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The ending of The Postcard Killings presents Marina Haysmith, one of the killers, making a phone call to her father in prison and speaking in Russian.
Her translated Russian speech in English means, “Hello father, it’s me.” The simple sentence has multiple implications for viewers, starting from the fact that one of the killers is alive or it's a hint about a sequel.
For the uninitiated, The Postcard Killings is a crime thriller released in 2020 in theatres, which landed on Netflix in January 2024. The movie which got an average rating for its theatrical release, earning less than $2 million, has climbed the list of US top-ten movies on Netflix.
Starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Famke Janssen and Cush Jumbo in the main roles, the plot of The Postcard Killings is adapted from The Postcard Killers, a book by James Patterson and Liza Marklund.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers and suggests the reader’s discretion.
The Postcard Killings: What does Marina say in the finale scene and to whom?
The last scene of The Postcard Killings shows the prison setting where Haysmith Sr. receives a phone call.
He looks visibly surprised to hear his daughter’s voice. His daughter, Marina Haysmith, is heard speaking in Russian. What she says translates to a simple greeting, “Hello father, it’s me.”
However, this statement in the finale could mean many things. Firstly, it confirms that Marina Haysmith is alive and second, she's in Russia, the destination towards which she and Simon had started.
Moreover, leaving Marina loose keeps open the possibility of a sequel where she may come back for revenge or more action. Lastly, while the movie closes with that statement from Marina, she may have continued the conversation with her father, which the audience is not privy to.
Who is Marina, and what is her relationship with Haysmith Sr.?
Marina Haysmith is the daughter of Haysmith Sr., adopted along with Simon. Simon Haysmith and Marina Haysmith were brought up as siblings. They were forced into art appreciation and made to fit into the image of ideal kids, as wanted by Haysmith.
Art plays a big role in all the crimes and connects the murders to Simon and Marina. Since the start of The Postcard Killings, they are presented as Mac and Sylvia, the names they pick as disguises.
They go around as a couple, as they are in an apparent incestuous relationship and want to flee to Russia to start their life anew.
Marina and Simon grew up with a twisted psyche and wanted to rebel against their father and be able to love each other. Kanon rightly identifies how Haysmith Sr. is responsible for the murders, as he tried “early genetic engineering” of Simon and Marina by traumatizing them into perfection.
Following the perfectionism and abuse they received from their father, Simon and Marina embark on a killing spree as a statement of defiance. Haysmith Sr. is a crooked person, who besides mistreating the adopted children, stole millions from his Wall Street clients. He has been serving a sentence in jail after Simon testified against him.
What happened to Simon and Marina in the end?
To draw them out, Kanon, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, asks Dessie to write an investigative article about the criminal duo. Marina sends a mail to Dessie, thanking her, while planning to have her as the next victim.
While Marina and Simon take Dessie, played by Cush Jumbo, to a snowy roadside to kill her artistically, Kanon arrives and shoots Simon. Dessie is saved, but Simon dies as Marina tries to drag him away to safety.
As such, none of the criminals are found, neither Marina nor Simon’s body, but the case is considered solved. It's assumed that Kanon’s gunshot killed Simon, but Marina hid the body while making it to a safe place herself.
She reaches Russia and calls her father from there. Till the end of The Postcard Killings, Simon and Marina do not know that they were adopted and are not siblings and could have married. Had they known the truth, the crimes could have been avoided.
Final thoughts on The Postcard Killings
Haysmith Sr. is the main culprit of The Postcard Killings indirectly, as his actions towards Simon and Marina led to the rebellious murders of many couples.
While it seems from his conversation with Valerie that he holds a lot of hatred towards his children, it's not known how he would have reacted had he known about their crime.
The movie has an open ending, possibly keeping the plot open for a sequel. While Haysmith Sr. doesn’t come to know about the crimes of his children, his children do not know that they were not siblings. Moreover, with Simon dead, Marina’s future actions may move towards revenge or complete obscurity.
Watch The Postcard Killings, available for streaming on Netflix, reaching the top-ten movies on the platform.
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