Netflix has finally dropped “Lou” into its infinite-scroll library, and the movie is mainly attracting positive reviews. Directed by Anna Foerster, Lou follows the story of a veteran CIA agent living in seclusion on Orcas Island and her quest to rescue her tenant’s daughter Vee.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Lou’ Summary: What’s the Movie About?
In the opening scene, we are introduced to the film’s protagonist, an elderly and quiet woman who now lives alone on the beautiful and lush Orcas Island. The movie also introduces viewers to Hannah and his cute little daughter Vee, who also happens to be one of the tenants living on Lou’s property. Lou doesn’t have a lot of friends; her dog Jax serves as her trusted and loyal companion, who often accompanies her on her hunting endeavors. A few minutes into the movie, we see Lou digging up a mysterious box, filling out paperwork, and cashing out whatever money she has left in the bank. This kind of hints that Lou is tired of her life and plans to depart soon. But little did she know that fate had something else planned for her.
The entire Orcas Island is preparing for the storm, and this is where we first meet Vee and Hannah. Vee misses her father and often asks her mother about his return, but Hannah says he is on an adventure and smartly distracts her by asking her to play her favorite game, “Hide and Seek.” We see Lou stopping at Hannah’s trailer, enquiring about the rent. Hannah says she needs time to arrange the money as she has spent all she had on supplies to prepare for the storm. Lou seems uninterested in her excuses and demands that she pony up the rent by tomorrow. We also see Chris, who holds Hannah in high regard and often stops at her trailer to help with chores and make sure she’s doing okay. Hannah told her neighbors and Chris that she was a single mother, even though she knew otherwise.
The Murder of Chris and the Kidnapping of Vee
After Chris leaves Hannah’s trailer to go his way, he is met with a mysterious but charming man who’s asking for a ride. The guy informs him that his car has broken down, and there’s no reception, so he’s unable to call for help. Being the good samaritan that he is, Chris, without hesitation, opens his truck’s door and agrees to give him a ride. Soon, they bonded over their shared love for a band and judging from the conversation, we soon realized that Chris had a crush on Hannah. The scene shifts to nighttime, and we see both Hannah and Vee getting ready to call it a day. Hannah realizes that there’s no electricity, so she decides to go check it. When Hannah rushes outside to investigate, she finds a pickup with a corpse lying within. To her horror, Hannah finds that this guy is none other than Chris. She runs home, only to find no one there, and goes to Lou’s house just as Lou is about to take her own life. Without recognizing what’s happening, Hannah begs Lou to intervene and rescue Vee from Philips, who also just happens to be her abusive ex-spouse.
Without wasting any time, Lou packs her tools and sets out to find the mysterious abductor and Vee. Using her combat background and her trusted companion, Jax, she hopes to find the abductor. As time goes on, Lou admits that she used to work for the Intelligence Agency but had to leave after a failed assignment. This is why she has chosen to spend her life in obscurity on this island. Following a meeting with two of Phillip’s allies, Lou is pushed to engage in combat and eventually kills both of them. Lou calls Hannah and asks her to carry the bags outside, where she begins to investigate the scene. Later, she finds a postcard implying that Philip has planned to take Vee to the Lighthouse. The remainder of the story depends largely on whether the duo is able to locate Vee in time in order to rescue her. As the story develops, viewers are given a deeper insight into Hannah and Philip’s complicated relationship and marriage. She tells Lou that Philip wasn’t always like this; when she first met him, he was caring and compassionate, but he was broken inside. She really believed that she could fix him, but her efforts were in vain. Lou takes charge in the pursuit of Vee, and she strives to fathom Phillip’s motives in the process. However, Lou has a huge secret of her own that she has kept hidden.
The Big Twist
Lou and Hannah finally catch up to Philip and Vee. At night, Lou leaves and finds Philip camping under rocks, and this is where we are met with the movie’s biggest plot twist. Holding a gun to their heads, both Lou and Philp are forced to confront their tragic past. What tragic past? In reality, Philip is no other than Lou’s son. During her time with the CIA, Lou was sent on an assignment to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Lou gave birth to Philip in Iran, but the boy was later abducted. Lou decided not to reveal herself and instead asked the agency to rescue Phillip.
The event left Phillip scarred, and he blamed his mother, Lou, for betraying and leaving him behind. Thus, it is clear that Phillip’s traumatic childhood is the driving force behind his action. Despite Lou’s best efforts, Philip wounds her and demands that Lou bring his daughter’s mother to the Lighthouse. Lou meets with Hannah and cites her complicated relationship with Philip, and Hannah soon realizes that all the clues and postcards weren’t meant for her; they were meant for Lou. Philip knew given Lou’s experience as an Ex-CIA operative that she will easily track him. And that is why Philip had planted a bomb in Lou’s truck to take her out for good.
Could Hannah and Lou Save Vee? What Happened To Philip?
In addition, we learn that Lou served as the original mastermind, hiding behind the curtains and orchestrating events so Vee and Hannah would eventually settle down on Orcas Island. Lou was prepared to take her own life, reassured that she had provided a secure home for both Vee and Hannah. Lou constantly held herself responsible for both Hannah and Vee’s troubled lives. The plot sort of takes the easy way out by making everything hinge on Lou’s reluctance to raise her kid, but that’s the way it goes. Phillip took his daughter to the Lighthouse and rigged the place with explosives to kill everyone, including Vee, Hannah, Lou, and himself. However, Hannah managed to get in touch with the town’s sheriff and begged for his assistance before heading to the Lighthouse for the final showdown.
In the Lighthouse, Lou somehow managed to stop the explosion, and Hannah distracted Philip, allowing her daughter ample time to run into the woods. A brawl broke out where both Philip and Lou tried to kill one another. Phillip severely injured Lou during their struggle on the beach. Contrarily, Lou successfully impaled her son on a pole. The scene quickly turned ugly as we see a CIA chopper hovering above. Philip had already informed the CIA of Lou’s whereabouts. The chopper rained bullets on Philip, killing him in the process. We see both Philip and Lou falling into the sea and the tides carrying their bodies away.
‘Lou’ Ending Explained: Is Lou Really Dead?
No!!! Not really! In the final moments of the film, we see both Hannah and Vee returning to their normal lives. The CIA asks Hannah whether she has any knowledge of the data Lou took but she denies knowing anything about it. As the credits roll, we see Hannah and Vee having fun on a boat. Jax, Lou’s faithful dog, is present as well. We see Jax recognize a lady standing far away. The camera spins around to follow the lady as she stands back and watches the trio. That woman is no doubt Lou, which means she has survived the fight and is now watching over Hannah and Vee.
The Final Verdict
Janney’s coldly professional Lou contrasts well with Smollett’s capable but frazzled Hannah, and their strengths and weaknesses balance one another. They’ve both been through a lot physically, having been thrown and beaten severely. By the climax, everyone’s bodies have been wrecked, and this adds a layer of realism to the performance by emphasizing the importance of the characters’ bodily limitations. The picture has excellent acting and camaraderie amongst the cast members, making Foerster’s second movie a marked improvement over his first. “Lou” promises to be a divisive and intriguing watch thanks to Jack Stanley’s dynamic narrative, which brings out the empathetic sides of even the film’s most vile characters.
The ladies face a variety of physical on their way to Vee, the majority of which are provided by nature. This is helped by some clever changes in sound and acoustics that make the sounds around you part of the drama.
