Cat person ending explained

Cat lover has a drastically different ending than the original short story that inspired it – and leaves some things more ambiguous than others. Based on the short story of the same title by Kristen Roupenian, published in New Yorker in 2017, Cat lover It stars Emilia Jones as a young woman named Margot and Nicholas Braun as an older man named Robert. After a suspicious meet-cute, Margot and Robert start dating. After several dates and an awkward sexual encounter, Margot decides to break up with Robert, but learns that he won't give up that easily.

After Margot's roommate Taylor texts her a blunt breakup, Margot starts seeing Robert everywhere – at the movie theater where she works and where she hangs out with friends – and fears he may be stalking her . To determine if he is actually stalking her, Margot buys a tracking device and tries to attach it to his car. However, he catches her in the act and they get into a physical altercation that leads to a house fire. Unable to escape the house, Margot and Robert hide in a tanker and survive the fire.

What happened to Robert?

When Robert's house burns and Margot wakes up in a hospital bed, slowly recovering from her injuries, she asks about Robert. As it turns out, after his house burned down, Robert simply got up and left. Margot learns that Robert has left town and has not given anyone a chance to contact him; he did not leave a correspondence address at the hospital. This suggests that Robert does not want to be found, which leaves everything open. The mystery surrounding Robert and whether he was stalking Margot remains unsolved.

During the confrontation at Robert's house, Margot sees a cat running out of the basement, confirming that Robert was telling the truth about having cats, but she also sees a dog she met outside the dorm, suggesting that Robert had been following her for a long time before introducing himself. During the argument, Robert admits to stalking Margot before they started dating, but doesn't elaborate. By leaving Robert's fate unknown, this disturbing revelation remains ambiguous, leaving viewers with the same feelings of fear and anxiety that Margot feels.

What did Margot say to the guy at the end?

In the final scene Cat loverfilm adaptation, Margot meets another moviegoer – this one played by Michael Gandolfini – who flirts with her in the same way as Robert. He teases her that she didn't see Apartment, Billy Wilder's classic romantic comedy, widely considered one of the best films ever made. It's the same eye-roll-inducing Film Bro banter that Robert used when talking to Margot when they first met at the same concession stand. After some hilarious exchanges, Gandolfini's character asks for her number.

Margot smiles and the movie cuts to the end credits before she can respond to his request for her number. The smile is ambiguous and could be interpreted as Margot being charmed by this new romantic interest and preparing to say “yes” and give him her number. However, it seems more likely that yes the smile indicates that Margot realizes he's the whole “nice guy” type and is up to the tricks and be wise to say no this time. Of course, this is open to interpretation.

How does Cat Person's ending differ from the New Yorker story?

First two acts Cat lover they are quite faithful New Yorker the story it was based on, but director Susanna Fogel drastically deviates from the source material at the end; the entire third act was created specifically for the needs of the film adaptation. The story focuses more on how Margot felt obligated to constantly humor this weirdo after she slept with him. It's more or less like a movie where Margot meets Robert at the movie theater where she works and texts him when he comes home for winter break, gradually becoming closer to him.

Just like in the movie, Margot discovers that Robert is much wittier and more charming in text form than in person. In private he is awkward and conflicted. After their first proper date, Margot returns to Robert. She wonders if he lied about having cats, since she doesn't see any in the house (and the story doesn't reflect the movie, that he owns a cat after all). Margot and Robert have sex, which Margot finds to be a deeply unpleasant experience and the final nail in the coffin of their potential relationship.

Margot isn't sure how to break up with Robert, so just like in the movie, her roommate texts her about the breakup. Moments later, while Margot and her friends are at the bar, she sees Robert following her and worries that he may be following her. That night, she receives a long string of text messages from Robert that begin politely and cordially, but then quickly turn to anger, jealousy and insults. This series of text messages made their way into the film, playing to the image of Margot and Taylor staring at their phone, becoming increasingly concerned about the messages.

In his last message, Robert calls Margot “whore.“This is where the story ends, but this is not where the film ends. In adapting the story for the big screen, Fogel felt obligated to provide a grand, extravagant Hollywood ending. Margot tries to stalk Robert, and they get into a brutal fight and are almost burned alive. According to Cat lovernegative reviews, this departure from the original story is where it falls by the wayside. This altered ending completely undermines the realism and subtlety that made the story such a viral sensation.

The true meaning of a cat person

Ultimately, Cat lover Is a story about the complexities of modern dating. Margot is terrified of what the man she barely knows will do to her if she upsets him, and she feels pressured to make him happy as a result. Explores the complex gray areas of consent and the dangers of misunderstanding in primarily text-based relationships. Message from Cat lover Margaret Atwood's iconic quote sums it up succinctly in his epigraph: “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.”

Cat lover

Director

Zuzanna Fogel

To throw

Emilia Jones, Nicholas Braun, Geraldine Viswanathan, Hope Davis, Fred Melamed, Isabella Rossellini