Pratik Handore
Amazon Prime’s ‘Awareness’ is a Spanish-language science-fiction film directed by Daniel Benmayor. It stars Carlos Scholz alongside María Pedraza, Pedro Alonso, Lela Loren, and Óscar Jaenada. The action-thriller movie follows Ian, a psychic teenager on the run from a shady government organization, and a mysterious man with similar abilities. In his bid to survive these evil forces, Ian learns the truth about his past and the origins of his powers. As Ian finds himself caught up in a war between two factions, he must make an important choice that will define his fate. If you are looking for answers about Ian’s fate, here is everything you need to know about the ending of ‘Awareness.’ SPOILERS AHEAD!
Awareness Plot Synopsis
‘Awareness’ follows Ian, a teenager who can project illusions on people’s minds. Ian and his father, Vicente, use the former’s powers to commit petty crimes and make a living. However, Vicente prohibits Ian from committing big crimes and keeps him under strict rules. However, Ian soon grows frustrated with his father’s rules. When the father-son duo is caught shoplifting, Ian uses his powers on the police to free themselves. Later, Ian visits a gaming arcade where a mysterious organization abducts him. Meanwhile, another man known as the “Perceptor” pursues Ian and possesses similar powers.
The organization is revealed to be the Agency, and Ian is introduced to Dr. Adriana. Ian learns that he is a “Perceiver” and holds the power to project illusions and read people’s minds. The Agency is at war with a group of perceivers known as the Awareness. The Awareness is manipulative and influences the position of powers, while Adriana claims the Agency is benevolent. Ian learns to read minds at the Agency and discovers Vicent is not his father. An agent named Esther helps Ian escape the facility and cuts ties with Vicente after accusing the latter of kidnapping him as a child.
With Esther’s help, Ian hides from the Agency and the Awareness. He searches for answers about his true parentage and origins. Ian learns about Dr. Kmoniski, who conducted the experiments that gave the perceivers their powers. Ian and Esther travel to a remote lab in Warsaw, Poland, hoping to learn about Ian’s mother. Ian discovers a file at the abandoned laboratory containing his mother’s identity. Ian learns he is the son of Urszula Kominski, which triggers an old memory from his childhood depicting him playing with his mother. Meanwhile, the Perceptor finds Ian and claims to be his father.
The Perceptor explains that Esther had been working for him. The Perceptor and Urszula were part of a government program that aimed to make perfect spies. However, the Agency decommissioned and erased the perceivers after the Cold War. The Mule, a powerful perceiver, gathered the survivors and formed the Awareness to avenge their fallen comrades and fight the Agency. Ian also learns that the perceivers cannot bear children, but he is the first and only natural-born perceiver. Therefore, he is valuable to both the Awareness and the Agency as they want to use his blood to replicate the formula that created the perceivers. Unsure of whom to trust, Ian’s world collapses, and he must find answers independently.
Awareness Ending: Why Was Ian Kidnapped?
After revealing the truth to Ian, the Perceptor remains behind when the Agency attacks the group. Esther guides Ian to the Perceptor’s house, where he finally reunites with his mother despite the Agency telling him she died. On the other hand, the Perceptor is kidnapped by the Agency and experimented upon for the formula. However, when his blood is deemed unusable, the Perceptor escapes and reunites with his wife and son. Ian learns about the Perceptor’s true nature by reading his mother’s mind. He also learns that the formula is hidden inside the memory of his mother, which Urszula prevents the Perceptor from seeing.
In the process, Urszula is killed, and Ian distrusts the Perceptor. Meanwhile, the Agency attacks the house, but Ian unlocks a third ability to bend people’s will and kills the agents. Vicente arrives in time to stop the carnage, but Ian confronts him. Vicente tries to explain to Ian that the Perceptor is manipulating him, but the latter kills Vicente. Ian reads Vicente’s memories and learns his mother urged Vicente to protect Ian and keep him away from the conflict between the Agency and the Awareness, as both factions would try to use him for their gains. Thus, Ian finally learns that he was kidnapped as a child for his own safety, and Vicente truly loved him like a father. Moreover, Ian also sees his biological father’s true face, but the Perceptor escapes with Esther, setting the stage for the final showdown.
Is Esther Real? Does Ian Kill His Father?
During the film’s climax, Ian is forced to face his biological father when the latter kidnaps Esther. Over the film’s course, Ian grows close to Esther and develops a liking for her. He deems her the only trustworthy person amidst the chaos and manipulation of the Agency and the Awareness. The Perceptor holds Esther at gunpoint, and the latter demands he give up the formula to save her life. However, Adriana arrives on the scene and reveals that Esther is not real. Esther is an “implant,” a powerful projection created by his father to manipulate him.
Ultimately, Ian becomes sick of the Perceptor’s manipulations and shoots him, risking Esther’s life. However, when the bullet passes through Esther and hits the Perceptor, it becomes evident that Esther is not real. Thus, Ian kills his biological father as the latter’s pursuit of the formula is responsible for his mother’s death. While the Perceptor’s true motives are never revealed, it is implied he wants to avenge the dead perceivers and/or recreate them using the formula. Meanwhile, Ian’s mother wants him to avoid the conflict and gives up her life to protect the formula from the Perceptor. Therefore, it is evident to Ian that he must defeat his biological father, and he succeeds in doing so in the end.
What Happens to the Formula?
After the Agency learns of Ian’s whereabouts, his life is turned upside down. As Ian learns more about his past, he discovers that the Agency and the Awareness are after the formula in his blood that can recreate the perceivers. The entire fiasco results from the two factions desiring the formula for their own gain, and Ian loses Vicente while fighting them. Ultimately, Ian realizes that Vicente sacrificed much to protect and love him like a son. Therefore, Ian acknowledges Vicente as his true father. The same is signified when Ian and Esther open Vicente’s gift for Ian’s birthday.
Through his journey, Ian also learns that his mother never wanted him to become a pawn in the conflict between the Agency and the Awareness. Hence, he refuses to pick a side despite Adriana helping him in the final battle. Ian refuses to share the formula with the Agency and keeps it to himself. However, in the final scene, Adriana speaks with her associate, the American, and seems confident about manipulating Ian to get the formula. On the other hand, Ian sees through the rearview mirror, and she is talking to herself. Thus, the final scene implies that Adriana is also a perceiver and may have been playing Ian all along. As a result, the conflict is only starting, and Ian may have to face more obstacles in the future. However, for now, Ian can live the life he wishes for himself while honoring his dead mother and Vicente.
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