Above The Shadows Ending Explained-Why Shayne Can See Holly, Gotham, Kaleidoscopes, And What Broke The Curse

Above The Shadows is a tender fable about learning to love yourself and others and look beyond your individual grief. The part superhero fantasy and romance story starring Alan Ritchson(Reacher) and Olivia Thirlby(Y: The Last Man) looks and feels like it could be an origin story for either a villain or a superhero at different times. This is largely because writer/director Claudia Myers’s adult fairy tale leans into the internal struggle we all experience when dealing with loss and name drops one of the most recognizable cities as the setting. Gotham can be a dark place full of broken people just trying to make a connection. But, unfortunately, that is almost impossible for Holly, who has faded into nothingness after her mother’s death years ago.

Holly’s(Thirlby) mother died of cancer when she was twelve. She and her mother shared a special bond that circumvented her feelings of invisibility in her family. As the middle child, she always felt that her brother was the child her father wanted and her sister was the beautiful perfect girl every family wants. By contrast, she felt inadequate, but her mom never made her feel less than. So when she died, Holly retreated into herself and slowly disappeared from her family and the world.

Now as an adult, she has learned to navigate her invisible life. She works as a paparazzi who delivers incredible pictures no one else can get. When no one can see you, it’s easy to get close. It’s been over a decade since anyone could see her until Ritchson’s Shayne Blackwell, an MMA fighter turned bouncer at a club, kicks her out for trespassing. Why he can see her and what that means for both of their lives reveals itself in an emotional journey that is easy to watch and offers a lesson for everyone.

Holly is shocked and intrigued when Shayne can see her at the beginning of Above The Shadows. Quickly they form a bond, and she begins helping him put back together the pieces of his previous life. He was a rising star in the fighting world with a movie star wife and a blossoming career. All of that changed when he was caught cheating on his wife(Megan Fox), and a picture was published catching him in the act. Shortly he lost a championship fight and hasn’t been able to get it together since. Essentially giving up, he now works as muscle for hire and has faded from the world. He isn’t invisible like Holly, but he might as well be. Shayne has given up his dreams, punishing himself for sabotaging his life. Ironically, it was Holly who snapped the picture that changed his life.

She feels responsible for what happened to him and offers to help put his career back on track. True to her word, she begins blackmailing other fighters into fights with Shayne and, in one case, even convinces one of them to lose to Shayne in exchange for her silence. Shayne knows she has been helping him but doesn’t realize she has been cheating. After a romantic night under the stars, Holly’s picture is captured by another photographer and published in the paper. Although her image is shadowy, it is visible. She was beginning to be visible to the world again. Unfortunately, Shayne’s ex-wife and title fight consume his time, and when he learns what Holly had been doing to help him, he pushes her away, and she fades again, even from him.

The ending of Above The Shadows Explained

Holly learns a valuable lesson in the final act of Above The Shadows. While spying on her brother and sister, she realizes she wasn’t the only one who struggled with self-esteem and grief. Her sister, who she had always thought had everything was deeply insecure. Their mother, who doted on Holly, made Vanessa feel inferior. Vanessa felt like her mother withheld love and played favorites, and for the first time, Holly realized not everything was about her. Her brother, who she thought was a weird pervert, was a lonely boy still mourning the loss of his mother. Realizing she needed to rejoin the world by understanding she was a part of it and not above it, she went to Shayne’s fight despite the danger.

She walked right into the arena and up to the cage where Shayne was fighting. He was losing to Atilla(Tito Ortiz), but once Holly entered the cage, he fought back and nearly one. By placing Shayne’s needs above her own, she became visible to the world again. Security escorted her out, and Shayne lost, but his performance should help him continue to get important fights. Shayne found her later that night and said he and Juliana broke up amicably, and the two can reconnect. In the closing moments, Holly goes to her father, who can finally see her, and they embrace.

Why can Shayne see Holly?

Shayne probably can see Holly because he understands her. His mother’s boyfriend kicked him out of his house when he was thirteen. His mother let it happen, and the poor kid has lived on his own ever since. They both lost their mothers at similar ages and shared that experience. Holly lost hers to cancer, and he lost his mother to betrayal. Additionally, he was selfish and cheated on Juliana in the past, and Holly cheats now. In many ways, they are kindred spirits. A more romantic interpretation could be that these two were destined to fall in love, and he could see her because she was his destiny. Your tolerance for young adult romances likely dictates whether or not you buy this explanation.

The symbolism of the kaleidoscope

The kaleidoscope necklace Holly’s mother and later Holly wears is symbolic of perception. Holly is invisible because she feels she is. Only after she throws and breaks the necklace and realizes her siblings were so much more than she initially thought does she understand her role in her fading from her family and society. All she needed was to turn the kaleidoscope and see things differently. That is what Shayne offered her. He gave her a chance to understand what she had been doing her whole life and what her life could be.

The moral of Above The Shadows is to be seen by others; you have to truly see them first. Holly is invisible because she chooses to be, even if she didn’t realize it. She retreated into her grief as a child, refusing to see how the rest of her family was also grieving. Her father is not blameless; he also collapsed into his sorrow. As an adult, Holly used her invisibility to exploit others instead of righting wrongs or being a hero. She could have used her gift to steal money back from criminals or protect the vulnerable. Instead, she insulates herself in the shadows and exists without flourishing or benefitting anyone.

We are only as insignificant as we think we are. It may be comfortable to live outside the world, never interacting or caring about anyone, but it is a lonely place. Only after Holly saw herself and others for what they really were was she able to be seen again. Was it true love that broke her curse? Maybe, but not the love of Shayne, although he is a catalyst.

The acceptance of herself and empathy for others break her curse. Shayne says it best when he tells Holly when she looks for the worst in humanity; she will always find it. He has shifted her perspective and allowed her to see things as they really are. People are flawed and messy, but not all bad. Now that she is willing to accept that she can rejoin the world and be seen again. Presumably, she will continue to be seen by more people and will reconcile with her siblings.

Above The Shadows is streaming on Tubi and Vudu for free and on Hulu right now.