Desire Ending Explained: Who Killed Matias? Why?

Helmed by Teresa Simone, Netflix’s ‘Desire,’ also known as ‘Deseo,’ tells the story of Lucero Cortina, a wealthy lawyer who, bored with an ordinary marriage, has a steamy affair with her daughter’s swimming instructor, Matias. What starts as a simple curiosity about passion quickly gives way to an obsessive dynamic, one where no thrill seems enough for either partners. However, things get troublesome when Lucero’s daughter, Viviana, also develops feelings for Matias, and a love triangle is unintentionally brought to the fold. By the end of this Spanish-language erotic drama film, the affair turns into a complex web of interpersonal dynamics, where everything is at risk of unraveling at any given point. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Desire Plot Synopsis

‘Desire’ begins with Lucero and Fernando Cortina celebrating 20 years of their wedding at Club Lomas, their prized possession. Behind closed doors, however, the couple doesn’t seem to have much passion left in them. At one point, Lucero contemplates whether she should be in a polyamorous marriage to spice things up, but the discussion hardly goes anywhere. The following day, Lucero brings up the topic to her colleague, who reveals that he’s been cheating on his wife, which only adds fuel to her imagination. Later, Lucero and Fernando catch up to their daughter, Viviana’s swimming lessons, where they meet the new coach, Matias. Charming and obviously talented, he soon catches the attention of the entire family, especially when Viviana asks for private lessons with him to improve her skills.

With Matias being assigned as Viviana’s instructor, Lucero begins spending more time with him, be it through discreet swimming sessions together or by giving him a ride home. Before long, it becomes apparent that they are interested in each other, and a steamy sexual relationship begins. As it turns out, Matias almost made it to the Olympics, but a career-ending injury crushed all those hopes. His time with Lucero becomes the only moment both characters can release their deepest frustrations, as Fernando seemingly remains clueless. Moreover, unbeknownst to the Cortinas, Viviana develops feelings for Matias as well and is left dejected when he turns her down. Meanwhile, the Cortinas’ son, Julian, spies on his father watching a recording, clueless as to what it means.

Gradually, Matias begins to fall in love with Lucero, but the feelings aren’t reciprocated. When her rival lawyers at the law firm discover that she’s having an affair, they try to pressure her into dropping a major case, which in turn prompts her to sever connections with Matias entirely. However, he then reveals that he was actually paid by Fernando to pretend to have an affair with her, and had been recording their sexual escapades and sending them to him. After falling in love with her and being rejected, Matias becomes increasingly desperate, going as far as to start a relationship with Viviana for the sole purpose of staying close to Lucero. When she and Fernando get to know what is happening, however, they realize that things have gone too far.

Desire Ending Explained: Who Killed Matias? Why?

At the end of ‘Desire,’ we learn that the killer of Matias is none other than Lucero, who acts to protect her daughter from a worse fate. Though the mystery of Matias’ death is kept hanging in the air until the very last minute, we briefly get plot beats that seem to vaguely be building up to the event. Eventually, we catch up to the night of the murder itself, when Fernando and Lucero come to the mutual realization that some truly drastic steps might be needed to protect Matias from preying on their daughter. While Lucero’s affair is already the reason for much hostility in the family, the threat posed to Viviana takes precedence in her parents’ eyes. The plan plays out on two levels, with Fernando creating the first misdirection, one that even tricks the audience for a moment, before Lucero returns for the killing blow.

After getting beaten up, Matias realizes that he is severely out of his depth in this fight, and comes forward with a peace offering to Lucero when she steps into the pool. In return for completely exiting their lives, he asks them not to harm or affect his life in the future, but this isn’t necessarily a gamble that Lucero is willing to make. After confirming that the cameras have been disabled, she strips and steps into the pool, almost as if inviting Matias to resume their sexual relationship. Matias, ever-so-controlled by his lust and other vices, follows her into the waters without a second thought, despite being too weak to actually even swim. As he stumbles and gasps for breath at the deep end, Lucero uses all of her might to push his head down the water, killing him slowly, but certainly.

