‘The Fix’ Movie Ending Explained & Full Story: Did Ella Reach Lazarus?

Crisis situations often highlight the depth of human depravity, as the dystopian flick The Fix, directed by South African director Kelsey Egan, shows through a narrative that is extremely topical in a post-pandemic world. The questions posed by the makers about the existence of ethics and morality in an increasingly profit-motivated health industry, one that seeks to benefit by preying on the insecurities of people and monopolizing life-saving products, are quite relevant when you keep in mind how similar situations had affected the world just a couple of years back. The visceral body horror elements in the movie, which act as a metaphor for the violation of bodily rights for scientific experiments done for the so called greater good, could have been showcased for a longer duration, but nevertheless, they work well in the narrative context. 

The only part of the movie that somewhat lets viewers down a bit is the editing, which somewhat undermines the innovative cinematography and visual aspects. The pacing and emotional aspects of the narrative feel a bit disjointed, but the final payoff is worth it to hype viewers for a sequel entry, if the movie eventually gets a continuation, that is. 

Spoilers Ahead

Aethera, Lazarus, and Solomon’s Drug

Set in an alternate future, where human greed and exploitation have destroyed almost the entirety of the world’s ecology, The Fix presents a reality where airborne toxins pose a constant fatal threat, resulting in what remains of humanity resorting to wearing specialized masks. A revolutionary drug called AIRemedy, or AIRem, created by a top pharma conglomerate known as Aethera, allows users to breathe in air for a limited period, but it is too expensive to be afforded by the commoners. However, Aethera CEO Eric, a shrewd businessman through and through, is not concerned about the masses anyway; his only worry is keeping the company’s shareholders satisfied with false promises about the AIRem’s source material being abundant in supply—which will sustain the future generations of rich investors as well. Eric’s dysfunctional relationship with his father, a chief exec at Aethera, who prioritizes business over family, is the root of his questionable perspective – and despite trying to not make the same mistake with his own son, Eric finds himself following in his father’s footsteps. Aethera has furthered the class divide, as the privileged ones get to live freely in a nearly inhospitable world, whereas the less fortunate ones end up resorting to wearing masks, and those who can’t afford that wait for a painful end. The right to live has turned into a status symbol in this bleak future, and the authorities in charge of serving people are upholding this horrid status quo. 

During an interview session on live television, Eric is questioned by an unknown caller named Lazarus, who nearly exposes the shady practices of his company, their lack of resources, and calls out Eric for keeping vital information about AIRem from the world. This causes the board of directors, including Eric’s father, to share their mistrust with him. Turns out, AIRem’s source material is indeed limited in supply, which is why Eric and his scientists have tried to synthesize an alternative, to no avail. If the truth eventually gets out to the public, Aethera will lose its dominance in the market—and finding a viable alternative is necessary for its survival. 

Meanwhile, Lazarus, whose identity doesn’t get revealed until the final moments of the movie, employs Solomon, one of the rogue scientists of Aethera, who uses the company’s stolen resources to create an experimental drug that can be used as an alternative. However, one of the vials of the drugs ends up in the hands of a drug dealer, which eventually forms the central crisis of the movie. 

Why Did Ella Begin Mutating?

Ella McPhee, a supermodel who advertises Aethera’s products, comes into focus as a disturbed lead of the narrative. Ella’s late mother, who had met her end due to toxin infection, used to be a supermodel as well and had a close relationship with her daughter—which turned sour during the final phase of her life. There is an existing notion about Ella having her career offered up to her on a silver platter due to her mother’s position in the industry. Ella shares an estranged relationship with her father and appears to be an overall reserved, anhedonic person due to how circumstances have shaped her worldview. The only meaningful relationship Ella shares is a bond of friendship with her friend Gina, which is why she is heartbroken when Ella learns on her mother’s death anniversary that her boyfriend, Tully, has been cheating on her with Gina. In her frustration, Ella injects herself with one of the drug vials at Tully’s disposal, which just happens to be the experimental drug Solomon has formulated. The drug results in Ella’s physiology being transformed; she displays superhuman strength, the ability to scale walls and her body mutates, disfigures in a creepy way. Soon, the drug dealers get on Tully and Ella’s pursuit, and as Tully dies, Gina mistakenly considers Ella to be the murderer and calls the cops on her. While escaping, Ella loses consciousness and gets rescued by one of her creepy friends, who tries to take advantage of her—but with her heightened senses and newfound capabilities, Ella manages to thwart his attempts. While on the run, Ella learns how unmindful she was about her privileged existence when she goes to a hospital and witnesses people, who can’t afford the remedy, struggling to survive. 

