Prisoners ending explained: What happens to Keller?

Prisoners (2013) is a crime thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve. Written by Aaron Guzikowski, the film features Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maria Bello, and Viola Davis, among others.

Here's the official synopsis:

A desperate father takes the law into his own hands after police fail to find two kidnapped girls.

The film premiered at the 2013 Telluride Film Festival and was released theatrically on September 20, 2013. It received positive reviews and achieved both critical and commercial success, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography.

So let us take a look at its ending.

What is the plot of Prisoners?

A still from Prisoners | Image via Warner Bros. YouTube

Prisoners begins with the Dover family meeting the Birch family for Thanksgiving. Shortly after dinner, two girls from these families go missing. Detective Loki and his team investigate an RV parked near the location where the girls were last seen prior to their disappearance. They arrest a man named Alex Jones. Keller suspects that Alex may be responsible for the kidnapping and decides to take matters into his own hands.

How does Prisoners end?

Towards the end, Keller Dover realizes that Alex Jones' real name is Barry Milland, and that Holly Jones (Melissa Leo) had kidnapped him. She is also responsible for the abduction of the two girls, including Anna. Keller confronts Holly, who then forces him to drink a liquid laced with an unknown substance. She subsequently pushes him into a pit located beneath her house. As Holly prepares to kill Anna by injecting her with a substance, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) arrives and shoots her dead.

Loki then takes Anna in his police car and races to the hospital. She is eventually saved, but no one can locate Keller's whereabouts. Keller remains trapped in a pit several days after Anna's rescue. Loki arrives at Holly's house and stands there. Meanwhile, Keller is whistling, the sound faintly reaching Loki's ears. In the very last moment of the film, the cop shrugs off the sound before trying to listen intently.

The film cuts to black abruptly, leaving viewers with a sense of ambiguity. The chances of Keller's survival are minimal. If he is not saved by Loki, he will die inside the pit. His leg is broken, which will worsen his condition. Even if Loki rescues him by hearing the whistle, he will be jailed for kidnapping and torturing Alex Jones. Holly lost her child to cancer, prompting her to kidnap Christian children as revenge against God for her son's death, ensuring their families endure the same suffering.

Aaron Guzikowski, the writer of the film, spoke about the ambiguous ending in an interview with BuzzFeed. He said,

"I like it much better being ambiguous. Even though you assume that's what's probably going to happen, I like that there's a small chance that he's not going to get him out of there for whatever reason."

He further thanked the producers for sticking to the dark ending.