The Ending Of 2016’s Mine Explained

While Mike is stranded in the desert, we are shown glimpses into his past via a series of flashbacks. A big part of those flashbacks is Mike’s father (Geoff Bell), who, as it turns out, is a major reason why he has been so troubled all of his life.

Mike recalls an incident from his childhood, when he was woken up by his parents fighting in the kitchen during the night. His father was drunk and arguing with his mother about feeling disrespected in his own home. It’s clear that Mike’s mother is at the mercy of an alcoholic and abusive husband, and she fears what he is capable of. Understandably, she doesn’t want her son exposed to this kind of behavior. When Mike walks into the kitchen, his father sees him and becomes enraged. He proceeds to beat Mike’s mother, and when little Mike looks on in horror, his father turns his abuse on him, challenging «Mikey» to fight him, saying «I’m right here.» But Mike is a child and is unable to fight back.

At the end of «Mine,» Mike sees a vision of his father in the desert, intercut with flashbacks of watching his mother die in a hospital bed. His father, dressed in a suit, appears before him, and Mike is able to finally summon the courage to fight back. He fires his pistol at his phantom father, exorcizing what’s perhaps his greatest demon in the process.