Aahana Swrup
Netflix’s ‘The Murderer’ is a Thai satirical dark comedy film directed by Wisit Sasanatieng that follows a police investigation of a deadly night. Following Earl Cunningham, Sai’s English husband, the film depicts the couple’s trip to Sai’s remote family home deep in an Isan village in Thailand. Upon the heels of the pair’s arrival, the looming threat of a disastrous storm takes over the night. However, as the night passes, it leaves behind a string of grueling murders and a bloodied Earl Cunningham. As the police, headed by Inspector Nawat Banluecha, investigates the seemingly straightforward murders, Sai, the sole eye-witness to the event, stands between Earl’s freedom and conviction.
The film alternates between the present and various survivors’ statements chronicling the night before. In doing so, the film builds up to the suspenseful secret behind the details of the blood and gore-filled night. If you’re curious to learn what led to the numerous death and their effect on Sai and her husband’s future, here is everything you need to know about the ending of ‘The Murderer.’ SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Murderer Plot Synopsis
The news reports on the deaths of seven individuals at Boonluck’s farmhouse in the Bung Klua district of Roi Et the morning after a menacing storm passes. Most of Boonluck’s family, including his sister-in-law, Parsuree; ex-son-in-law Phet; son Kai, his ex-wife, Tukta, and her second husband, Charlie, make up the victim list alongside one police officer. Police Major Nawat Banluecha, also known as The Hot-headed Crime-buster, is the lead inspector on the case and has already caught the lead suspect: Boonluck’s English son-in-law, Earl Cunningham.
Nevertheless, Earl’s wife, Sai, the other survivor and the primary eye-witness in the case, refuses to believe her husband would ever do such a thing. Likewise, when Nawat brings in another survivor, young June, Kai’s daughter, for questioning, she also states her firm belief that Earl didn’t hurt her family. As Nawat goes around questioning Sai, Earl, and June, he tries to piece together the entire night and figure out who is behind Boonluck and his family’s murder.
Flashback to the past, when Sai and Earl arrive at her parent’s place, Earl brings slabs of wood to board up the house for protection against the promised storm. The pair also bumps into June’s mother and Kai’s ex, Tukta, who is now married to Charlie, an American man. Although Tukta abandoned June when she was young, she now wants to be a part of her life and is trying to gain full custody of her in court. Kai is a deadbeat father, and June lives under the passively exploitative care of her grandparents.
June’s grandparents, Jan and Boonluck, are generally unpleasant people who despise Earl and endlessly criticize Sai for not marrying a richer foreigner or “farang,” as they call him. After a tense dinner, to which Sai’s ex-husband and Kai’s close friend, Phet, is invited, the family retires for the night. However, as the storm nears, the electricity goes out. As a result, Earl goes out to check things out, leaving Sai in the room alone.
Shortly after, Sai overhears the noises of Kai and Phet dissuading Earl from killing them but also sees her brother’s pickup truck drive away into the night. When Earl returns to their room, he is shaken and covered in blood. Soon, the night dissolves into chaos after Boonluck accuses Earl of killing his son, and Parsuree falls to her death from Earl’s bedroom. Although the family discovers that Kai and Phet are both alive, plagued by their prejudice, they suspect Earl of harming June after the two disappear from the house.
Earl and Sai recount their own versions of the night, both deficit in details and answers. After Parsuree’s death, the family splits to find Earl. Meanwhile, Earl, who had wandered out of the house, wakes up in a ditch and finds Phet’s dead body beside him, overrun by Kai’s truck. Soon, Earl also runs into Kai, who, according to Earl, shoots himself with his gun. Meanwhile, Sai shares her own inadequate memories with Nawat, leading up to when she finds Tukta and Charlie’s bodies in her parent’s house impaled by a rake.
Although Nawat holds his own assumptions about the case and strongly believes Earl has committed the murders, the latter presents a different story, in which a disoriented Earl kept finding dead bodies after the fact. Alternatively, Sai also stays firm in her belief that Earl didn’t kill her family. Still, Sai’s faith falters after learning about the life insurance papers that Earl supposedly took out on Sai. At the very end, Nawat finally finds a solid lead after realizing June may have all the answers he wants.
The Murderer Ending: Who is The Murderer?
