Another End

The story follows Sal, who sinks into severe depression after losing his partner Zoe in a car crash. His sister Ebe, worried for him, works at Aeternum—a company that provides a service called "Another End." This technology lets grieving people say a final goodbye by loading a deceased person's stored memories and consciousness into a living host. The bereaved can then interact with their loved one in that borrowed body over one or more sessions, with the company's motto promising "another end." Each time the host falls asleep, their brain absorbs the deceased's memories, causing them to forget the experience; however, this process has a limit. Initially, both Sal and Zoe's parents reject the method. Sal blames himself for the accident—he was driving—and attempts suicide with pills and alcohol. Ebe finds him in time and persuades Zoe's mother to allow Zoe's "resuscitation." After a therapist and Ebe's colleague explains the process, Sal agrees, though he doubts he can feel connected to "his Zoe" in a different body. He recognizes Zoe inside Ava's body when, following the therapist's advice, he picks a fight with her. Falling in love again, he becomes happy and refuses to say goodbye. He convinces Ebe to extend their sessions, risking her job. When the program ends, he tracks down the host, Ava, at her workplace—a strip club—and meets her repeatedly without revealing he knows her through the program. He learns Ava lost her child and became a host to escape her daily life. Because they exceeded the recommended session limit, Ava starts recalling fragments of Zoe's past. She eventually discovers who Sal is and pulls away. Sal sinks back into depression, but then Ebe tells him Ava has contacted her and wants to meet again. It is revealed that Ebe was fired from the company because she had been using the technology to keep her brother Sal alive—he had actually died, and she couldn't accept it. The film ends with Sal (in a rental body) and Zoe/Ava waking up together after a night together, smiling.