Vague Visages’ Another End review contains minor spoilers. Piero Messina’s 2024 movie on Amazon and Apple features Gael García Bernal, Renate Reinsve and Bérénice Bejo. Check out the VV home page for more film criticism, movie reviews and film essays.

Another End, directed by Italian filmmaker Piero Messina, features a brilliant cast but fails with its narrative execution. In a futuristic city, a company named Aeternum uses AI technology to help people have final conversations with loved ones who passed away. Gael García Bernal stars as Sal, a man struggling with depression after the death of his girlfriend, Zoe. Bérénice Bejo co-stars as Ebe, the protagonist’s sister and an Aeternum employee. The film’s script — co-written by Messina alongside Giacomo Bendotti, Valentina Gaddi and Sebastiano Melloni — seems like it was designed to support the technological aspects and a final act twist, rather than helping the audience understand the main players beyond all their sorrow.

The world of Another End is indeed quite dark, both figuratively and literally. The 119-minute sci-fi drama opens with a finely directed body bag sequence that establishes the overall tone and mood of the film, while a series of skyline shots further inform viewers about the protagonists’ perspectives. For example, Sal frequently looks out a window from his apartment, like someone trapped during the COVID-19 pandemic; a troubled individual who can’t find the sun through grey clouds. Messina and company reveal little about the sibling protagonists, thus forcing viewers to pay special attention to the nuts and bolts of Aeternum’s technology, specifically how human hosts process memories of the deceased. And this is where Another End loses its way, as the principal ideas become muddled and unconvincing. Sal begins his Aeternum experience by communicating with a version of his late girlfriend through a host — a traumatized exotic dancer named Ava (Renate Reinsve), who searches for an escape from her own problems, and looks nothing like Zoe (presumably). It’s an interesting idea on paper but feels a bit strange in Another End.

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It’s enjoyable to watch Bernal and Reinsve do their thing in Another End, yet there’s not much on-chemistry or fireworks, primarily due to the slow place of the film and the steady tech talk. Some visual metaphors complement Sal’s changing demeanor as he communicates with Ava/Sal; however, it’s difficult to understand his motivations beyond clinging to the past. In contrast, Bernal’s scenes with Bejo’s Ebe feel entirely convincing, and Messina adds an extra layer of drama when the former character wants to extend his Aeternum experience and his sister subsequently loses her job by breaking company rules. And while Olivia Williams delivers a fine supporting performance as a grieving mother/wife named Juliette, Another End peaks whenever Bejo appears on screen as a woman desperate to find a sense of a closure, or rather a feeling of inner peace while supporting Sal.

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In sci-fi cinema, I’m all about filmmakers who take risks and don’t play by conventional rules. With that said, many aspects of Another End feel underdeveloped and/or unpolished. Since there’s so much going on with the Aeternum process, the character relationship dynamics should arguably be somewhat straightforward for the sake of a smooth viewing experience. But the Zoe/Ava host element simply didn’t resonant with me during a first viewing, as Messina and his three (!) co-writers had the difficult task of balancing both a major character backstory and the personality of Sal’s deceased girlfriend. There’s plenty of heart to be found within Another End, but the clunky handling of a climactic twist sadly feels emotionally and philosophically empty.

Another End released theatrically and digitally on September 19, 2025 via Sunrise Films.

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Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor. Thank you for reading film criticism, movie reviews and film essays at Vague Visages.