of Croak was wrong and dark; she wanted him to know that Croak wasn’t evil, he was a friend. Keyes disagreed; according to him, Croak was just another extraterrestrial creature that was sent from an advanced world to assess their potential enemy (humans). He believed that their strategy was similar to that of Japanese leader Koyata Sugi from 800 years ago (a lie that he came up with to make this theory believable). He stated that Sugi used to send trained pigs to scout a place before he attacked it. If the pigs returned well-fed and unharmed, he assumed that his enemies were weak and he would capture the town, but if the pigs were brutally slaughtered, he wouldn’t risk attacking the population. Keyes wanted Renee to believe that Croak was just like the pigs; if he was treated well, the aliens would raid Earth, but if he was tortured and killed, they would never dare to attack the planet. Keyes was of the opinion that these creatures should be mutilated, but he had orders not to do so. He hoped Renee would agree to let the experts study her so that they could learn more about the bond she shared with Croak and find the best way to kill it. Renee was obviously not swayed by Keyes’ lecture, but he didn’t really leave her with a choice. He made it very clear that he would lock Linda in a small room without windows, and Renee knew that her clinically depressed mother would not be able to bear it. Keyes also warned he wouldn’t refrain from destroying Renee’s life as well. After Jonathan stepped out of the room, Agent Browne reminded him that the directors didn’t want a mess, and they didn’t have the authority to keep Renee locked up. They were only allowed to interview her, and they had to let her go, but Jonathan desperately wanted to push his luck. He hoped Renee would falter and he would get the opportunity to kill the beast.
For Jonathan Keyes, it was all too personal. Throughout Xeno, he is seen fidgeting with a toy car that likely belonged to his son, who was killed by a creature like Croak/Xeno. Not everyone was as unafraid as Renee, and maybe his son had accidentally crossed the creature’s path, and it considered the child a threat. Agent Browne had mentioned that something got out of hand in Iceland, and after the incident the directors had strictly asked them to get the job done silently. Perhaps, just like Renee, a local had bonded with the creature and had tried to protect it, resulting in a conflict between the CIA and the locals and causing casualties. But Keyes was not done seeking revenge; he’d made it his life’s purpose to kill every alien creature he crossed paths with.
Why did Croak risk his life?
Linda was allowed to speak to her daughter briefly. She had read the note Renee had left before she’d attempted to run away from her house. While Renee thought her mother would be offended, she instead apologized to Renee for being a mess. She admitted that after her father’s accidental death, she struggled coping with his absence. The guilt that she could’ve possibly saved her husband had she been at home when he went to the pool had slowly consumed her. To distract herself, she dated Chase, but he only made things worse for her and Renee. But she’d come to realize that running away from her feelings (the reason behind her decision to move to a new place) wasn’t the answer. She agreed that she had to go to therapy and confront her emotions. Before leaving, she told Renee that she had her father’s heart, pure and full of affection, and she begged her to never change. Renee’s conversation with her mother helped her gain clarity. She decided to hurt herself so that Croak would come to her and they could escape together. Since Croak was hurt, it didn’t respond immediately, but their bond was so strong that it felt the compulsion to run to Renee regardless of his condition.
Croak stormed into the facility, killed everyone who tried to stop him, and stood before Renee. Just as Croak was about to kill Keyes, Renee asked it to stop, and it listened. Renee was ready to execute her plan; she grabbed Keyes’ car keys and attempted to escape with Croak, but things didn’t go as planned. As soon as Jonathan regained consciousness, he was driven mad by rage. He grabbed a gun that was designed to kill these alien creatures, and he stepped out of the facility. Keyes didn’t care if Renee was killed in the process; he repeatedly shot in their direction.
In Xeno’s ending, when Croak realized that Renee’s life was under threat, it decided to risk its life to protect its best friend. Croak and Renee had been hiding behind Keyes’ car, and Renee was petrified when she noticed Croak walking towards Jonathan. Even though Croak was repeatedly shot, before dying, it stabbed Jonathan with his sharp claw-like arms.
Was Croak alive?
Croak had become Renee’s savior when everyone around mostly left her disappointed. They were both lonely and hurt when they found each other, and watching Croak die before her eyes was heartbreaking for her. Renee’s father’s untimely death had taught her to hold her loved ones close to her heart, and as a result of the bond she shared with Croak, she was even ready to live at the reserve just to ensure that the place was safe. Although Jonathan wanted her to believe that the creature was evil and dangerous, Croak’s decision to take the bullets to protect Renee proved that it had a high emotional quotient.
During the ending of Xeno, Gil is seen leaving Renee’s house, suggesting that they are still friends and he likely became her shoulder to cry on. Renee wasn’t completely stable; she missed Croak, and her playing the ukulele was a sign that she had him in her thoughts. She surely remembered how fondly Croak reacted when she sang to him.
What does the post-credit scene suggest?
During the post-credit scene, we witness two scientists examine specimens taken from Croak. His body was laid out on a bed, and while the scientists thought it was dead, a loud growl confirmed that Croak was alive. Killing two humans to make it out of the facility wouldn’t be a challenging task for Croak, but can it manage to make it to Renee? Considering the heavy security and surveillance, that seems a little far-fetched. Since they were bonded, maybe Renee too will sense that Croak wasn’t gone, and perhaps she will embark on a journey to reunite with it. Maybe even send signals to send him home? Maybe Renee and Gil will try to reach out to more people and explain why Croak deserved their support and protection. Perhaps the video tape of her interaction with Croak might come handy. You never know, they might find enough support globally to stop the CIA from conducting experiments on the creature. Perhaps a sequel then? Well, the ending leaves enough room for Xeno 2.
