Death of a Unicorn stars Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd, and the fantasy film explores varied themes that include capitalism, family, and the mysteries of life and death — all wrapped up in a bizarre story centered on a unicorn.
Jenna Ortega plays Ridley who, with her father Elliot Kintner (Paul Rudd), is on way to a weekend retreat. Accompanying them is Elliot’s boss. Something shocking happens on the way — their car accidentally hits a unicorn.
When Ridley touches the unicorn’s horn, she starts having strange cosmic visions. However, these visions end abruptly when Elliot, in a bid to put the unicorn out of its misery, kills it. They load the unicorn's body in their car and continue their drive to the estate of Elliot’s wealthy employer, the Leopold family.
The Leopolds, including the patriarch Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant) and his son Shep (Will Poulter), soon realize that the unicorn's horn has magical healing powers. It clears Ridley’s acne and Elliot’s allergies.
The unicorn horn as a commodity
The Leopold family decides to exploit this discovery. Scientists working for them begin studying the unicorn’s horn, discovering that it has the ability to cure serious illnesses. In fact, Odell himself is living proof, because the unicorn horn’s magic cures his cancer.
Meanwhile, Shep becomes addicted to the unicorn horn, almost like a drug. His character represents the greed and self-destructive nature of the privileged elite. The Leopold estate itself is a symbol of greed, turning a mythical creature into just another resource for profit.
Things take a dark turn when the unicorn, initially believed to be dead, escapes. Instead of appreciating the miracle, Odell Leopold organizes a hunting party to track it down.
During their search, they find two older unicorns, who seem like the parents of the injured animal. The unicorn parents are enraged when they see the severed horn of their child, setting off a violent confrontation.
The chaos results in several deaths. Elliot and Ridley try to survive, but in the final moments Elliot is mortally wounded. However, the unicorns reveal an incredible ability — they can bring the dead back to life. Using their combined power, they resurrect Elliot.
By the end of the film, Elliot, Ridley, and the Leopold family butler are the only survivors. However, they are arrested for mass murder.
As the police take them away, the unicorns follow. Suddenly, one of them makes eye contact with Elliot and Ridley, as if sending them a silent message. The father and daughter smile, just before the unicorns charge at the police car, knocking it off the road. The screen cuts to black.
The open ending leaves the audience wondering what might have happened. Did the unicorns crash the car to free Elliot and Ridley? Or were they trying to eliminate the last witnesses to their existence?
A particular clue suggests that the unicorns wanted to help. They had already saved Elliot’s life once, so it seems unlikely they would kill him later. Their final silent message to Ridley and Elliot hints that they had a deeper connection.
Death of a Unicorn ends on a thrilling note, leaving the audience to decide what truly happened.
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