Things Will Be Different ending explained: What happens to Sidney and Joseph?
Things Will Be Different was released in theaters on October 4, 2024. The sci-fi thriller was written and directed by Michael Felker. Streaming on Hulu, the movie brought a mix of science fiction and psychological drama. It explored the theme of familial bonds as the estranged siblings, Joseph and Sidney, got stuck in a time travel loop.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Things Will Be Different. Reader's discretion is advised.
At the end of Things Will Be Different, audiences got to see Joseph getting shot by his sister Sidney who then ran away leaving behind the stolen bags of money. The ending left the viewers with more questions than answers.
The movie started with Joseph (Adam David Thompson) and Sidney (Riley Dandy) seeking refuge at a secluded farmhouse after they commited a robbery. Joseph told Sidney that the farmhouse had a closet that could transport them to an alternate timeline if they followed the instructions in a notebook.
They had planned to lay low until the police were off the hook. The instructions worked and the siblings found themselves in a different timeline. The notebook advised them to stay there for 14 days before using the closet to return to the present.
Sidney, who reluctantly agreed, later told Joseph she wanted to be with her young daughter, Stephanie (Chloe Skoczen). Things took a turn when Sidney tried to open the closet door 14 days later, only to find it barricaded.
Attempts to escape were futile, which only left them with the option to comply. They were informed that they were stuck in a timeline 'vice'; to put it simply, a time loop. The only way to escape alive was to complete a task assigned to them.
Did Sidney and Joseph manage to complete the task?
In Things Will Be Different, Sidney and Joseph were tasked with killing an intruder who came to the alternate timeline to dump dead bodies. They had to wait for the visitor to arrive and this wait turned out to be a year, by the end of which they had become desolate.
Read More: How long is Oz Perkins' The Monkey? Runtime explored
During this year, Sidney theorized that the intruder might be a future version of themselves or one of their parents from the past. When the intruder finally arrived, their face was covered. Joseph spotted them on time and warned Sidney.
A gunfight broke out in which Joseph got injured. Just when Sidney was about to approach the intruder, they played a disco song that the siblings' mother used to play. This made Sidney doubt that the intruder might actually be their mother. Disorientated by this possibility, she suffered an injury and retreated back into the house while the intruder dragged Joseph into the church.
Read More: What is Love Forever on Netflix all about? Everything you need to know before you watch
Joseph was then held at gunpoint and Sidney desperately tried to break the time travel door. After both siblings communicated with the operators, another gunfight happened. During a scuffle, Sidney managed to unmask the intruder and found out that she was her daughter, Stephanie.
Unaware of her identity, Joseph tried to kill the intruder. However, Sidney jumped in front of her and died at her brother's hands while Stephanie escaped. She failed to tell Joseph about the intruder's identity before dying. Guilt-ridden, Joseph asked the operators for a second chance. Reluctantly, they agreed.
Read More: 8 movies to watch if you loved We Live in Time
Was Joseph able to break the time loop in Things Will Be Different?
In Things Will Be Different, Joseph's multiple attempts to save Sidney in the past went in vain. Joseph met Sidney at the bar on the same day they had committed the crime. According to the operators' advice, he killed the past version of himself to remove the redundancy from the timeline. He planned to kill the intruder instead of Sidney while hiding at the house.
Read More: Netflix's My Family: Full list of cast in the Italian drama
However, when Sidney arrived at the bar, she was unable to recognize Joseph and suspected foul play when she saw the money bags with him. Joseph revealed that for a long time, he had been trying to change the outcome of the fight in which he killed his sister to no avail.
Joseph advised Sidney to shoot him, leave the money, and escape with her daughter. Sidney was not willing to do so, but Joseph got the trigger pulled which resulted in his death. Sidney fled and left the bags behind.
Read More: What is To Catch a Killer on Netflix all about? Everything you need to know before you watch
The film ended with a shot of the portrait of the house hanging in the bar, just like the movie's opening scene. Viewers can infer from the climax that Joseph was unable to break the loop and sacrificed himself to save his sister.
Things Will Be Different is available for streaming on Hulu.
