Aahana Swrup
‘Wingwomen,’ Netflix’s French action-filled comedy heist film with a female-centric cast, follows the story of Carole and Alex, two highly skilled thieves who routinely steal valuable items. Although exceptionally gifted in their field, both women realize they are due for retirement from their dangerous lives. Nonetheless, escaping from under their employer, The Godmother’s hold turns out to be more difficult than either woman thought. As such, compelled to carry out yet another robbery, Carole and Alex recruit a new member, Sam, a skilled race car driver but amateur criminal.
Together, the trio plans an art heist unlike any they’ve done before. While the film comes to a natural conclusion, with enough twists near the end to keep the viewers engaged, it leaves one crucial question ambiguously unanswered.
What Were Carole’s Motives Behind Lying To Alex About Her Death?
Throughout the film, Carole and Alex’s relationship becomes a significant foundation of the story, with their lifelong friendship providing satisfactory arcs for each individual’s character. Furthermore, since their relationship takes center stage instead of any romantic plotline, viewers are bound to become invested in their connection.
Although Carole has been considering retiring from her deadly line of work for a long time, she only becomes steadfast in her decision once she discovers her unexpected pregnancy. Since her thieving ways would provide no sustainable life for a child, Carole decides she wants out for good once she makes the decision to keep the baby. Shortly after, she also shares the news with Alex and Sam, whom she grows closer to during the lead-up to their heist.
While both Alex and Sam are excited about the new future addition to their found family, Alex, who has known Carole for years, has a stronger investment and plans on co-parenting the kid beside her best friend. Interactions like these cement the strong bond Carole and Alex share, allowing a peek into their lives wherein they have found domestic satisfaction within their close platonic relationship.
For the same reason, Carole’s ultimate decision comes as a shock. After successfully pulling off the heist and still failing to convince The Godmother to dissolve their contract, Carole takes a bold measure in an attempt to earn her freedom through force. The Godmother, Carole’s former mission partner, is vehemently possessive of the other woman and her beneficial skill set. Therefore, once it becomes clear that she won’t be letting Carole leave her organization during the hand-off, the woman signals Alex, who’s perched as the sniper across the street, to kill The Godmother.
However, assassinating such an important figure comes with its own set of problems, as it results in the building flooding with The Godmother’s goons, armed to the teeth. In comparison, Carole only has one sniper, her best friend, to watch her back. Ultimately, Carole realizes there’s no way through and says her final goodbyes to Alex over the comms, encouraging her to pursue a bright future for herself.
After the disastrously emotional end, Alex manages to escape from the scene with Sam’s help. Fast forward to three years later, Alex lives on an isolated farm alone, having forsaken her guns ever since she failed to save Carole with them. Yet, she’s in for a surprise when Sam shows up on her doorstep and takes her to another cottage, where a blonde three-year-old toddler waits for Alex alongside Carole, who’s still alive.
The two best friends reunite in happy tears, but the question about Carole’s decision to keep her fake death a secret from Alex hangs in the air. Although the narrative never explicitly states the reason behind it, we can conclude a possible answer through whatever little bits and pieces we know about The Godmother and her unnamed organization. Previously, when Carole had expressed her firm decision to leave, The Godmother tried to put Alex’s life in danger.
Since Alex is the most important person to Carole, the Godmother likely thinks that taking the former woman off the board will ensure Carole has no one to turn to but her. However, since The Godmother and her organization know about Carole’s undivided loyalty to Alex, it also means that Alex is the one they’ll turn to for more information about Carole.
By the end, Carole has no choice but to fake her death to ensure she can escape from her previous life. Nevertheless, she believes that some people might still look for her to confirm her death. In such a situation, the first person anyone would track is Alex. Therefore, if Alex shows any indication that Carole is alive, it will lead to some dangerous speculation.
Furthermore, since Carole has a child to think of now, she has to guarantee her life is as safe as possible. Even if the same is not the sole reason behind Carole’s actions, it is likely a crucial one. In the end, we see the woman and her daughter, Roule, enjoying their time with Sam and Alex, neither of whom seems angry with Carole. Thus signifying that they understand Carole’s reasons behind faking her own death.
Read More: Wingwomen: The Netflix Heist Flick Is Inspired by a Graphic Novel
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