Mirror, Mirror (2022) is a film that follows the central characters through a day in their life, set in an alternate dimension where one can interact with their own reflections. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Mirror, Mirror is set in a universe where reflections speak back to individuals, hold entire conversations and provide insight from deep within their psyche.
Paula is a young woman working at a cosmetic firm, and she makes a video for the company’s anniversary. She sends it to her sister, Cristina, who advises her to show it to someone higher up before posting it, as it shows a diverse group of people and some visible queerness makes her uncomfortable.
Paula goes through an inner battle with her reflection, but her final decision is not mentioned. Cristina is then seen standing in front of a mirror again after a while, but shockingly, instead of her own reflection staring back at her, she sees a masculinised version of herself.
The scene skips to Paula screening her video after posting it, and her boss, Alvaro sees it and is made uncomfortable too and questions her choice of posting it.
Cristina keeps seeing her masculine reflection as the figure constantly tries to speak to her, and asks her to stop hiding her true self. Even as a child, Cristina had always identified more with a masculine sense of identity, as flashbacks show.
Alvaro asks Paula to take down the video and make another one with more conventionally attractive models to appeal more to the general audience.
It is later revealed that the president liked the video and the diversity, so it stays up, and Alvaro tries to speak to Paula about her thought process behind it to impress the higher-ups.
He gets points from her to include in his speech through deception, and his reflection leaves him. Meanwhile, Cristina watches youtube videos to figure out her gender identity and gets overwhelmed.
Alvaro completely messes up the talk with the higher-ups about diversity and inclusion, and Paula delivers a better speech which angers him.
Cristina tries to articulate her feelings about her gender identity to Paula, as she prepares for her big speech scheduled for the party, but gets interrupted by a call telling them their father is in the hospital.
The film goes over a critique of parenting methods as well, and provides insight into how the main characters were brought up and how this has shaped them.
The entire film takes place over the course of a day and culminates at the party, and presents a look into the deep psyche of each character.
Mirror, Mirror (2022) ending explained in detail:
What happens to Cristina’s reflection?
After she leaves the hospital, Cristina goes shopping and encounters her masculine reflection again, and this time they argue over the ideal of embracing one’s true identity.
The reflection gets disappointed at her refusal to accept her true identity and transforms back into the feminine reflection, sending Cristina into further inner turmoil.
Cristina then encounters a queer party at the local hair salon and walks in. She ends up getting a drastic hair change and moves one step further toward embracing her gender identity.
What happens at the party?
Paula ends up giving a brilliant and touching speech about inclusion in the makeup industry, and everyone congratulates her on it.
Cristina shows up with her new haircut while completely inebriated, and attempts to come out to Paula, but Paula is too overwhelmed to realise what is happening.
In the midst of all this, Alvaro also reaches out to Paula and breaks down about his own inadequacies while congratulating her.
Alberto also breaks out into a song and confesses his love for Paula in the middle of the party. A fire breaks out right after he finishes, seemingly started by the receptionist.
Do the reflections change places with the real world?
As the characters escape from the fire, a slight glitch is witnessed. It is only later that one realises it is because of a personality switch in all the characters.
The real-life characters find themselves stuck in the mirror dimension, and the roles have all been reversed, seemingly with no way to go back to how things were.
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