Netflix’s The Water Man is an American drama film directed by David Oyelowo, that revolves around a little boy who searches for the Water Man, a mythical creature who may have powers that could potentially heal his ailing mother.
The Water Man stars Lonnie Chavis in the lead role as Gunner Boone, a boy set on a quest to save his ailing mother, Mary Boone played by Rosario Dawson. The director of the film, Oyelowo, also takes up a pivotal role in the movie as Gunner’s father, Amos Boone.
As Mary suffers from Leukemia and starts to grow weaker by the day, Gunner takes it upon himself to find a cure for his mother.
He sets off on a mission to find a long-lived legacy of the town, the Water Man, who lived in the woods, was supposedly invincible and had powers to bring back the dead.
To take off with the quest he gets on board with a girl, Jo, who claims that she’s had an encounter with the Water Man and could take Gunner to him, in exchange for money.
As they set off on the journey into the woods, we get some gripping questions. Do they end up finding the Water Man? Is the Water Man legacy just a myth? Does Gunner find a cure for his mother? Does Amos find his missing son?
The answers are hidden in the mounting climax, and we’ve got you covered over its explanation.
The Water Man ending explained in detail:
Fire in the Wild Horse
As the police and Amos continue their search over a missing Gunner, news breaks out that a part of the woods, Wild Horse, had caught on fire and was spreading rapidly.
The police find out that Gunner could have potentially gone into the woods searching for the Water Man. Since the police had to focus on evacuations, Amos sets out on his own to find his son in the woods.
On the other hand, Gunner and Jo get into a conflict on whether to return or to stay and continue the search. This heated argument leads to Jo revealing that she never really had seen the Water Man, and so it was just a myth.
This eventually leads to them separating ways, Gunner decides to carry on with the quest alone while Jo recedes home.
Meeting the Water Man
As Gunner carries on with the journey he eventually finds a spot beside the lake that placed a shaggy house. Guessing that it would be the Water Man’s house, Gunner helps himself in.
His guess being accurate, he acquaints himself with the Water Man and explains to him his situation. The Water Man, in return, narrates his story and the legend that’s behind his existence.
Meanwhile, Jo’s voice echoes calling for Gunner’s help. Upon hearing this, the Water Man helps dawn upon Gunner that it was actually his hope that made him believe, even in the most unbelievable of myths.
Therefore, the Water Man implied that all of these visuals were in reality just constructed by Gunner because of his sheer hope.
Getting out of the woods
As Gunner slips out of his imagination, he rushes to help out Jo, by the time, the fire worsens the entire situation and both of them seem to be stuck with the raging fire.
Amos steps into the situation and helps the kids cross the lake into safety.
As the Boone family reunites, the father-son duo figure out that they would rather live a short life with Mary rather than a long life without her.
The scene then cuts into the Boone family, joined by Jo, having dinner at the table, together.
Even though it turns out to be a myth, the family and especially Gunner learns the value of time well-spent with loved ones, making it the moral behind the story.
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