This article discusses the ending of the Netflix film My Amanda, so it will contain major spoilers.
It’s easy to see why the ending of My Amanda may confuse viewers as it essentially gives two different endings. When Amanda suffers heartbreak and learns how her marriage to Kelvin was a sham, she predictably finds comfort in her best friend TJ, and they continue enjoying their love for each other in the medium of friendship. It’s certainly surprising how neither of them have taken the opportunity to question why they are not in a relationship, but the theme of the film appears to be this confusing mix of platonic friendship and long-lasting love.
Amanda learns that she is pregnant from her ex-husband, and she decides she will take on the life as a mother, knowing that TJ will be by her side. She teases TJ, telling him he needs to prepare to be a father, but it’s almost a realistic statement than a tease; she knows TJ will be good to have around, and it’s not like her deceitful ex-husband will return to take the mantle of the father.
Near the end of the film, there’s a hint that Amanda is going through a complicated childbirth, and she’s taken into surgery. TJ waits nervously, and then a nurse tells him he can see Amanda. There’s so much joy between both characters as they introduce a baby girl into the world. We are then treated to a montage of scenes showing TJ and Amanda enjoying a life of parenthood, appreciating the times they are experiencing with their daughter. There’s this sense that they’ve finally moved past friendship, though it doesn’t show anything physical between them, leaving the audience to make an assumption.
But then the audience is treated to reality, and TJ’s narration gives a heartbreaking truth. Amanda did not survive childbirth, and the nurse actually delivered bad news — she died. A heartbroken TJ raises Amanda’s daughter. He narrates how he loves the daughter as his own and that he will do his best for “My Amanda.” It’s a heartbreaking end, yet it’s warming that TJ loved Amanda’s daughter as well. The alternate reality, where TJ and Amanda raised the child together, was likely a manifestation of TJ’s imagination; it’s what he would have wanted if Amanda did not die.
There is another message in all this; throughout the film, TJ narrates how much he loves Amanda and how she is everything to him (although some of the narration is likely to be about the daughter if we analyze it further). My Amanda teaches the audience never to lose the chance to tell someone you love them because you never know what will happen in life. There were so many unspoken words between TJ and Amanda that if time were rolled back, they’d have probably been more open with each other. In fact, the strangest moment in the film is right before getting married to Kelvin; Amanda told TJ, “you are the love of my life,” which is a strong statement to make before the altar.
So, cherish those you love because life is way too short.
What did you think of the ending of the Netflix film My Amanda? Comment below.
