Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Blitz!
Steve McQueen’s Blitz has finally been released, and here is everything there is to know about the movie’s ending, including if George managed to get back home, explained. Apple TV+ has finally released the highly-anticipated 2024 World War II film, with 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen helming the project. The epic movie tells an exciting story that is set in the midst of one of the darkest points of World War II. A lot happens in Blitz, so here is everything you need to know about the movie’s ending and its real-world connections.
Blitz takes place in a period of World War II known as “The Blitz,” with this being a series of German bombing campaigns that terrorized London for over eight months. Blitz follows Elliott Heffernan’s George, a young boy who is sent away on a train by his mother Rita in order to get him safely away from The Blitz. However, George isn’t a fan of leaving London, with him jumping off the train. Blitz explores George’s journey as he attempts to get back home, with the film highlighting the various characters and situations he comes across while searching for Rita.
What Happens In Blitz’s Ending
How George Finds Rita
As George gets closer and closer to home throughout Blitz, the dangers of the German bombing campaign become even more perilous, with the bombs increasing in number as George approaches the heart of London. At the end of the film, George takes refuge in a London subway station along with some other survivors. However, the station floods due to the bombings, putting everyone in danger. This causes George and the rest of the characters to have to flee the station, with them being forced into the street as they are put at risk of being bombed.
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Luckily, George manages to make it to the next morning, allowing him to see the aftermath of one of the attacks. Law enforcement and other individuals are picking through the rubble, with George noticing every gruesome detail. Luckily, as George continues walking through London, he spots his mother Rita. This allows George and Rita to finally reunite days after Rita sent her son away. Although George’s grandfather was killed in the bombings, it is good to see that Rita is ok, leaving Blitz off with a bittersweet ending.
How True The Story Of Blitz Actually Is
Are George & Rita Real People?
Blitz is a historical drama, with many fans of the Steve McQueen asking if the story is true. The story of The Blitz is very real, with it being one of the most famous moments in World War II. The real-world The Blitz attacks occurred from September 1940 to May 1941, with the dangerous attacks wreaking havoc on London. Things began to calm down when Germany ordered the Luftwaffe to instead focus on defending German U-boats, with London taking down more of the bomber planes until they eventually stopped coming.
While The Blitz was real, the main characters of Blitz aren’t. George and Rita are fictional characters made up for this story, with them turning Blitz into a historical fiction movie. However, Steve McQueen was inspired to create George by a real-life photo that he saw of a young child standing by himself at a subway station during The Blitz (via Biography). McQueen wanted to tell the story of The Blitz through a child’s eyes, leading to him creating this fictional story that very easily could have happened during the real events.
George’s story is heavily inspired by true events, however, as many children were actually evacuated from London during The Blitz. 800,000 children were evacuated from the UK in order to take them far away from the bombing campaign, with it being likely that a story similar to George’s actually happened.
What Happened To George’s Dad In Blitz
Why Wasn’t He Around In Blitz?
One of the biggest mysteries at the end of Blitz has to do with what happened to George’s dad. While George’s dad isn’t around in the main Blitz timeline, the movie does feature a flashback scene that shows Rita and George’s dad at a club. While leaving, several racist white men begin to harass George’s dad, with them starting a fight with him. The police then come and arrest George due to him being black. Rita later tells George that their father was taken away from them, with her presumably referencing his arrest that is seen in this flashback.
Blitz Paints A Picture Of What Living In The Blitz Was Actually Like
And It Is Done Through George’s Eyes
While Steve McQueen’s Blitz does have a lot of themes, it seems that the main goal of the film was for it to paint a picture of what living in The Blitz was actually like. George’s journey acts as an excuse for Blitz to show off different vignettes, with George meeting a variety of characters and participating in a variety of stories throughout his journey. He meets a police officer, a gang of robbers who take what is left of the wreckage, survivors who are forced to sleep in the subway system, and more. Things like this really happened during The Blitz, with audiences seeing them through George’s eyes.
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Meanwhile, the story of Rita attempts to show what it is like being a woman in The Blitz. While George is gone, Rita has to fill in for the men who are at war, with her beginning to work in a factory. However, Rita is still the subject of much sexism while working this job, with her and her coworkers fighting for London to do things like open up the Underground for their survival. Rita has to be a worried mother on top of being an employee, with her having to look for her son like many others did in the aftermath of the bombings.
The Real Meaning Of Blitz’s Ending
What Is The Film Trying To Say?
Blitz has a lot of themes due to the variety of stories that it contains, but it is mainly focused on showing how different types of oppression can be exasperated during conflicts. Despite London constantly being barraged by bombs, black characters like George are still the subject of a lot of racism. As can be seen with the racists who don’t want to share a bunker with people of different color, Blitz is focused on how these bigoted beliefs are still carried even when it is completely irrational, such as during the height of World War II.
During the London Blitz of World War II, a diverse group of Londoners navigates the chaos and destruction of the German bombardment. Their intertwined stories of survival, resilience, and camaraderie capture the spirit of a city under siege.
- Release Date
- November 1, 2024
- Cast
- Elliott Heffernan , Saoirse Ronan , Paul Weller , Harris Dickinson , Benjamin Clementine , Kathy Burke , Stephen Graham , Leigh Gill , Mica Ricketts , CJ Beckford , Alex Jennings , Joshua McGuire , Hayley Squires , Erin Kellyman , Sally Messham
- Character(s)
- George , Rita , Gerald