Borderline ending explained: Does Sofia survive?

Jimmy Warden puts his wife, Samara Weaving, who plays pop star Sofia, with a bunch of psychos in Borderline. Ray Nicholson from Smile 2 is the leader of this mental bunch, Paul Duerson, who is helping his dream of marrying Sofia come true, quite literally. It's a freaking comedy in there until a heartbreaking truth about Ray's character comes to light.

Borderline is set against the backdrop of 90s Los Angeles, where this home invasion turns life-threatening at one point when this Harley Quinn-like Penny (Alba Baptista) gets enough of her. But Sofia eventually lives to see the next day.

The film is met with mixed reviews and currently holds 60% approval from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Magnet Releasing distributed it, and it was released in theaters and digital platforms on March 14, 2025. Currently, viewers can watch it on platforms like Amazon Prime, or in theaters if they fancy a big screen.

How does Sofia survive in Borderline?

When Paul first visits Sofia's house, he stabs her bodyguard William (Eric Dane), and then admits the crime to the police. He is then taken in as a mental patient in an institution but breaks free. Although Borderline is more about Ray's Paul, it is his friend Penny he brought with him from the mental institution for his "wedding," who almost killed Sofia.

Paul wants Penny to get his "bride" ready, but things don't quite go right as both the girls enter a quarrel. But there's a musical moment in there when Penny realizes a piano is in the room. For a brief moment, it is like both the girls are finally bonding, and Sofia actually likes being with Penny in this moment.

However, things get fiery as they continue fighting. Penny is dominating the pop star and spreading fuel all over her. Then using a matchstick, she tries to burn her down. But Sofia blows the burning match and stabs the psycho, flipping the game. Though Penny is down, she provokes her to attack. Sofia refuses.

But then the fight is taken inside her house, where Sofia locks Penny in a recording studio. This time, Sofia doesn't stop and burns her to a gruesome death.

What happens to Paul then?

Jack Nicholson plays Paul in the film. (Image via Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing)

In the final moments of Borderline, Paul's delusion is revealed to be owing to his girlfriend's death. Since then, he has been adamant to marry her in his imagination. Interestingly, he cannot distinguish between what's real and what's imagination. This becomes clear during the film's beginning when he proposes to William as he thinks the bodyguard is his girlfriend.

Rhodes (Jimmie Fails), who acts as Sofia's boyfriend as a part of her PR in the film (which he doesn't know), is pulled into this too, akin to William, but this time Paul takes it to another level. He arranges a marriage with him, and now Rhodes is wearing a wedding gown. Remember what happened with William? Yes, Rhodes got stabbed too.

After this sequence in Borderline, where another of Paul's friends, JH (Patrick Cox), is also killed. He is again taken in by police, and it seems like an end. But that's for the others around him. In his mind, he is coming out of the church with the bride, thinking about their honeymoon.