“Rest in Peace” (“Descansar En Paz” in Spanish) is a 2024 Argentinian drama mystery, directed by Sebastián Borensztein, available to watch on Netflix. Starring Joaquin Furriel, this movie revolves around the life of a debt ridden family man who gets an opportunity to escape his life and begin a new one after a bomb attack. However, even after decades, he is unable to forget his family.
Plot Summary
The movie follows the story of Sergio, a family man oppressed by debt. In despair, he finds an opportunity in a tragic incident involving the AMIA bombing of 1994. He is presumed dead in the blast, and this serves as his escape route to begin a fresh start in a new life.
Under a new name, he abandons everything about himself and his loved ones to leave for Paraguay. On the other hand, his wife tries to move on and pay his debts. She befriends Sergio’s biggest debtor, Hugo Brenner, and they bond over their shared grief. Over time, Sergio has a stable job and a girlfriend but still remains detached, yearning for his family back in Argentina. He finds his family on Facebook and feels a strong sense of nostalgia. Hence, he decides to go back twenty years later.
However, destiny turns against him when Sergio sees his family after all these years. He is shocked to see that the man who was one of the reasons behind his leaving, Brenner, is married to his wife and has taken Sergio’s place in his family.
Let us go through the plot in detail and explain the ending!
Background into Sergio’s life
Set in 1994 Argentina, we are introduced to Sergio Dayan, a young father, gazing at a homeless man while trying to buy a necklace in a jewellery shop. His card declines, so he pays with cash. This is a foreshadowing of Sergio’s financial condition. The scene cuts to Sergio dancing happily with his daughter at her Bar Mitzvah party. We are introduced to his happy family, consisting of his wife Estela, his daughter Florence (“Flor ” for short), and his son Matias. His daughter makes a heartfelt speech, thanking her parents and expressing her love.
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There is, however, an uninvited guest at the party, a thug on the lookout for Sergio. Seeing that, Sergio starts feeling dizzy and disoriented and consequently faints. Later, he dismisses his sickness of exhaustion. At night, he reveals to his wife how his business is failing and that he’s unable to pay his workers amidst humongous debts. Even under such financial pressure, he wouldn’t rid his daughter of her Bar Mitzvah, a Jewish tradition when children come of age. He tells Estela that he will sell their country house to pay back some of the money.
How does Financial Difficulties Hit the Dayan Family?
Next, we see Sergio going to work. The scene is full of tension as he greets his workers, but they are coldly staring at him, dissatisfied with not being paid for work. Two workers confront him to pay the dues, but he is helpless, and in that argument, the workers claim to stop working. He is visibly frustrated and takes an anxiety pill. Later, he discusses his situation with his friend and asks him to buy his country house out of desperation. On the other hand, Estela is called by the school principal to complain about Flor and ask her to pay the due fees.
Sergio Meets Brenner
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Next, we see Sergio waiting in a debtor’s office. The debtor, Hugh Brenner, questions him about why he has money to throw a party but not enough to pay back the debt. Sergio pleads to get a month’s extension. However, Brenner, who is shown in a dangerous light, warns him that he only has until next Monday. After that meeting, Sergio is visibly anxious as he shouts at a female pharmacist arguing about an expired prescription of anxiety medicine. We slowly see the downfall of Sergio’s mental health. Arguments with his wife ensue about the unpaid bills.
Things get worse when he receives threatening pictures of his daughter from one of Brenner’s men. However, he hides it from his wife. In a get-together with his relatives, he is confronted by Gustavo, his brother-in-law, about paying back his money. This starts an ugly fight that rattles him. All of this also creates a distance between him and his wife.
The AMIA Attack of 1994: Does Sergio Survive?
One morning, Sergio has a peaceful breakfast with his family. He informs his wife that he will go to Brenner’s office to pay off some of the debt with the money he got from selling his country house. He gets his daughter’s necklace fixed, and on his way to Brenner, the 1994 AMIA explosion occurs. It was a suicide attack at the Jewish Community Center, AMIA.
Estela can’t reach Sergio and finds out he went to Once, where the attack took place, and goes there to look for him. In the chaos, she tries to find him but is unsuccessful. Sergio comes on the casualty list.