Later on, Ella meets with Gina to clear up the confusion and realizes her transformation is having an adverse effect on the person she was close to. Ella begins to detest her bodily changes and decides to apprehend the ones responsible for her condition. In the meantime, Eric learns about Solomon’s actions and Ella’s present condition, and sends his crew to capture them both. 

Why Does Ella Turn Her Back on Eric?

Learning about Ella’s situation, Solomon contacts her and arranges a meeting, and both of them end up getting captured after Gina, fearing for Ella’s condition, contacts the authorities. The authorities hand the duo over to Eric in exchange for AIRem supply. Inside an Aethera facility, Eric tortures Solomon to extract the formula he created for the experimental drug, and running tests of Ella, he learns that in her transformed state, her body is producing even more airborne toxin neutralizing agent than AIRem does. This presents a chance for the company to harvest viable antibodies by experimenting on Ella, with the chance of developing a permanent replacement for AIRem. 

Initially, Eric manages to convince Ella to cooperate with the research in exchange for reversing her physical condition. However, upon learning that Eric doesn’t really care about her predicament and only wants to use her as a lab rat, Ella becomes furious. Before getting transformed, she barely had control over her own life, was being used as a puppet of the conglomerate, lived in fear of prejudice while remaining ignorant about the heinous machinations of the people in power. But this transformation, while making Ella hate her body, has allowed greater control over herself and her actions. Seeing the true dastardly self of Eric, Ella decides to take a stand for herself at last and manages to break free. She is able to rescue Solomon as well, who reveals the drug was formulated using a species of dragonfly DNA, which explains Ella’s changed physiology. Solomon further reveals that Aethera decimated the majority of the particular dragonfly species, which was immune to the airborne toxin. While Ella’s transformation is a hefty cost to pay for her freedom, it at least allows Ella to break free from Aethera’s control.

Did Ella Reach Lazarus At The End?

Eric and his crew begin searching for Ella and Solomon, who come across Eric’s son, Max. As Eric catches up to the duo, Ella tries to threaten him with Max’s life, only to realize he is too driven in his single-minded pursuit to care about his family. Solomon’s associates infiltrate the facility and create a bomb threat, which allows Ella and Solomon to escape. However, realizing Aethera security will catch up to them anyway, Solomon asks Ella to escape using her powers and reveals that he works for Lazarus, who is driven to bring an end to Aethera’s domination and provide a free solution to the toxin problem. Solomon further reveals that he himself was the first test subject, but the drug he injected himself with was less potent, which is why he didn’t transform—while Ella did. For Lazarus, and for the world, Ella is a formidable force against the monopolizing, oppressive control of Aethera, and she can show them a way to hope for a better future when humanity will be able to breathe freely without filling the pockets of seedy corporations. Ella jumps off the edge of a dam while Eric and his men recapture Solomon, seeking to force him to comply in remaking the drug for Aethera. 

Ella, who has now completely transformed into a human-dragonfly hybrid creature, is able to reach Lazarus, who turns out to be none other than Eric’s trusted assistant, Angela. She has been working closely with Eric and had vital intel on his research, which explains how she knew everything about him in the first place. As the movie comes to a close, Ella secretly shares a video clip made by one of Solomon’s associates/Angela’s employees with Gina, who broadcasts it for the rest of the world to see. In the video, Solomon’s associate offers a free viable alternative—which demands the need to change, to transform. The ending suggests the beginning of Aethera’s end, with Ella’s survival and her alliance with Lazarus; finding a cure to the toxin is just a matter of time. Eventually, AIRem will no longer be needed, and Eric and his company will lose their market share in the process. However, there is an outside chance of conflict if Solomon is indeed forced to synthesize the formula for Aethera, which will intensify the crisis even more. Another aspect that can play a crucial role is the fact that Eric trusted Angela with his son, Max, while being unaware of her true identity. If a sequel to The Fix is made, it will be interesting to see how this familial dynamic shapes up.