The Ending of The Great Flood: Does An-na Save Ja-in?
Kim Da-mi as Gu An-na and Kwon Eun-seong as Ja-in in ‘The Great Flood.’
Credit :
Netflix
NEED TO KNOW
- The Great Flood, which premiered on Netflix on December 19, features Kim Da-mi and Kwon Eun-seong as a mother and son navigating a catastrophic flood.
- The film presents itself initially as a post-apocalyptic disaster movie but shifts direction with a revelation about the mother’s occupation.
- The story concludes with an ambiguous twist, leaving viewers intrigued.
Netflix’s latest science fiction disaster film, The Great Flood, has sparked considerable interest among audiences.
The movie stars Kim Da-mi and Park Hae-soo in a gripping narrative centered around a massive flood that engulfs Seoul, South Korea. Amid the chaos, Gu An-na (played by Da-mi) struggles to find her son, Ja-in (Kwon Eun-seong).
According to Netflix’s description, the South Korean film portrays the last hopes of humanity as they attempt to survive within a flooding apartment building on what is deemed the last day of Earth.
However, as the narrative unfolds, it challenges the viewer’s perception of reality—transforming from a typical post-apocalyptic tale to a story that questions the very existence of humanity.
Here’s an overview of the film’s surprising conclusion and notable plot twists.
How did The Great Flood end?
Kim Da-mi as Gu An-na in ‘The Great Flood.’
Netflix
The Great Flood follows An-na as she embarks on a desperate quest to save her son from an overwhelming flood. During this perilous journey, she encounters security officer Hee-jo (played by Hae-soo), who explains that an asteroid impact in Antarctica caused the global flooding.
As the plot progresses, it is revealed that An-na is an artificial intelligence researcher at the Darwin Center. This organization focuses on the preservation of humanity through technology. Specifically, she leads the Emotion Engine project, aimed at equipping synthetic humans with authentic emotions, feelings, and thoughts.
She has been raising a synthetic child, Ja-in, in her quest to manifest genuine emotions akin to those of a biological mother. Their bond reflects the same depth of emotion and dedication found in real motherhood.
Hee-jo informs An-na that her colleague perished in the floods and that she is being rescued from the wreckage. Upon her helicopter rescue, An-na learns that the asteroid’s impact has inflicted global devastation. Hee-jo reveals that the Darwin Center has successfully developed advanced human bodies but lacks her emotional expertise for further advancements.
In a dramatic twist, it becomes clear that the original An-na died during rescue; her spaceship collided with asteroid debris post-evacuation. Before her demise, she requested that her memories be transferred to a synthetic body to sustain her work on human emotion in machines.
As the film unfolds, An-na’s experience is revealed as a virtual simulation orchestrated by AI, aimed at perfecting synthetic humanity’s emotional capabilities. Through this lens, she examines the profound emotional bond between a mother and her child, conducting tests to inform her research.
Was the flood real?
Kim Da-mi as Gu An-na in ‘The Great Flood.’
Netflix
The narrative begins with a catastrophic flood in South Korea triggered by an asteroid impact that melts ice sheets and raises global sea levels. As a result, various countries fall victim to the rising waters, placing Korea in imminent danger.
While the initial flood leading to An-na’s demise seems genuine, the catastrophic events depicted are part of numerous simulations designed to train the Emotion Engine.
What experiment does An-na create?
Kim Da-mi as Gu An-na in ‘The Great Flood.’
Jeong Kyung-hwa/Netflix
An-na’s journey involves reliving the experiment thousands of times to program a robot with accurate human emotions while also locating her son. She is dedicated to completing the Emotion Engine, an essential step toward creating synthetic humans capable of repopulating Earth.
This flood scenario evolves into a virtual simulation focusing on raw emotions, aiming to guide engineers in designing synthetic individuals that can genuinely experience feelings, such as a mother’s instinct to protect her child.
Over the years, An-na engages in this simulation repeatedly, learning different facets of her past and unlocking memories as she strives to find Ja-in. Each instance concludes with her rescue, but he remains missing.
In total, An-na spends 21,499 consecutive days—nearly 60 years—replaying the scenario, delving deeper into her memory as she navigates the emotional landscape of motherhood.
Does An-na rescue Ja-in?
Kim Da-mi as Gu An-na and Kwon Eun-seong as Ja-in in ‘The Great Flood.’
Netflix
In the film’s climax, An-na finally accesses a crucial memory and finds Ja-in hidden in a closet on the 30th floor, an instruction she had given him in the beginning. Only at this moment does she recall telling him to wait for her.
The final scene portrays An-na and Ja-in on a return journey to Earth in a rocket, observing that much of the planet is submerged in water, indicating their permanent connection to the remaining population.
Is An-na a human in the end?
Kim Da-mi as Gu An-na and Kwon Eun-seong as Ja-in in ‘The Great Flood.’
Netflix
Despite An-na and Ja-in’s reunion after her long journey, the film culminates with an unresolved question. The story leaves viewers pondering whether the An-na who returns to Earth with Ja-in is the original woman or a synthetic being created through persistent experimentation.
