‘Fingernails’ Ending Explained: Why Did Jessie Buckley Tear Out Her Fingernails?

The new Jessie Buckley movie, Fingernails, which began streaming on Apple TV+ today, is bringing soulmate AUs to mainstream audiences.

Directed by Christos Nikou, who also co-wrote the script with Sam Steiner and Stavros Raptis, Fingernails is a sci-fi romance about a world where couples are able to take a medical test to determine if they really are in love. It’s a concept that is more than familiar to anyone who’s read a “soulmate AU” fan-fiction in the last decade—I see you, Nikou! Drop your AO3 account, king.

Fingernails is a bit more prestige than a fanfic, though. The movie comes with a powerhouse cast led by Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley, Oscar winner Riz Ahmed, and the Emmy-nominated Jeremy Allen. It’s a treat to watch these three actors play around in this high-concept, low-budget romance. But the end of the film doesn’t exactly wrap up the loose ends, and will likely leave viewers with more questions than answers. Not to worry, because Decider is here to explain. Let’s get into the Fingernails ending explained, including the meaning of the Fingernails ending and why Anna ripped out her fingernails.

When does the Fingernails movie take place?

Fingernails takes place in a fictional, sci-fi universe that is removed from the modern day. That said, there are hints that the movie takes place vaguely in the ’70s or ’80s, based on the cars and technology. (Everyone plays records, and no one has a laptop or cell phone.) But that’s more a vibe and aesthetic. This is not a movie that is grounded in a specific time or place. It’s sci-fi!

Fingernails movie plot summary:

Anna (Jessie Buckley) and her boyfriend Ryan (Jeremy Allen White) are in love, and they know it for a fact. How? They took a medical “test” that involved each of them ripping out a fingernail and putting those nails in a machine, which can scientifically determine whether or not a couple is in love. Anna and Ryan are lucky—most couples get a negative result. But it’s clear that Anna still has her doubts. She and Ryan have settled into a routine, and the passion is clearly dwindling.

At the same time, Anna gets a new job at “The Love Institute,” an organization that both administers the test and also offers training and exercises to couples who want to increase the chances of a positive result. This includes things like regular talk therapy, shock therapy when your partner leaves a room, and a simulated fire to see if someone will rescue their partner in a life-or-death situation. Ryan, it’s clear, does approve of the institute, so Anna lies to him by saying she got a new job at an elementary school, instead.

But Anna is a romantic, and she loves the work that the institute does. She is partnered with a co-worker named Amir (Riz Ahmed), and together they work with couples to attempt to strengthen their relationship before taking the test. Amir and Anna have an easy chemistry. Meanwhile, the distance between Anna and Ryan continues to grow. He pulls away from her and is not interested in working on their relationship. In fact, he’s more concerned with car maintenance—insisting they take the car to the shop when the check engine light comes on—than he is with paying attention to the warning signs of their lackluster relationship.

Eventually, Anna comes clean with Ryan about where she’s been working, which seems to help the relationship somewhat. But there’s clearly something between Anna and Amir. Amir claims to have a girlfriend, Natasha (Annie Murphy), but he never wants to talk about her. When Anna meets Natasha at a party, she doesn’t seem to know about Amir’s gluten allergy. And when Anna visits Amir’s apartment, there is only one toothbrush in the bathroom.

One day at work, Anna and Amir are about to administer the test on Anna’s favorite couple. But the young man is afraid of having his fingernail yanked out (as he should be!) and wants to back out. In order to demonstrate that the test is not a big deal, Amir yanks out his own fingernail. It works, the couple takes the test, and they test positive. Later that day, Anna secretly yanks out her own fingernail and tests it with Amir’s nail. The result is 50 percent, which means that one person is in love, but the other is not.

After Anna determines that, in this universe, it is not biologically possible to be in love with more than one person at a time (sorry, poly friends!), she convinces Ryan to get re-tested. The result is positive: Both she and Ryan are in love with each other. Anna confesses all of this to Amir: That she knows he’s not really dating Natasha, that she tested her fingernails with both Amir and Ryan, and that she believes Amir is in love with her, but she is not in love with him. Amir replies that he thinks she is probably right.

Fingernails movie ending explained:

Anna shows up at Amir’s apartment in the middle of the night and asks to kiss him. They sleep together, and Anna confesses that she doesn’t want to go home to Ryan, and doesn’t care about the test results. Amir tells her that he doesn’t want her to leave, either, but that he doesn’t believe they can be together, given the results of the test. Amir tells Anna that he has never once tested as “in love” with someone before her.

Why did Anna tear out her fingernails?

Amir tells Anna she can stay the night, and that he will take her home in the morning. While Amir sleeps, Anna finds pliers in Amir’s apartment and begins to pull out her remaining fingernails. When Amir finds her and stops her, she tells him, “I don’t want them anymore.” Clearly, she no longer wants to be told who to love by a computer test. And yes, sometimes fingernails do grow back, but it’s symbolic, OK? Or maybe only original fingernails work for the test!

In the last scene of the movie, Amir tends to Anna’s fingers. He tells her,”This is going to hurt,” and Anna nods. He’s talking about disinfecting her wounds, but he’s also talking about whatever it is that comes next for both of them—it’s going to hurt. They look at each other and smile, while romantic music begins to play. With that, the movie ends.

Fingernails movie ending explained with analysis:

The Fingernails ending is left open-ended. Does Anna stay with Ryan? Does she get together with Amir, despite the test results? That’s up to you to decide. There are many ways to interpret the ending—one being that actually, it is possible to be in love with more than one person at a time. After all, if Amir always tests negative, it’s still possible that Anna—someone who loves so much— is the one in love with Amir, while also being in love with Ryan. You don’t just yank out your fingernails for anyone, right?

Another is that the test is simply wrong. All the evidence on the screen suggests that Anna and Amir are in love in a way that Anna and Ryan are simply not anymore. There’s no way to prove whether or not the test is correct—all of these people are simply placing faith in the institution of science and medicine. Personally, that’s my interpretation of the film. I’d like to think that Anna pulling out her fingernails means she realizes that she can’t let this test to control her life, and I’d like to think that Anna and Amir smiling at each other means they know they are in love, and will try to start their life together. Even if it hurts.