The Ending Of Bird Box Barcelona Explained
Contains spoilers for "Bird Box Barcelona"
Netflix is going international for its follow-up to the 2018 breakout film, "Bird Box," by taking viewers to Barcelona for another daunting trek through a deadly world with a new group of survivors. The film sees Sebastián (Mario Casas) — a grizzled and haunted survivor — roaming the desolate streets of Barcelona with his daughter (Alejandra Howard) after a mysterious force causes apocalyptic destruction. With this unseen force having a power that could wipe out humanity, people have become divided into two factions — there are the survivors blindly walking to safety and the Seers working with these invisible creatures. While Sebastián might seem trustworthy, he holds a dark secret that makes him an unexpectedly dangerous force for the new group he joins as they attempt to head toward a potential safe house in the mountains.
"Bird Box Barcelona" contains many shocking twists and sudden deaths that constantly change the group's likelihood of survival. Every encounter with the creatures is filled with daunting suspense, and Sebastián's personal motives complicate this group's journey at every turn. Not to mention, there's a group of Seers who act as another horrifying obstacle for the group and follow them to the very end. All in all, "Bird Box Barcelona" is jam-packed with tense moments and surprising story turns, and its finale presents intriguing new directions for the fledgling franchise. So let's delve into the film's biggest moments and the potential future of this series.
What you need to remember about the original Bird Box
Before getting into the events of "Bird Box Barcelona," though, let's do a quick recap of important details from the first film that are crucial to this new story. Survival is immensely challenging in the world of "Bird Box" as survivors are forced to blindly traverse areas to avoid seeing the creatures. Those who are lured into looking at the creatures have one of two fates — either they kill themselves or they're manipulated into becoming a Seer to carry out the creatures' requests. Even if survivors manage to keep their blindfolds on, the creatures can mimic the voices of lost loved ones or anyone close to their victims to try and convince them to take their blindfolds off. In "Barcelona," the creatures' power is even deadlier, causing the streets of the city to be littered with bodies — but they face some savvier survivors.
There's a greater focus on putting blindfolds on animals in "Barcelona" since the creatures can affect them, too, and there are new kinds of blinders the survivors use — like Sebastián's blacked-out goggles. More new survival tactics utilize sounds and dogs to alert groups of the creatures' presence. However, not even the best survivors can be prepared for the arrival of a Seer — a faction that's also much craftier and deadlier than we see in the original "Bird Box." They've truly come to have a cultlike presence and showcase a sense of "faith" that makes them feel justified in their horrific actions.
What you need to remember about the plot of Bird Box Barcelona
Sebastián is a dedicated Seer at the start of "Bird Box Barcelona." He's shown to be capable of enacting devastating and unpredictable actions against unsuspecting survivors. He spares no mercy in fulfilling his mission to "save people" and is especially damaging to a new group he comes across. As the group tries to head toward a supposed safe haven up in the mountains, Sebastián attempts to sabotage them. From giving false information to cutting the dogs' leashes so that the group doesn't have canine guides, Sebastián goes to great lengths to complete his mission — which is what ultimately leads English survivor Claire (Georgina Campbell) to uncover the truth about him.
However, as Sebastián goes on this journey with the group, he begins to question his purpose and whether his actions are really "saving" people. Soon, he's unable to ignore the carnage around him and begins to have a change of heart as he remembers what life was like before becoming a Seer. His time with Claire and a young German girl named Sofia (Naila Schuberth) starts to clear his mind of the creatures' control over him. It's why Sebastián eventually breaks from his Seer mentality and decides to help Claire and Sofia reach safety just as the Seer leader who killed his daughter years prior approaches them.
What happened at the end of Bird Box Barcelona
Once Sebastián is able to reject his mission as a Seer, he does everything in his power to get Claire and Sofia to the aerial tramway that'll take them to the supposed safe haven in the mountains. However, Padre Esteban (Leonardo Sbaraglia) and his fellow Seers are hot on their tail — which ultimately leads Sebastián to let Claire and Sofia leave him so he can keep the Seers at bay. While Sebastián is able to create a blockade to the tramway by causing a car to explode in front of the entrance, it's not enough to keep the power of the creatures and Esteban from tempting him. Esteban and a hallucination of Anna continue to try and restore Sebastián's faith, but Sebastián remains firm and no longer believes that God would want this.
