Pratik Handore
‘Supercell’ is a disaster action film directed by Herbert James Winterstern in his feature film directorial debut. The film follows William Brody, the son of a seasoned and legendary storm chaser, Bill Brody who died during a violent storm. However, William is determined to follow in his father’s footsteps and emulate his career as a stormchaser despite the profession’s dangers. The ending of ‘Supercell’ answers questions about whether William succeeds in his quest and highlights his growth as a person while chasing a seemingly impossible dream. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Supercell Plot Synopsis
‘Supercell’ opens with Billy Brody, a legendary and well-respected storm chaser teaching his son, William, about thunderstorms. Soon after, Billy chases after a dangerous storm. Bill’s wife, Quinn, attempts to drive him away from the danger, but his passion for storms leads him straight into trouble. Bill dies in the violent storm, leaving Quinn heartbroken. However, Bill’s son, William, inherits his father’s passion for the risky profession of storm chasing. A few years later, William grows up to be a teenager and is routinely invested in learning more about storms.
One day, William discovers a device made by his father that allows a person to hear a storm’s breath. At school, William climbs on the rooftop when a storm approaches and puts the device to the test. However, when his mother learns of his activities, she is enraged at William. Quinn tries to keep William away from the activity that killed her husband and forbids her son from chasing and studying storms like his father. However, after receiving a letter from his father and his journal containing research on tornados, William escapes from home to follow in Bill’s footsteps.
William tracks down the letter’s sender and meets his uncle, Roy, who works as a storm guide for a tourist company owned by Zane, a reputed storm chaser. Roy reveals that William’s father once owned the company Brody Storm Tours. However, after Bill died chasing a storm, the company went bankrupt and was purchased by Zane, who rebranded it as Brody Storm Tours. Zane and Roy teach William about chasing storms and the downsides of the profession.
Zane also reveals a rare and super powerful storm called “Supercell” is approaching. As a result, William becomes determined to emulate his father by trying to hear the storm’s breath. On the other hand, Quinn learns of William’s disappearance and searches for him, trying to bring him home. In the process, Quinn meets Harper, William’s best friend, who is also worried for William’s wellbeing. As a result, Quinn and Harper team up to find William before it is too late, and he suffers the same fate as his father. Whether William succeeds in following in his father’s footsteps by overcoming the challenges of professional storm-chasing forms the rest of the plot.
Supercell Ending: Does William Find the Supercell?
In the film, William learns about the several facets of professional storm chasing in a bid to emulate his father. Bill believed that storms are a phenomenon that is beyond science, and they are very much like humans. Bill created a device to hear a storm breathe but died before he could get it working. Thus, William wants to fulfill his father’s dream by using the device to hear the breathing of a rare storm called “supercell.” According to Zane, a supercell is a special kind of storm that can rotate the rain out, resulting in a continuous chain of inhalation and exhalation. In the film’s final act, William chases after the supercell with Zane’s help as the latter guides two tourists through the incoming storm.
Ultimately, Zane and William find themselves close enough to the storm, and William succeeds in hearing it breathe. However, William soon realizes the group has gotten too close to the storm, which quickly escalates, threatening everyone’s life. As a result, Zane tries to steer the group away from the danger, but the van fails to start. Therefore, Zane sacrifices himself to ensure the others survive by stepping out to help start the van. Meanwhile, William takes the wheel and steers everyone to safety.
Eventually, William succeeds in escaping the storm’s wrath, finally resonating with Roy’s words. Ultimately, William realizes a storm cannot be understood through science alone. Therefore, William relies on everything he learned from his father, uncle, and Zane to escape the dangerous situation while learning to admire the grandeur and spectacle of the phenomena known as storms that transcend the basic laws of science and human understanding. William succeeds in finding the supercell and listens to it breathing, fulfilling his father’s dream, but also develops an understanding of the dangers of storm chasing and his father’s philosophy that motivated him to become a storm chaser.
Does Quinn Find William? William and Harper End Up Together?
Throughout the movie, William’s mother, Quinn, searches for him when he leaves the house to become a storm chaser. Initially, Quinn is skeptical of William following in his father’s footsteps. However, after she meets Harper, we learn how the tragedy of losing Bill has shaped Quinn and her beliefs. Despite harboring a passion for studying storms herself, Quinn knew that Bill had developed a dangerous addiction to the experience’s thrill, seemingly leading him to his death. Quinn does not want William to go down a similar path.
Moreover, Quinn also tells Harper that she could have helped Bill take more precautions and saved his life but failed. Thus, Quinn echoes the same sentiments that a storm, despite humans trying to put laws of science on it, is an extremely unpredictable and fragile phenomenon. However, when William’s life is in danger, Quinn and Harper both venture into the storm to save him.
Ultimately, Quinn finds William with Harper’s help. However, the group is forced to deal with the storm’s brutal nature. Quinn, Roy, Harper, and William work together to save others and themselves from the storm, which eventually passes. In the aftermath, William and Quinn reconcile while William kisses Harper, implying the start of a romantic relationship between them. Throughout the film, Harper makes it abundantly clear that she has feelings for William, and the life-changing experience of getting caught up in the storm brings the teenagers closer, resulting in William confirming his romantic feelings for Harper with the kiss.
Does William Become a Storm Chaser?
The film’s final moments see William coming together with his mother and uncle as the group observes the storm’s aftermath. In his journey, William learns a lot about storm chasing and becomes closer to his father by fulfilling the latter’s dream. The experience also helps Williams assess and confront the dangers of being a professional stormchaser. In contrast, the journey of finding her son helps Quinn rediscover her passion for studying storms and overcome the fear of losing William like she lost Bill. As a result, the ending strongly implies that Quinn will no longer forbid William from becoming a professional stormchaser like Bill. Moreover, William learns a great deal about the nature of storms, the profession, and his father to decide his future, and given his actions over the film, it is safe to say that he chooses to honor his father’s legacy by becoming a storm chaser. Thus, the film ends on an uplifting note as William finally achieves his goal of emulating his father.
Read More: Is Supercell Based on a True Story?
