Recently, Netflix released ‘A Part of You,’ a Swedish drama about teenagers going through adolescence. It is directed by Sigge Eklund, a director, producer, novelist, and podcaster. The protagonist, Agnes, is portrayed by Felicia Maxime, an upcoming actress. Zara Larsson, the pop star, plays effortlessly cool older sister Julia, making her debut appearance in the acting world. Edvin Ryding finishes off the cast with Noel as both sisters’ love interest. The film follows 17-year-old Agnes as she tries to cope with life on her own after her sister suddenly dies. This tragedy puts Agnes into pieces, leading her to confront grief, forge a new identity, and grapple with the choices that lie ahead.
Cast With Characters
- Felicia Maxime as Agnes Svan: The protagonist, a young introverted teenager who must navigate grief and self-discovery after the loss of her sister.
- Zara Larsson as Julia Svan: Agnes’ older sister, popular and outgoing, whose death forms the central conflict of the film.
- Edvin Ryding as Noel: Julia’s boyfriend, love interest of both Agnes and Julia
- Ida Engvoll as Carina: Agnes and Julia’s mother, who also plays a part in the aftermath of Julia’s death.
- Alva Bratt as Esther: A friend of Julia’s who was in love with her and becomes involved in Agnes’ attempts to cope with her sister’s death.
- Mustafa Al-Mashhadani as Amir: Agnes’ theater teacher, with whom she reconciles towards the end of the film
Plot Summary
Agnes’ elder sister, Julia, is a vibrant, confident girl. She holds her head high wherever she goes, while Agnes is shy and lives in her sister’s shadow. Julia encourages Agnes to try out for the school play. Despite their mother, Carina, wanting her to remain at home, Julia enjoys attention and goes out partying most of the time. One night, Julia drinks too much alcohol at a party and drives, resulting in an accident that leads to her death. Carina and Agnes are devastated. The house is a mess. Agnes goes back to school, even though she doesn’t have to. She starts wearing Julia’s clothes and makeup, which gets people’s attention. Noel, who had feelings for Agnes even before Julia’s death, is also struggling and drawn to her. Agnes hangs out with Julia’s friends, who are unsure how to feel about it. Agnes copes with her guilt and grief and does things unlike her normal self.
How Were Agnes And Julia Different?
From the beginning of the film, it is evident that sisters Agnes and Julia were very close, though they had vastly different personalities. While Julia was an outgoing person who loved fun and partying, her sister Agnes was a quiet and meek girl with dreams of becoming an actress. Often, Agnes looked at Julia with admiration; she watched her simply transform herself from a caring sibling into the most popular girl at school. Perhaps Agnes wished deep down inside to know what it felt like for Julia, but she knew she was different. Agnes secretly liked Noel, her sister’s boyfriend, which made things weird whenever he visited. She admired Julia, but deep down, she was probably envious of her life.
What Happened To Julia, And How Did Agnes Cope With It?
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It was Agnes’ birthday, and Julia wanted to celebrate the night before. Initially, Carina didn’t want Julia to go to a party, but she finally agreed. The sisters along with Noel, went to the party, drank, and had a lot of fun. During the party, Noel and Julia fought. Noel went to Agnes to say that they should leave when Julia took the car in their absence and drove it while being drunk. A truck rammed into Julia’s car, and she died from her injuries. The next morning, on Agnes’ birthday, she was devastated. Carina was so caught up in her own grief that she didn’t realize how hard it was for Agnes. Believing Agnes was coping well, Carina left to stay with her mother, leaving Agnes alone.
When Julia died, Agnes was abandoned and left to face her death by herself. She disliked all the attention from her classmates that would make her different, hence avoiding talking about it. She used acting as an outlet for her pain, but she could not find words to express how she felt. As a way of self-preservation, she wore Julia’s clothes, hoping to imitate her in order to lead an easier life. It could be that she wanted to know what it felt like when she was Julia because being herself meant having too many emotions, though when acting as Julia, they vanished.
What Happened Between Noel And Agnes?
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Noel kept an eye on Agnes when she was transforming into her sister. He tried to protect her and be there for her. They were eventually drawn to each other after Julia’s death. Both of them were deeply in mourning, and as the closest people who knew Julia, they sought comfort from one another. The house was chaotic after their mother, Carina, abandoned her due to her own grief, leaving to stay with their grandmother. Noel came in here to help Agnes set at least some order in her life. This act in itself brought them even closer together. All along, Agnes had secretly desired Noel, and he too started developing feelings for her during such moments of closeness as when their fingers brushed while watching TV.