However, this doesn't stop Esteban — now masquerading as the hallucination of Anna — from miraculously walking over the flaming car toward Sebastián. To prove his independence from the creatures, Sebastián charges at Anna and ends up stabbing Esteban through the gut. Unfortunately, Esteban is able to pull Sebastián onto the metal rod as well, causing him to suffer a nasty gut puncture. Sebastián decides to not fight back much to keep Esteban trapped, which leads to both of them succumbing to their wounds and dying. While it's sad to see Sebastián fall, his wishes to reunite with his family and finally do the right thing are fulfilled.
What happened to Claire and Sofia
While Sebastián makes his redemptive sacrifice, Claire and Sofia try to make their escape — which is not easy. They nearly meet a quick death from the tower falling apart and seem stuck, as there's no way to power the lift from their end. Claire realizes that she has to alert the people on the other side that they need help by ringing a bell. Unfortunately, ringing the bell causes one of the creatures to hear the sound and head for them. When it arrives, it torments Claire with lingering voices and nearly kills Sofia by luring her toward the edge with her mother's voice. Thankfully, Claire is able to keep her head, save Sofia, and get both of them onto the moving tram safely.
When Claire and Sofia arrive at the castle, they find a sanctuary that's very similar to the one that Sandra Bullock's character, Malorie, finds at the end of the first film. In the safe haven, Sofia has a tearful reunion with her mother, and Claire starts to receive treatment. While talking to a doctor about Sebastián and the other Seers, Claire realizes that the creatures could be tapping into people's grief and trauma to control them. Then, we're shown that this facility is running tests on a Seer they captured to find a cure — but that's not all that's here. The survivors also have a creature locked in a safe and are using it for tests, leaving a haunting feel over the finale of "Bird Box Barcelona."
What does the end of Bird Box Barcelona mean
One of the biggest themes of "Bird Box Barcelona" is how faith and trauma are used as destructive tools, both by the creatures and Esteban and his followers for their own gain. While Sebastián is originally led to believe that the creatures are "angels" sent by God to guide him in his path to save people, his eyes are opened to see that their only intentions are to cause cruel deaths. A big reason that Sebastián and even Esteban are turned into Seers is because of the distinct grief and emptiness they share. Esteban has lost his faith by the time he becomes a Seer and is desperate to believe again, while Sebastián is suffering from immense grief stemming from the loss of his family — most notably Anna.
That's why Anna is sort of an influential, spiritual guide for Sebastián and why she becomes one of the key ways the creatures maintain their control of him. Claire even has a conversation with a sanctuary doctor highlighting how the creatures use grief and emotion to target vulnerable people. This depiction of the creatures excellently touches on how faith can be misused and manipulated to justify terrible actions and convince suffering people to take dangerous paths. Sebastián shows how this destructive sense of faith instilled by the creatures and Esteban can be broken through accountability and a clear head — and it's ultimately what makes him capable of redemption.
How the ending changes the world of Bird Box
While Sebastián's revelation about his actions symbolizes a thematic change of heart for the character, it also represents a major turning point for the franchise. His story shows that the Seers can be cured. For the first time, we see that a Seer can actually defy the creatures' power and act independently to save survivors rather than cause them to die. With Claire surviving and telling Sebastián's story of change to the sanctuary, it now means that others may find ways to stop the Seers from causing horrific deaths. However, Claire is far from being the first to know that Seers can potentially be cured.
In the final scene, it's shown that this new group of survivors is trying to find a way to cure Seers by testing the blood of one who's been captured. These tests aren't just for curing Seers, though, as the ending also implies that scientists are looking for an advantage against the creatures through the Seer's DNA. By using animal test subjects and exposing rats to a captured creature, they are trying to find ways to make people immune to their powers. So while Sebastián's turn might have only saved two people, it could be a moment where things start to change for the survivors, eventually leading to their turning the tables on the Seers and their invisible masters.
What the cast has said about the ending
Although Netflix has been pretty quiet about "Bird Box Barcelona" leading up to its release, there has been some discussion by lead star Mario Casas about his character, Sebastián. In an interview with MovieWeb, Casas not only discussed his genuine love for the "Bird Box" franchise but also how Sebastián is depicted as a complex and emotionally compelling character. "I think it was important to have a complex character who should also have a very deep emotional side," said Casas, "and I think it's something that hooks the audience. I like when a character is not always a hero, and he has many more layers, and he has a dark side, and there's ambiguity."