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Later, in the courthouse, she’s called to identify the faces of the victims. She sees Hugh Brenner, not knowing who he is, crying for someone who died in the attack. Then, she finds Sergio’s suitcase with the repaired necklace in it and breaks down, crying, thinking he is dead.
How Sergio Escapes His Life?
Sergio is seen waking up at the accident scene with a wound on his head. Paramedics take him to a hospital, where a doctor treats him. He goes on to call his family but cuts off midway. Perhaps, that’s when he thought of his situation as an opportunity to start a new life. He takes a taxi, and the driver’s name is Nicolas Neito. Then, he takes a bus and then a risky boat ride to reach Paraguay. He throws his identity card from his wallet into the water.
What happens after Sergio’s Presumed Death?
Four months later, we see Sergio working in an electronics store. He lives in a guest house and celebrates his son’s birthday alone with a simple cake. On the other hand, his family celebrates his son’s birthday together.
Estela decides to take the settlement for Sergio’s death in the explosion. Sergio on the other hand is wary of Argentinians and refuses to handle them in his work. He adopts a street dog and takes it home.
Estella signs the insurance papers and pays off Sergio’s debts with the money. She goes to meet Brenner, Sergio’s biggest debtor, to talk about a payment plan. However, Brenner tells her not to worry about it and to forget it. Grateful, Estella tells him that Sergio was on his way to pay some of his debt when he died.
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Sergio befriends his employer’s wife and leads a lonely life with his dog. Estella, on the other hand, befriends Brenner. Sergio gets a new driver’s licence and ID as a man named Nicolas Nieto. At a Christmas party, his employer suddenly dies. In Argentina, Estela gets closer with Brenner and enjoys a good time sailing in Brenner’s boat with her kids.
Fourteen Years Pass: Does Sergio Rebuild his Life?
Even after more than a decade, Sergio is still lonely, and his dog is on the verge of death. He is in a relationship with his boss’s wife and takes over the electronics store. However, the pain in his eyes is always evident. On his way to the market, he comes face-to-face with his old maid and has an emotional reaction. He is strongly reminded of his family.
He finds his family on Facebook and misses them. He’s full of sadness as he thinks of the milestones of his children that he missed. On the other hand, Estela’s household is quite busy in a joyful ruckus over Flor’s upcoming wedding. It is revealed that Brenner married Estella, and the couple even have a daughter named Victoria. Brenner is shown to be a good father to all the kids.
Sergio is possessed with the utmost sadness upon seeing Flor’s video dedicated to him. He grabs his dying dog and cries. He cries even more after putting his dog to sleep in the vet’s chamber. The next morning, he decides to go back to Argentina.
“Rest in Peace” Ending Explained
Sergio goes back to Argentina and rents a car. He parks the car outside his daughter’s house and camps there. He stalks his son and daughter, lacking the courage to go close to them.
He checks into the hotel outside his family’s apartment. He goes to stalk Matias and Victoria. Then, he proceeds to get a suit and a gun. He writes a note apologising to whoever finds his body and keeps the gun with it in his room. He goes to his daughter’s wedding. In a beautiful setting in a church, he sees his daughter enter but is horrified to see that Brenner, one of the biggest reasons why he left, is walking his daughter down the aisle. Unable to take it, he attempts to kill himself with the gun. However, he is unsuccessful.
Then, he goes back to the wedding party with the gun. He is enraged as he sees his family, all happy and celebrating with Brenner at his place. He hides in the bathroom, and seeing Brenner enter, he aims to shoot at him. However, Matias enters the bathroom before he can shoot. He overhears the conversation between his son and Brenner and cries on hearing his son call Brenner ‘Dad.’
With a defeated attitude, he puts on a mask and joins the dancing crowd with his daughter. Estela spots him and recognizes his eyes. He runs away, and Matias informs Brenner. Estella runs after him, with Brenner trailing behind.
In an intense moment, Sergio takes his gun out after seeing Brenner, but the latter shoots him before he can. Estella runs to Sergio, and in his dying trance, he sees the face of his little daughter dancing with him. Thus, knowing his daughter never forgot about him enabled him to ‘rest in peace’, the reason behind the title.
We hope you liked this detailed explanation of the movie! We recommend you watch this drama turned thriller.
