High Tension

Main Plot

High Tension, directed by Alexandre Aja, is a French horror-thriller that follows two college friends, Marie and Alex, who travel to Alex's family farmhouse for a quiet weekend. Their peaceful retreat is shattered when a brutal and sadistic intruder breaks into the home during the night, murdering Alex's family and kidnapping Alex. Marie, who manages to evade the killer's detection, takes it upon herself to rescue her friend. As she stealthily follows the killer, a tense and violent cat-and-mouse game ensues. The film builds relentless suspense and features intense, graphic violence, leading to a shocking and unexpected twist that redefines the entire narrative.

Characters

• Cécile de France plays Marie, a college student who fights to save her friend from a brutal home invasion, only to reveal a shocking twist about her true identity.
• Maïwenn plays Alex, a college student who becomes the target of a brutal home invasion, driving the film's intense and suspenseful plot.
• Philippe Nahon plays a sadistic serial killer who terrorizes a secluded farmhouse, driving the protagonist, Marie, to extreme measures to protect her friend Alex.

Ending Explained

In the movie "High Tension," directed by Alexandre Aja, the ending reveals a shocking twist that recontextualizes the entire narrative. The film follows Marie and her friend Alex as they visit Alex's family home, only to be attacked by a brutal killer. Throughout the movie, Marie appears to be the protagonist trying to save Alex from the sadistic murderer. However, in the climax, it is disclosed that Marie herself is the killer, suffering from a severe split personality disorder. This revelation occurs when security footage shows Marie committing the murders, and Alex, bound and terrified, confirms Marie's dual identity. The film concludes with a confrontation between Marie's two personas, leading to a final scene where Marie, now in a psychiatric hospital, reaches out to an unseen Alex, indicating her continued obsession. This twist ending forces the audience to reconsider the events of the film, understanding that the perceived external threat was actually a manifestation of Marie's internal psychosis.