This is certainly a perfect way to describe Sebastián's character and the arc he goes through in starting as a Seer and eventually breaking out of his emotional and mental constraints. Casas also went on to describe his views of the creatures that tie to some of the realizations made by Claire later in the film. "Well, I would say that it has a lot more to do about trauma and how these characters have this lack of humanity," Casas said. "I was thinking more of these creatures as feelings of fear, stress, loss, sorrow." His conception of the creatures as being more emotional and mental entities rather than physical ones fits perfectly into their depiction in the world of "Bird Box" and how they torment the survivors.
What the end of Bird Box Barcelona could mean for the franchise
The ending of "Bird Box Barcelona" has some noteworthy ramifications for the wider universe that could make for an interesting sequel or continue to stretch the franchise's reach around the world. The ideas introduced at the end of the film — of tests conducted on Seers and a captured creature — boost the potential for more stories to be told and maybe for the franchise to stick to its Barcelona setting. A sequel story could see Claire and other members of the sanctuary in a dangerous new fight for their lives if the contained creature breaks out. Or Claire could lead a group to another sanctuary to find new research to stop the creatures or help capture other Seers to bring them back to the facility.
Since the "Bird Box" series has already expressed interest in taking its formula around the world, we could see another entry take fans to a different country to see how other survivors in a different setting are coping with this dark new reality. It could lead to some new information about the creatures and survivors being unveiled, and maybe such a story could build toward a larger-scale story that would see different characters come together to take out the creatures for good. The possibilities are endless for what "Bird Box" can explore, and "Bird Box Barcelona" makes clear that the future of the franchise is full of potential.
More international expansion
It's clear that Netflix isn't afraid to have the "Bird Box" franchise branch out of the U.S., and it could be ready to deliver more globe-trotting entries. With "Barcelona" showing that survivors are starting to test Seers and find a way to defeat the creatures, future entries could easily see how other countries are doing their own research and building survival plans. Films focused on other countries would add new perspectives to the creatures, their origins, and how others are learning new ways to survive and adapt.
Plus, it could be interesting to see how other countries and cultures have been affected by the creatures' arrival and their destructive abilities. With "Barcelona," we got more thematic perspectives on religion and grief being connected to the creatures, and more international entries could touch on other aspects of humanity that are being twisted and manipulated. "Bird Box" could and very well should take the franchise to other parts of the world, as it could further flesh out its potential and provide more survival stories for fans to get hooked on.
How Bird Box fits into Netflix's dedication to international content
Although "Bird Box Barcelona" might be a spin-off, Netflix doesn't just close the book on the "Bird Box" story. Instead, it presents a path for it to continue -– which is more than we can say about the original. The idea of survivors now looking for ways to turn the tables easily makes it possible to not only continue the story but also continue to take it global. As said before, it would be awesome to see how other areas of the world have been affected by these apocalyptic creatures. "Bird Box's" international expansion isn't a coincidence, either, as Netflix has been flexing its international franchises for quite some time.
Netflix has been building a strong library of international TV series over the years, and some of them are some of the platform's most notable shows of all time. Shows like "Squid Game," "Lupin," "Money Heist," and "Dark" have shown that Netflix subscribers are up for non-American content. While "Bird Box Barcelona" fits with this trend, its ending shows potential for more worldwide expansion in the "Bird Box" franchise to suit the streaming platform's desire for international content. So, perhaps "Bird Box" could go more global and help Netflix continue its trend of providing a strong slate of international content.
No turning back
While the original "Bird Box" features a star-studded cast and garnered a lot of attention from subscribers upon its release, presenting the potential for Netflix to have a breakout franchise, it doesn't seem like we're getting a continuation of that story any time soon. "Bird Box Barcelona" establishes itself as more of a standalone spin-off set within the same world, never directly referencing or hinting at events or characters from the first film. But does that mean that we'll never return to the world of the original? No, of course not. However, fans shouldn't expect a true "Bird Box" sequel for a while.
There haven't been many signs that a "Bird Box 2" is in development, and this film's ending hints more at a "Barcelona" sequel rather than another American entry. Perhaps if the franchise continues to touch on different stories and characters from around the globe, it can all culminate in a finale that teams up the survivors, like Malorie and Claire and perhaps some aged-up versions of their child companions, to fight off the creatures for good. But if "Bird Box 2" isn't the next entry in this franchise and the story continues branching out internationally, it's likely that a return to the plot and characters of the original isn't happening.