Sumith Prasad
Netflix’s thriller drama film ‘Rest in Peace’ ends with the life of the protagonist Sergio Dayán hanging by a thread after a confrontation with his former wife Estela and her new partner Hugo Brenner. Sergio returns to Argentina from Paraguay to reunite with his family, especially after seeing the images of his children through Facebook. His return, however, doesn’t go as planned as he learns that Brenner, who threatened to hurt him and his family before he faked his death, had replaced him. Sergio’s effort to seek vengeance paves the way for a series of undesirable consequences for the man who sacrifices everything for his loved ones! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Rest in Peace Plot Synopsis
‘Rest in Peace’ begins with Sergio and Estela celebrating the birthday of their daughter Florencia. At the party, he spots a man and feels unwell. Estela asks him what’s going on in his life that she doesn’t know, only for him to reveal that he is in immense debt. Sergio’s business isn’t doing well and the money he lent from a financer named Hugo Brenner is unsettling him. At the factory, his workers demand the money he owes them. Helplessly, Sergio decides to sell his country house to calm down the people who have been demanding money from him, mainly Brenner. He meets the financer to ask for more time to repay the debt but the latter clarifies that the former only has a week left.
Brenner also informs Sergio that he wouldn’t mind hurting the businessman’s family if it turns out to be necessary for him to get his money back. One of the financer’s men even drops a package of Estela and the children’s photographs to convince Sergio that the threat isn’t meaningless. While he deals with Brenner, Estela is asked by Florencia’s principal to pay the pending tuition fees of the girl. Sergio sells the country house and leaves for Brenner’s office to give him a part of the money he had to pay back to calm the latter’s nerves. As he walks to the office, an explosion stuns the city of Buenos Aires and kills several people.
The authorities find Sergio’s bag at the site of the explosion, which makes them conclude that he died. Estela initially waits for the body of her husband to accept that her partner is no more but eventually, she prioritizes the insurance money. Meanwhile, Sergio is saved but he decides against returning to his family. For his loved ones to get the insurance payout, he elopes to Paraguay and lives under a new name, Nicolás. Estela settles her husband’s debts and meets Brenner, who doesn’t want the money Sergio owed from the latter’s wife. The financer is mourning the death of his sister, who also died due to the explosion.
Brenner and Estela remain connected. The former welcomes Florencia and Mati with a warm heart, which allows Estela to form a family with him. As Nicolás, Sergio continues to live in Paraguay. When his boss dies, the Argentinian becomes the lover of the former’s wife. His life takes a turn when someone recognizes him, which makes him return to his past. He goes through Florencia and Mati’s images on Facebook, which affects him severely. He returns to Argentina seemingly to find out whether he can reunite with his loved ones, only to see Brenner as the new father of his children.
Rest in Peace Ending: Is Sergio Dead?
When Sergio realizes that Brenner, the same man who threatened to hurt him and his loved ones, has replaced him in his family, he sets out to kill the financer. At the wedding party of Florencia, he targets Brenner but his plan to kill the latter comes to a halt when Mati shows up to talk to his new dad. Sergio fails to kill Brenner in front of his son, who cares for his target dearly. When he leaves the party venue, Sergio may not have any intention of killing Brenner as well. However, Sergio’s fate gets rewritten when Estela realizes that the former is alive and back.
Even though Sergio tries to leave the venue without letting everyone realize who he is, Estela chases him and it doesn’t take long for her to understand that the man in front of her is none other than her former husband. Sergio must have changed his mind when Estela recognized him. He may have started thinking about reuniting with his family and such a thought must have convinced him to eliminate Brenner and earn his place in his family back. Sergio points his gun at Brenner, only for the latter to shoot the former first. After getting shot multiple times, Sergio collapses. His unclear vision of Florencia celebrating her birthday with the necklace he gifted her indicates that his consciousness is slowly shutting down.
Since Brenner shoots at Sergio multiple times, it is unlikely that the latter will survive. He may die slowly in the arms of Estela and his vision can be seen as his last thoughts. As an old man, Sergio isn’t in the best shape to fight to stay alive. Since Brenner’s shots don’t seem to have targeted Sergio’s vital organs, there can be a small window of hope for him. If Estela can manage to call for medical assistance soon enough, the professionals may find a way to give Sergio a fighting chance to not die. However, the title of the film suggests that Sergio is most likely going to “rest in peace.”
Sergio sets out to shoot Brenner after seeing the gun in the former’s hand. He is wise enough to know that the financer may retaliate by shooting him as well. Therefore, Sergio may have been aware of what could happen to him. He must have decided to embrace death if that’s what waiting for him without any hesitation. After seeing Brenner being a responsible father and partner, Sergio must have realized that he could now die without any concerns. He may not want to destroy his family’s happiness by showing up empty-handed after years. Since Estela recognizes him, he cannot just disappear once again without his loved ones trying to track him down.
After running and hiding for a long while, Sergio may have decided that it was time for him to rest for good. That can be why he puts his life on the line and provokes Brenner to kill him. If the financer hadn’t killed Sergio, the latter may have taken it as a sign and eliminated the former to live with his family.
Why Didn’t Sergio Reunite With His Family?
When Sergio returns to his family in Argentina, he seemingly wants to reunite with him. After seeing Florencia and Mati’s images, his yearning to see his children and be their father conquers his senses. The video of Florencia, in which she lovingly remembers her father, further convinces him to return to his family. Sergio must have hoped that he could just walk into their home and be Estela’s husband and their children’s father without any intricacies. Upon learning about Florencia’s wedding, he gets a suit and goes to the church to see his daughter.
Sergio may have thought that his presence would turn out to be his wedding gift for Florencia. What he hasn’t expected for years is someone replacing him among his loved ones. He sees Brenner walking Florencia down the aisle instead of him, which makes him understand that his children have a new father. When his rage evaporates from him, Sergio may have realized that the former is a much better father and husband when compared to him. Florencia and Mati’s joy and love for the financer make it clear that he has been good to them.
Sergio, on the other hand, is someone who disappeared when his family was in severe trouble. Even though he vanished for the good of his loved ones, the trouble he caused for them can’t be erased by his reappearance. The guilt of abandoning them may have also convinced Sergio to step away from the lives of his former wife and children. He returns to their lives without any fortunes and he may not be feeling confident enough that he can take care of them without any difficulties. Sergio seemingly accepts his family’s belief that he died and he may not want his loved ones to start hating him for not returning to them despite staying alive.
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