Ad Vitam ending explained: What happened to Franck and his family?

Ad Vitam is a French action-packed drama film that narrates a riveting story of loss, love, and resistance that’s been set up against the political trickery background streaming on Netflix.

Directed by Rodolphe Lauga and starring Guillaume Canet, Stéphane Caillard, and Alexis Manenti, amongst others, Ad Vitam tells the story of Franck Lazareff, a past GIGN officer who finds himself interwove in an alarming maze of conspiracies that lurk over the security and well-being of his family.

As Lazareff gives it his all to wrestle against this danger while attempting to safeguard his very pregnant wife, Leo, from a kidnapping that has happened and uncovering the truth behind the death of his best friend, Nico, Ad Vitam attempts to bring forth an extreme story that explores allegiance, ethics and the costs of uncovering formidable secrets.

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The story of Franck, Leo & Nico in Ad Vitam:

Franck Lazareff was a committed GIGN officer in the past, and he followed the footsteps of his late father, whose badge had inscriptions with the wording Ad Vitam, which translates as “for life,” which goes on to become a major symbol in the story of Franck. Leo, his pregnant wife, also a GIGN officer, had a collective zeal for the tasks and the service.

During one of their missions in a hotel that includes Franck, his life took a dreadful turn when Nico, who was Franck’s closest friend, was brutally murdered during the mission.

Nico, being now dead, haunts Franck, who now actively blames himself for the loss of his friend.

In Ad Vitam, Nico’s death eventually leads to Franck being terminated from the GIGN for lack of attention and apparent irresponsibility during the mission. Eventually, Franck and Leo both start living like regular civilians after Leo quits the GIGN due to figuring out her pregnancy.

Franck and Leo’s efforts to live a life without chaos are then cut short. They’re met with an unpleasant conspiracy knotted up to the events that circle the death of Nico.

What evidence did Franck hide in Ad Vitam?

The point in where Ad Vitam takes on a whole new direction in the film is when Franck makes a harrowing breakthrough when he finds his father’s badge with bloodstains smeared all over it as a piece of evidence from the mission in the hotel where Nico lost his life.

With Franck not being able to come to terms with the fact that Nico died at just the hands of some thieves, he decides to organize a secret investigation of his own. It is during the time of his investigation that he discovers that at least one of the offenders was a special force agent who worked for the DGSI, i.e., the French General Directorate for Internal Security, after which Franck realized that this death of his friend is part of a larger governmental set-up.

Franck decided to hide the badge and continue his investigation in private, which he thought would shield his family.

Nevertheless, this crucial piece of evidence in Ad Vitam is now a target of the foes, including a killer hired by high-level officers fixated on muffling down the truth.

Ending Explained: What happened to Franck and Leo in Ad Vitam:

The climax of Ad Vitam advances as Vanaken (the killer who was hired by high-level officers) with his men kidnaps Leo. They then use her as a weight to compel Franck to hand over the evidence of the blood-stained badge.

Franck, with one of his juniors and wounded friends, Ben, cooks up a chancy plan to swap a phony badge in exchange for Leo’s life and freedom.

The exchange soon breaks out into carnage. However, Ben’s well-timed interference saves the life of Franck and Leo. However, during their escape, Leo was shot and then went into labor, which forced Franck to take her to the hospital.

Franck then surrenders to the GIGN while Leo gives birth to a baby girl. Nonetheless, regardless of Franck’s arrest, Leo is now the one who accesses the evidence through a hidden key she had all this time, even during her kidnapping, and she uses the same key to expose the government and clear Franck’s name in court while also revealing the truth about Nico’s death.

As Ad Vitam comes to a close, Franck is released from the bars, reuniting with Leo and their daughter. The disclosures regarding the government sent sparks all over the nation, including powerful officials, which hinted at the probability of imminent dangers to Franck and his family.

Ad Vitam, with its open-ended ending, cues the probable need for a sequel. Franck’s and Leo’s fight in Ad Vitam may have been fought with the revelation about the government coming to light may have been done. However, Ad Vitam leaves its audience wondering if calm remains indefinable for the Lazareff family.

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Ad Vitam, and especially its ending, accentuates the lasting force of family and the unyielding hunt for righteousness, even in the face of crushing odds.