The fact that Lucero shoves Matias into the water instead of choking him is important, as it largely rules out any chances of foul play. When his body is discovered the following day, the police rule this to be a case of suicide, considering his injuries at the moment. The information about him being a drug addict also spreads like wildfire, making suicide an easier explanation for authorities to believe. As the two storylines of the film intersect in this moment, our entire outlook on Lucero and Fernando is flipped on its head. Fittingly, the final scene of the film is the two of them having passionate sex, complicit in the murder of a common enemy. The scene effectively becomes their moment of catharsis, as they purge whatever enmity that had taken root in this brief time, and revel in what is now their deepest secret.

Will Julian Talk to the Police?

While Lucero and Fernando seem fairly confident in their ability to live with a lie, the same cannot be said about the third accomplice, Julian. Through a series of broken-up sequences, we learn that he was made a part of the murder plan and tasked with taking his sister away to safety as his parents finished the job. While not an active criminal, the fact that he passively contributes to a murder slowly begins to eat at his psyche, especially when he sees the morning news. Matias’ murder is declared a suicide, which means that the case is most likely to wrap up soon, and the real killer is about to escape scot-free. Thus, a choice awaits Julian: either to keep quiet or to tell the police everything he knows, and even as the credits roll, we aren’t made privy to what he ultimately does.

All throughout ‘Desire,’ Julian is presented as the most suspicious member of the family, be it via ominous shot compositions or the moments where he pulls off eccentric card tricks or listens to eerie music. All of these scenes, however, are ultimately revealed to be a red herring, where our suspiciousness colors what are most likely ordinary moments of a child being a child. In this story, it is the adults who consistently create a mess without thinking about the consequences and manipulate everyone else for personal benefit, especially the minors. At the end, Julian is made into a pawn for his family, forced to lie about the truth to ensure that the bonds he has come to depend on remain as they are.

Though Julian is unlikely to tell on his parents, the psychological effect of this lie is already visible, and might just force him to change his mind sooner rather than later. In such a scenario, Julian might go to the court or the police to testify as to what actually happened, and perhaps even secure some degree of immunity for himself and his sister. However, doing so risks turning him into the person who destroyed a seemingly happy family, and that in and of itself is an immense burden, as well as a tool for control. While Lucero and Fernando claim to be acting in the best interest of their children above all, their actions only seem to bring more harm to Viviana and Julian’s lives, which just about sums up the larger message this film is conveying about the cycle of abuse.

Does Viviana Know the Truth?

Within the Cortina family, Viviana appears to be the only one who doesn’t know the truth about how Matias died, and that doesn’t change even in the final moments. From her own memories of the night, she can map out the possibility that Matias sought drugs to feel better, but later took his own life in desperation, and while this is somewhat believable, someone with her insight into the situation might know better. To begin with, she watches her own parents walk into the club as Julian drives away, which makes it way too suspicious for Viviana to not even consider the possibility. The fact that her parents also completely deny that the fight happened, or that they were ever present at the scene, also makes it quite easy for her to put two and two together. However, the reason she probably knows but still decides to keep quiet is something else.

While the police don’t find evidence of foul play, the attack before Matias’ death, as well as his connection to Viviana in general, makes the police sufficiently curious to call her in. Though Lucero and Fernando are able to bring her back without much trouble, the fear of being arrested for murder likely still looms over her shoulder. Keeping mum about the case is in her best interest as well, as it not only protects the family as a whole but also protects her from the cops in the long run. While it is true that a part of her genuinely loved Matias, the dynamic shifts after she recognizes him to be an opportunist. In a way, she is also put in a similar position as her brother, where the adults on both sides of the equation are evidently problematic, but still manage to dump their most nefarious actions onto the younger generation.

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