Nathaniel Martello-White, making his directorial debut, wrote and directed the horror thriller movie “The Strays” for Netflix. Neve, a wealthy woman who has a highly controlled existence in an affluent British neighbourhood with her adoring family, is portrayed by Ashley Madekwe (‘The Umbrella Academy’). Neve’s life, however, begins to fall apart after the unexpected arrival of two enigmatic strangers. Neve begins to doubt her sanity as she is compelled to face her history after realising how closely connected she is to the two strangers. Here is all the information you need to know about “The Strays” finale if you’re wondering what happened to Neve and how her grave predicament turned out. Spoilers follow!
The Strays Plot Synopsis
Cheryl, a young woman in difficulty, picks up the phone to call her sister as “The Strays” begins. Despite the fact that Cheryl and her husband are having financial problems and that Cheryl alleges her husband is abusive, there are no outward evidence of this. Cheryl packs her belongings after the sister begs her to come visit. Before leaving her life in London and never looking back, she gives herself one final look in the mirror. Years later, Cheryl is living in the English town of Combe when we first meet her. She goes by the name Neve and has made a total break with her African-American roots in order to establish a life in the largely White suburb.
Neve is wed to affluent life insurance agent Ian Williams. Sebastian and Mary, who are both teenagers, are the couple’s two kids. Neve is well-liked in the neighbourhood and resides there with her family in a sumptuous home. At the Castle Comb School, where her children also attend classes, Neve holds the position of deputy headmistress. Neve, though, begins to get restless one day, and her car has a minor collision. Ian makes the announcement that he has hired a young black girl to work at his workplace at supper. The following day, Neve notices a black man at her school and begins to feel uneasy, especially after he speaks to Sebastian.
Mary arrives home from a friend’s house in the evening with an African hairstyle. Ian and Neve become concerned when Sebastian doesn’t come home after his basketball game. Neve tries to have the black janitor dismissed from the school because she thinks Sebastian will be negatively impacted by him. She is forced to accept a formal warning because there isn’t a good reason to terminate the man. The man later confronts Neve in the restroom, making the implication that he is a byproduct of Neve’s anxiety. Neve’s concerns are confirmed when the black guy and a young black girl attend her event, though.
Neve confronts the couple and makes an attempt to eject them. But, when the man refers to Neve as his mother, everyone at the event is astonished. The names of the guy and the woman are revealed in a series of flashbacks as Carl and Dione. After living in poverty, Neve’s children from her first marriage have located her. Through their interactions with Sebastian and Mary, Carl and Dione become a part of Neve’s life. Carl works at Neve’s school, while Dione works for Ian. At first, Carl and Dione are polite to their half-siblings, but as they observe their lavish lifestyle, they gradually develop jealousy. Carl and Dione therefore intend to force Neve to discuss her history during the gala.
The Strays Ending: Does Neve Accept Carl and Dione? Why Did Neve Escape?
Neve is forced to face her history after Carl and Dione reveal the truth about her. Neve raised her children and then left them behind to live a life of luxury. She never turned around and abandoned her kids to fend for themselves. Carl and Dione are justifiably angry with their mother as a result. Neve addresses her family at home and makes a commitment to be honest once she has resolved matters with Carl and Dione. She tries to give them £20,000 at first to make up for her previous transgressions and tells them to ignore her suburban existence. Neve and her new family are left in peace when Carl and Dione appear to accept the money.
Carl and Dione crash into Neve’s house during the climax to celebrate Dione’s birthday. The pair coerces Neve’s family into attending the party by holding them captive. They look to be a family as they place food orders and engage in board games. Carl, however, loses his cool and murders Ian while pretending to work out. Neve apologises for not tipping the delivery man while the meal is being delivered in the meantime. She goes to her room to get her purse, then she examines herself in the mirror.
Along with the deliveryman, Neve flees the terrifying night and never comes back. She does, however, apologise to her kids before she leaves for the day. The movie finishes exactly like it began, with Neve forsaking her kids under duress. She runs out into the night, denying any wrongdoing on her part. Both sets of children seem to be unimportant to Neve, and her apologies seems at best insincere. As Carl and Dione arrive, Neve’s carefully constructed existence begins to disintegrate.
Neve doesn’t seem to care about her children from her first marriage, though, based on how she handled the problem in the first place. Although though Neve professes to care about Sebastian and Mary, her concern for them seems to stem from their contribution to her supposedly ideal life. The family photo that appears frequently throughout the film serves to illustrate this. Sebastian and Mary, meanwhile, are useless to Neve after Carl and Dione ruin her picture-perfect life. She abandons them without hesitation as a result, escaping punishment for her deeds.
What Happens to Mary and Sebastian?
Mary, Sebastian, Carl, and Dione respond to Neve leaving the house in the movie’s closing scene. She seems to be apologising to Mary and Sebastian, who are left behind to deal with the effects of their mother’s decisions. Mary and Sebastian reflect on their role in the disaster and wonder why their mother left them as the film comes to a close. It is safe to infer that Mary and Sebastian now recognise Carl and Dione’s suffering. The last frame, which shows the four half-siblings standing together, is very important.
Carl and Dione become a part of Neve’s life earlier in the film through developing relationships with Sebastian and Mary. That turns out to be a ploy to assess Neve’s new way of life—the one she left them for. In contrast, the movie’s climax gives the half-siblings a chance to genuinely connect because they all experience the sorrow of having their mother abandoned. Although the movie makes no mention of what would happen if Neve abandons Mary and Sebastian, it is obvious that she will never come back for them. Thus, like Carl and Dione all those years before, Mary and Sebastian are doomed.
