Netflix movie HORSE GIRL ending explained

Want the HORSE GIRL ending explained? Maybe you’re confused about the ending of the Horse Girl movie on Netflix? Don’t worry about it because the ending is up for interpretation. However, here’s our take on the ending of the Netflix movie. *SPOILERS*

Want the Netflix movie Horse Girl ending explained? Well, most people do, so we’ve prepared this feature for you with the questions we were asking ourselves after watching it. Since Horse Girl premiered at Sundance a few weeks prior to its Netflix release, people have already been asking a lot of questions about both the plot and the ending.

We’ve made a little Q&A (or a FAQ, if you will) which covers the Horse Girl ending and plot.

And yes, this will be full of spoilers regarding key plot elements from Horse Girl including the Horse Girl ending. In order to cover the various questions about the ending, we have to delve into all kinds of plot elements as well.

If you’re looking for a spoiler-free review of Horse Girl, just click here >

Netflix movie Horse Girl ending explained

Let’s get directly to the Horse Girl ending by covering some of the most asked questions about the plot.

Is Sarah (Alison Brie) crazy in Horse Girl?

Well, that is the big question, isn’t it?! And the answer is actually up for interpretation since the screenwriters (director Jeff Baena and star Alison Brie) have made a story that shows us two truths.

Maybe she is crazy, but there are elements that would suggest she isn’t. Just one example would be that Molly Shannon’s character sees a horse outside the window. We know Sarah is walking with the horse and that Sarah was inside the store when Joan (Molly Shannon) saw the horse.

We first see the scene with Joan seeing the horse at the beginning of Horse Girl and then again towards the end. If Sarah is simply crazy, then why is it Joan that sees the horse.

Could Sarah be her own grandmother?

I know, I know… you’re probably thinking “Say what now?!” However, this is actually a key plot twist in the brilliant Netflix series Dark which includes time traveling. Something that also becomes an important part of Sarah’s story in Horse Girl.

After believing that she is a clone of her own grandmother (something created by aliens who keep abducting her), she seems to come to a different conclusion. “I am my grandmother”. A thought she finds comfort in.

The same was actually the case with Dark and I really recommend that Netflix show. If you haven’t watched it, then check out our review of Dark season 1 here >

And if you have watched the two first seasons, then you might want to check out our Dark explained piece before season 3 comes out later in 2020. You can find our Dark explained feature is right here >

Does Sarah time travel?

Well, it certainly does seem that way towards the end. When she first meets the social worker, Ethan (Jay Duplass), he tells her that they have already met. She has no recollection of this.

However, when she talks to him the next time, she believes it has only been one night. Ethan tells her that it has been 72 hours and that this is her first stay at the mental hospital. Essentially, this small scene tells us that Sarah has time traveled back to her first stay at the mental hospital.

Basically, the entire plot sometimes plays out like Memento or the aforementioned Netflix series Dark. And I absolutely love it. However, it requires that you pay close attention to even the smallest of things.

Who is the girl sharing a room with Sarah at the mental hospital?

Hang on to your seat here because it would appear that it could be Sarah herself as a young person. Which would essentially mean that it is also her own grandmother as a young woman. After all, we established earlier that Sarah might very well be her own grandmother. Ahh yes, the weird and wacky side-effects of time traveling.

If you pay attention to some of the pictures of Sarah’s family that we see earlier, then it would appear that the girl from the mental hospital is also in her family pictures. We see pictures of her grandmother (who was identical to Sarah because she probably is Sarah) and Sarah as a young girl with her mother.

In these pictures, the young Sarah looks like a younger version of the girl in the mental hospital.

Was Sarah abducted by aliens?

Once again, this would explain the whole time traveling business. Or at least, it’s the one way we have to explain how Sarah time travels and can be her own grandmother.

If we go by the theory from Dark then you can exist in two versions at the same time.

Also, Sarah might actually be right about Ron (John Ortiz) being part of her family somehow. After all, when she is abducted, she sees Ron and the girl from the mental hospital. But only Sarah and the girl are awake which is why they’re the only ones who remember anything about the experience.

Is Sarah still in the mental hospital?

This is also a possibility if we go by the theory that all the wacky stuff we see is merely in Sarah’s head. This would essentially mean that she is still in the mental hospital and just spins out with all these ideas and thoughts.

Whether she is crazy or was abducted by aliens (and time travels and is her own grandmother), she is definitely very confused. Also, she struggles to make any sense of everything happening.

That’s why she latches on to anything and everything that could possibly explain things. This includes plotlines from her favorite TV show Purgatory as well as the homeless crazy man who spits out wild theories. Oh, and (of course!) all the conspiracy theories she finds online while trying to understand her sleepwalking and nightmares.

Some input from the screenplay writers

According to this Deadline article, Alison Brie has had paranoid schizophrenia close to her and wanted to explore this in a movie. To be exact, she wanted to look closer at the “terror of not trusting your own mind”. Alison Brie’s own maternal grandmother suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and she’s heard stories about this from her own mother.

However, she has also noted that she wanted to explore these elements in a way that include drama, thriller and sci-fi. Because even if you do suffer from a mental illness, you can still encounter some supernatural things. You just won’t trust your mind to believe these things. Or would you? That is the main question of Horse Girl.

Bottom line: The Horse Girl ending can be explained in several ways and is ultimately up for intepretation. It sucks for those who have a need for a clearcut ending. Personally, I love movies and series that continue to rummage around my mind for hours or days after the end credits.

That’s it. We hope the above Q&A helped explain any questions you had about the Horse Girl ending or plot.

Then again, you might have a completely different take on this movie which is certainly equally valid.