High Tension

Main Plot

High Tension follows two college friends, Marie and Alex, who travel to Alex's family home in the countryside for a quiet weekend. Their peaceful retreat quickly turns into a nightmare when a mysterious and violent intruder breaks into the house. The intruder brutally attacks Alex's family, forcing Marie to confront the terrifying situation. As chaos ensues, Marie becomes determined to save her friend and stop the killer. The film is marked by intense suspense and graphic violence as Marie navigates through the dark and twisted events that unfold. The story escalates into a relentless cat-and-mouse chase, highlighting themes of survival and the struggle against overwhelming odds. The tension builds as Marie attempts to outsmart the relentless assailant, leading to shocking revelations and a gripping climax that leaves viewers questioning the nature of reality and perception.

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 ending of High Tension, the intense and brutal climax reveals a shocking twist that recontextualizes the entire narrative. After a harrowing series of events where a masked killer terrorizes two friends, the protagonist, Marie, confronts the murderer in a desperate attempt to save her friend Alex. The film culminates in a violent showdown, leading to a series of gruesome encounters. As the story unfolds, Marie manages to escape and finds herself in a car chase with the killer. However, the twist comes when it is revealed that Marie is not merely a victim but the killer herself, suffering from a dissociative identity disorder. The events of the film are a manifestation of her fractured psyche, with Alex being a figment of her imagination. The final scenes depict Marie's struggle to reconcile her dual identity, as she is left in a state of confusion and horror over her actions. The ending resolves the main conflict by exposing the true nature of the threat, which is rooted in Marie's mind. This revelation connects to the overall narrative by exploring themes of trauma, identity, and the psychological impact of violence, leaving the audience with a haunting sense of ambiguity.