Sadly, school shootings have become all too common in the United States in recent decades. Every time they go to school, far too many youngsters live in fear of a gunman murdering them and their classmates. However, while the world watches for a week or so after each awful incident, the TV crews eventually leave, leaving the students and their families to deal with the emotional fallout. Megan Park's latest film The Fallout, which premiered on HBO Max today, deals with the aftermath. Jenna Ortega plays Vada Cavell, a high school student who, although not being physically hurt, deals with the mental trauma of a school shooting. Despite the serious subject matter, there is a surprising amount of comedy in the picture. The Fallout's ending, on the other hand, is an emotional gut-punch that will leave viewers reeling. If you just finished watching The Fallout on HBO Max and are having trouble processing the ending, keep reading for a plot summary and explanation of The Fallout's ending. There are some spoilers ahead. SUMMARY OF THE FALLOUT PLOT: Vada Cavell is a laid-back high schooler who enjoys her life. She grabs a cup of coffee with her best friend Nick before school, counsels her younger sister Amelia on how to deal with her first period, and mocks her school's local Instagram influencer Mia for contouring on picture day. Then there's a tragic event that makes it difficult for Vada to maintain her composure: a shooting at her school that kills an unknown number of her classmates. When it happens, Vada is confined in the school bathroom, sharing a stall with Mia the influencer and, later, a blood-soaked kid named Quinton . They try not to cry too loudly as they listen the awful sounds of gunfire and screams, unsure if this is their final moment. Everyone in the bathroom makes it out alive, but Vada is shaken to say the least. She experiences nightmares and is numb as a result of the shooting. While her BFF Nick transforms into an activist overnight, Vada is unmotivated to march or lobby her representatives.

Instead, she gravitates toward Mia, the influencer, and the two form an odd friendship after being united by something so heinous. Mia's parents are extremely affluent and frequently out of town, so the girls spend their days at Mia's enormous, empty mansion, sipping wine and using pot. Vada has no desire to return to school, but she eventually does so due to her mother's push. Even yet, she can't bring herself to go into the bathroom where she hid from the shooter at school, so she holds it. She makes it to the end of the day until she trips over a can on her way home and wets herself. The next day, she self-medicates with Ecstasy at school, resulting in ink all over her face and a fall down the school steps. Even while she attempts to maintain her cool-girl air, it's evident that she's falling apart at the seams. She assures her parents that she is alright, and she tells her therapist that she is simply "a very low-key person." But she withdraws from her family, shouts at her sister, and spends increasing amounts of time with Mia, eventually sleeping with her. Her mother is beside herself since she's been gone all night. Quinton rejects her kiss when she tries to kiss him. Everyone in her life seems to have turned against her. EXPLAINED ENDING Amelia, Vada's sister, confronts her in the middle of the night and apologizes emotionally. Amelia believes Vada is upset with her since she contacted her right before the shooting, forcing her to leave the classroom and placing her in more danger. Vada recognizes how much she has damaged her sister by withdrawing, and this is a watershed moment for her. Vada pays a visit to Mia after a cheesy, cathartic screaming-into-the-wilderness session with her father. Mia thinks she's upset with her since she's avoided her since they had sex. Mia is passed out in her sauna, surrounded by empty wine bottles, when Vada arrives. Mia admits she is terrified to leave her house, but she intends to resume dance classes since she knows it will benefit her.

Vada then makes amends with her mother and has a breakthrough session with her therapist. Vada waits for Mia outside of her dance class in the film's last scene, and the two have an easy, playful text interaction. Vada seemed to be content. Then she receives a news push message on her phone: 12 students have been slain in a school shooting in another state. Vada looks at her phone, stunned, and then begins to hyperventilate. As we listen to the sounds of Vada's panic episode, the screen turns white. Phew. It's a gut-punch of a conclusion that suggests that, while Vada is beginning to recover from her trauma, she is still suffering and may never fully recover. She'll almost certainly need to be treated for PTSD—this isn't something that heals in a matter of months. Vada, on the other hand, has her family and friends to support her, so she should be fine. Someday.