Sumith Prasad
Apple TV+’s romantic movie ‘Fingernails’ ends with Anna processing her feelings for her colleague Amir. Although she doubts that she loves her boyfriend Ryan anymore, the test they undergo at the Love Institute tells them that they do. While Ryan settles into the comfort of the confirmation, Anna seeks further clarity and goes to see Amir, only to confront the latter about his feelings for her. Although Amir admits to loving her, their life together seems only a possibility, especially with Ryan involved. Infuriated, Anna seeks answers to her questions and certainties in her life, which forms the science fiction film’s ambiguous ending! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Fingernails Plot Synopsis
‘Fingernails’ begins with Anna attending a job interview at a school. With remarkable experience, she nearly secures the position of a teacher and returns home to her boyfriend Ryan. While discussing her potential workplace, she receives a call from the Love Institute, a place where couples get tested whether they are really in love. Anna and Ryan got tested years back and they lead their life with a positive test result, which is unattainable for the majority of the couples who take the test. Anna learns about a position at the Institute, which intrigues her. Without telling her boyfriend, she attends the interview and gets the job at the place.
Anna lies to Ryan that she got a job at another elementary school and starts working at the Institute, which is headed by a scientist named Duncan. He explains to her that the machinery at the institute will give a 100% result if two people are in love with each other and a 50% result if only one of them is in love in a relationship, without a way of knowing who that person is in a couple. The 0% result reveals that none of the people in a relationship is in love with the other. Anna then works under Amir, who has designed several experiments to evaluate the couples who register at the place.
Amir’s experiments captivate Anna, who starts to contribute to the assignments given to their clients. She gets particularly attached to Rob and Sally, who believe that they are immensely in love with each other. Anna also learns that Amir is in a relationship with Natasha. She eventually confesses to Ryan about her job at the institute. He understands Anna and even attends a party thrown by Duncan with his partner. Anna meets Natasha at the party and is surprised to know that the latter doesn’t know that her boyfriend is gluten-intolerant. Meanwhile, two of Anna and Ryan’s friends take the test again, despite getting a positive result the first time, which makes the former consider the same.
Anna learns that Amir is not in a relationship after going to his apartment. Rob and Sally get into the last stage of their experiments, which is the testing of their fingernails. Both of their fingernails should be processed by the machine at the institute to get a positive result. Rob gets scared of extracting his fingernail. To make it clear that it is an easy process, Amir removes one of his nails. Rob then agrees to the extraction and the couple receives a positive test result. When Anna sees Amir’s one of Amir’s nails, she removes one of hers and tests both of them, only to get a 50% result.
Shocked by the result, Anna asks Duncan whether it is possible for one to love two different people, only for the scientist to say no. She then tries to convince Ryan to take a test with her again. Ryan isn’t convinced about the need for testing again but ends up agreeing to do the same for the sake of Anna.
Fingernails Ending: Do Anna and Amir End Up Together?
Anna gradually grows feelings for Amir ever since joining the Love Institute. His attention to detail and knowledge and awareness concerning the nuances of intimacy impress her enough to open her mind to him. Amir’s wisdom about love captivates Anna, only for her to eventually consider having unignorable feelings for him. Amir, on the other hand, hides his love for Anna and tries to be content with their companionship. He has tested several times and has to be satisfied with a negative result time after time. These results might have convinced him that he cannot build a relationship with someone.
When Anna eventually confronts Amir about his possible love for her, he realizes that he cannot hide anymore. He confesses to loving her and Anna makes it clear that she loves him as well. Amir, however, doesn’t get carried away since he knows that Ryan is still a significant presence in her life. Despite Anna’s love for Amir, she receives a positive test result with Ryan, which comes in the way of the duo’s budding relationship. But she isn’t ready to give up on them just because a machine hasn’t approved or validated their togetherness. Anna, without a doubt, reveals that she wants to spend her life with Amir.
Although Anna and Ryan’s relationship progresses without much turbulence, she feels lonely in the same. More than lovers, they have become two companions who share the same space. Amir, on the other hand, succeeds in igniting love in Anna. She feels the effect of his presence and feelings in her heart, which draws her to him despite her relationship with Ryan. Amir knows the depths of intimacy and every time he teaches his clients to immerse themselves in it, Anna yearns for the same. Even though Amir designed the experiments and tests for his clients, it is Anna who ends up on the receiving end of them without even participating in them formally.
Whenever Amir leads the couples who seek his guidance to the moving experience of love, Anna witnesses him enough to long for the same. That’s seemingly the reason why she desperately wants him in her life. When she decides to go to any lengths to be his partner, Amir ultimately yields to her. He promises Anna that he will be with her. Although there are challenges, including a negative result and Ryan, on their pathway, they are determined to end up together as a couple.
Does Anna Love Ryan? Will She Break Up with Him?
Anna’s “love” for Ryan is an enigma for herself. She takes the second test under the belief that the result will be negative, due to her feelings for Amir, only for the same to come out as positive. It may not be true to say that Anna doesn’t love Ryan. However, her love for him has grown mature and stale. It doesn’t get ignited by his presence or the things he does. Ryan, meanwhile, accepts this coldness as “routine” and becomes satisfied with the same. He doesn’t care whether their love for each other carries any intensity like his partner does, which makes the latter lonely in their relationship.
Anna must be loving Ryan as a companion without the heat of intensity and intimacy. Their relationship has a sense of stability and she must be valuing the same. But Amir’s fascinating presence makes her yearn for more than stability. She wishes to experience the warmth of burning love, which she isn’t receiving from Ryan. As far as Ryan is concerned, he is in a perfect relationship with Anna because a machine has confirmed the same not once but twice. He settles with the same confirmation and doesn’t do anything to reaffirm to his partner that he loves her. Under the excuse of “routine,” Ryan intentionally or unintentionally hides his inability to make Anna feel loved.
Therefore, Anna and Ryan’s break up is most likely an inevitability. Since Amir promises her that he will be with her, she may ignore the second test result and get separated from Ryan. He may understand that it is his responsibility to make his partner feel loved rather than the confirmation of a machine that tests love.
Why Does Anna Remove Her Fingernails?
Even though Anna unites with Amir, the uncertainty concerning their togetherness infuriates her, only for her to remove her fingernails. Anna does the same to “remove” herself from the machine that tests and confirms love. She must be blaming the machine for not identifying her love for Amir and confirming her relationship with Ryan. The two occurrences stop her from getting together with Amir unconditionally. Thus, she removes her fingernails seemingly to separate herself from the machine that tests love using the same. She may not want the machine to tell her that she doesn’t love Amir again after testing her nails.
Anna must believe in the mystery of love, which most likely won’t be identified and decoded by a machine. She may not want the machine’s inability to make her oneness with Amir inferior since they don’t get a positive result. Anna may only want to love Amir with all her heart without the need for a test defining and approving the same. Since her nails are essential to taking a test, by removing them, she is becoming independent enough to love Amir. After seeing Anna’s actions, Amir becomes convinced about her wish to be with him, which helps him promise her his love and presence without worrying about the negative result.
Read More: Where Was Fingernails Filmed?