Their closeness blossomed into an intimate relationship over time. One day, Agnes caressed the tattoo on Noel’s arm, which reminded him of Julia, and he suddenly felt ashamed. Julia and Noel had matching tattoos, and he struggled to move on because small things constantly reminded him of her. Agnes tried to stop Noel from leaving, but he pushed her aside and left.
Agnes didn’t feel guilty about being with Noel—her feelings were real, and she believed she didn’t owe Julia anything since Julia had left her in a tough situation. Agnes tried to get back with Noel, but he kept pushing her away. When she confronted him, Noel said she was becoming more and more like Julia. After being with Julia, he didn’t want to go through the same emotional turmoil again. Agnes blamed Noel for Julia’s death because he was supposed to take care of her, but he failed.
Why Did Noel Start Ignoring Agnes?
Noel’s repulsion came for various reasons. The first one is that he still had unresolved feelings about Julia, and this made it hard for him to deal with such issues. Every little thing brought back his sense of regret, as if the matching tattoos were there to remind him yet again of what happened between them. Secondly, Agness seemed like pretending to be Julia would help her evade her grief, which troubled him even more deeply than before. That pain Agnes is going through will remain no matter how much she acts as if she is Julia.
At one point in the story, a drunk Agnes held Noel responsible for Julia’s loss, arguing that he should have taken better care of her. Nevertheless, Noel knew Agness did not know everything. Julia had a darker side that she kept hidden from her sister, and Noel wanted Agnes to understand that becoming Julia wasn’t a solution. Julia had her own complexities and struggles, which Agnes was unaware of.
“A Part Of You” (2024) Ending Explained: How Did Agnes Spiral Out Of Control?
Agnes insulted her theater teacher, Amir, out of frustration and stormed out of the class. She went home, wore Julia’s clothes, did her makeup exactly like her sister, and was about to go to the club. It was only when Carina returned home and saw Agnes in that outfit that she realized that leaving Agnes alone was a big mistake. It was clear that Agnes wasn’t doing well, but she refused to accept Carina’s help. She fought with Carina and left anyway.
In the club, she uses Julia’s ID and enters with Julia’s friends. There, she has a confrontation with Esther, one of Julia’s closest friends. Agnes attacks Esther, saying how she knew about her feelings for Agnes. She leaves the club angrily after Esther snatches Julia’s ID. Thereafter, she had a big fight with Noel, who told her things she didn’t know about her own sister.
After coming back from the party, where she learned something about Julia that she hadn’t known before, Agnes examined Julia’s room for more clues. Agnes found Julia’s phone, which had been recovered from the accident scene. She looked through the messages between Julia and Carina and found out that Julia had been really anxious and sad. Julia had talked to Carina about it, which is why Carina was hesitant to let Julia go to the party alone. In order not to upset her sister, who must have suspected something wrong, Julia hid all this information from her sibling so as not to worry her. Nevertheless, nobody could say for certain whether the accident was intentional or accidental since very few of them were aware of what exactly happened in the case. She chose to drive alone, yet it seemed like she didn’t mind if anything bad happened. Julia’s choice to drive alone was like she didn’t care about her safety; however, the crash itself was unexpected.
Agnes now wondered if she had left Julia down as a sister, but Carina soothed her, saying that what she did made Julia happy. Although Agnes felt angry with Julia for taking risks and leaving her alone at home. Knowing what Julia was going through, Agnes believed their family could have been more supportive of them. Maybe at this party, Agnes could have held Julia tightly and whispered into her ears, reminding her how valuable she was. After this occurrence, agony took over Agnes, and all the pains that had been eating her up were let out.
How Did Agnes Redeem Herself?
Carina, too, helped with the healing process for Agnes. She was always present for Agnes because she had lost someone else as well. It was with Carina’s help that Agnes finally began to be herself and ceased hiding behind Julia’s outfits. She realized she had hurt Esther and talked to her about it. Esther admitted that she also struggled to cope with Julia’s death. Agnes understood her pain.
In the final part of “A Part of You,” Agnes realizes how unfairly she has been treating Mr. Amir (her theater teacher) and makes up with him and her other team members. On one hand, she tries to become more understanding and strives hard to be a better friend in addition to being a daughter or student at school. After forgiving her sister and realizing all the pain she endured, Agnes felt ready enough to see her again. At Julia’s grave, while feeling the wind blow in the trees around her, a calmness settled within her.
At the end of the play’s last act, Agnes takes over the stage, now braver than ever before. It shaped her character growth as she passed through numerous emotions. She had been determined to do well in her role, and she succeeded. Agnes knew that Julia would have celebrated seeing him on stage because she had faith in his talent forever. She knew that making Julia happy meant being true to herself.
Also, the ending suggests that Agnes and Noel will remain friends and maybe try a romantic relationship in the future after they have recovered from their grief.