Throughout the film, the identity behind the murderer responsible for the seven deaths remains the most significant question that plagues the characters and the murder mystery-esque narrative. However, as the plot progresses, we realize there was never a murderer— or at least a single one. Even though the night results in a mass murder that leads to generalized speculation, the truth reveals itself to be a series of absurd “comedy of error” events.
Shortly after the family dinner, Sai and Earl give June the present they had brought for her: a smartphone. As such, after the power outage when the family assumes Earl has taken June, the latter is, in fact, roaming around outside to film videos on her new device. Armed with her phone, June manages to record several of the events missing from Sai’s statements.
After Earl comes out to check on the electricity, he finds a loose wooden plank that he had used to board the house. While he fixes the same, Phet and Kai drunkenly joke around, asking Earl not to kill them with the hammer. Boonluck, who is outside, sees a distorted shadow of Earl fixing the window near Phet and Kai, which leads him to believe Earl is killing his son.
Instead, Earl accidentally breaks the window, and a shard lodges in his head, which results in copious bleeding. The injury also explains the various blackouts Earl experiences. Likewise, June also witnesses Parsuree and Phet dying accidental respective deaths while Earl happens to be passed out nearby. Kai, who tries to drunkenly attack Earl after learning about Phet’s death, really does commit suicide since he believes his gun is empty, not knowing Phet loaded it moments ago.
After learning the truth behind the different deaths and their haphazard disconnect, Nawat realizes he has been looking at the case all wrong, influenced by his preconceived notions. Therefore, in the end, Nawat believes Earl about the rest of the deaths. Late in the night, Tukta and Charlie arrive at the farmhouse after hearing about the murders. Charlie accidentally spooks Boonluck, who runs him through a rake, and kills Tukta after she witnesses the event.
Afterward, a cop arrives on the scene and realizes Boonluck is behind Charlie and Tukta’s murder. Due to the same, Jan kills the cop and gets injured herself. Earl and Sai both get knocked out during this altercation, and Boonluck seizes the opportunity, depositing the gun in Earl’s hands to manipulate the crime scene. Shortly after, Boonluck dies of a heart attack. Ultimately, there was no murderer. Instead, it was simply a string of accidents fueled by Sai’s family’s hysterical suspicion of Earl.
How Is June Connected to The Murders?
After Nawat sets Earl and Sai free, realizing Earl is innocent, he has one last question for June. At the farmhouse, the police find a bagful of Psilocybin Mushrooms, more commonly known as “magic mushrooms.” Nawat confirms that the mushrooms were not a part of June’s shopping list when she had gone grocery shopping early on the day of the deaths. However, a more menacing truth is revealed as June exits the station, free to live with her aunt and uncle.
Hours before the deadly night, Sai takes June to play with Jamie, Charlie’s son, and Tukta’s stepson. Sai and Jamie are both disliked by their peers at school. As a result, the two kids gravitate toward each other and remain best friends. While playing around, the kids come across Charlie’s “farm,” where he grows marijuana and magic mushrooms. After the kids consume some of the mushrooms, June takes a handful back home, knowing they have a loopy effect on people.
Since June’s father, Kai, is a deadbeat and she doesn’t like her mother, her living conditions are worse for wear. Earlier, Sai used to look after June, but after she left, Jan and Boonluck started mistreating June and using her as their in-house helper. June walks to the market to buy food and cleans around the house, and also overhears her grandparents discussing their intention to give June up to Tukta.
Sai and Earl seem to be the only people who genuinely care about June. Nevertheless, Kai is June’s father, so the kid must stay in the village and can’t leave with Sai for Bangkok. As such, while the dinner cooks, June adds a bunch of chopped-up mushrooms inside the dish to drug her family. Earl, who isn’t used to this particular cuisine, skips the dish. Meanwhile, the others, excluding Sai and June, gorge on the drugged-up food.
Therefore, the entire family is on edge and acts increasingly paranoid throughout the night. Their dislike of Earl magnifies into hatred, making them believe the man must be out to kill them all. Likewise, Parsuree’s hallucination and Boonluck’s heart attack are a result of the same. June intentionally mixes drugs into her family’s food to escape their clutches.
By now, Sai has also learned that the insurance papers were forged, thanks to June’s recording of Kai discussing the same. More importantly, Sai has faith in Earl and knows he doesn’t have it in him to commit such horrendous crimes. Therefore, the couple reunites, finding comfort in each other after the traumatic event. In the end, June gets her happy ending and leaves with Earl and Sai, alongside Jamie.
