‘Queens On the Run’ Ending, Explained: Why Do The Queens Visit El Gavilan’s Club? Do They Discover Their True Selves?
A road trip genre film always amuses me because it gives an opportunity to escape the routine world to an adventure of its own. “Queens On The Run” by Jorge Macaya promises us freedom from everyday confinement and control. But unlike other road trip movies, there is nothing significant that is happening in this movie that actually bugged me a little. The director introduces a few conflicts in between to entertain the audience and also, time and again, suggests that it is important to get lost to find oneself again. Making this road trip existentially fulfilling, there is also a philosophy on life introduced to the audience: that life can be bitter and sweet, short and long, and that it totally depends on the choices we make. For those who enjoy life, it is short, and for those who suffer in life, it is longer.
What makes this road trip film interesting are the individual stories of these four women and their evolution over a period of time during the trip. Famela is not able to reconcile with the fact that her mother is no more, and Marilu is having a hard time with her husband, Jose, who doesn’t even remember their wedding anniversary. Patricia, or Paty, is overly conscious of her body due to the remarks of Esteban, her husband, who doesn’t really respect her. And Estrella dyes her hair pink and likes Antonio Posadas, Marilu’s ex-boyfriend, who will be attending a conference in Cancun.
Why Do The Women Decide On A Road Trip To Cancun?
Paty, Famela, Estrella, and Marilu had planned a road trip when they were in high school but never executed it. Therefore, when they all meet while discussing their boring lives, they remember the trip plan and decide to go for it without informing anyone at home. Famela genuinely wants to put her mother to rest by scattering her ashes in the Caribbean sea, and therefore, only she informs her husband, Ramiro, about the trip. The other three women have their own reasons for the trip: Estrella wants to meet Antonio, Paty wants to visit a surgeon in Merida to get breast implants, and Marilu wants to get away from her least bothered husband, Jose.
The three thirty-something women leave for Cancun on Estrella’s Corcholata,” singing at the top of their voices and letting themselves loose. As they proceed, they see a jeep of men and excitedly try to draw their attention, taking turns. Estrella, taking it forward, flashes herself, because of which a cop, Roberto Martinex, produces a ticket. As they go ahead, they meet a hitchhiker, Lola, who needs a lift to Veracruz. They drop Lola off and then stay at a hotel in pairs, where they discuss their lives, revealing their pasts and their present desires.
The next day, while they are driving, the tire of the “Corcholata” pops, and thus, they get stranded on the road for hours. But two men come to their rescue and later reveal their dangerous side by stealing the ashes of Famela’s mom. Famela is angered by their actions, so they chase the men. Famela bumps their car onto the car the men drive and later, pulling her gun shoots at them. The men retaliate and bump their car onto the car the women are in. Thus, their car swerves off the road and reaches the edge of the cliff. All four women try to carefully manage to escape the fall from the cliff, but as soon as they get out of the car, the “Corcholata” falls off and blasts. Nevertheless, they get hippies who are on their way to a forest for camping. The women camp and get high by consuming ‘magic mushrooms, and then there is a wonderful scene of the women hallucinating and reconciling with their past. Also, Marilu gets to know about Antonio’s emails that were deleted by Estrella. From there, they are dropped off by the hippies in Valladolid, where they decide to go to El Gavilan’s club to search for the ashes.
‘Queens on the Run’ Ending Explained: Why Do The Queens Visit El Gavilan’s Club? Do they Discover Their True Selves?
Lola, a hitchhiker they had met, was actually on a secret mission to get El Gavilan arrested, and therefore she is found at Gavilan’s club. The women come to know that the man who stole the ashes was El Gavilan and therefore decide to help Lola get him arrested. They dress up as strippers secretly and assist Lola in her mission, as well as help Famela find her mother’s ashes. A fight breaks out, and in the midst of it, they try to search for the ashes and get hold of a gun. They find the ashes, but soon Tuerto, El Gavilan’s friend, takes them away. He tries to escape by throwing the ashes away. But they are rescued by Famela, who shoots Tuerto and jumps to catch the urn. Marilu, too finds a gun and takes up the courage to shoot in the shoulder of El Gavilan. They somehow manage to escape the fight and get El Gavilan arrested. The police arrest El Gavilan, and the women get famous as heroes for getting the most wanted criminal arrested.
They visited El Gavilan’s club in search of the ashes and nothing else. But when they meet Lola, they realize that the man they are looking for is involved in bigger trouble. He is a notorious arms dealer, human trafficker, kidnapper of young girls, and thief. Thus, they decide to help out Lola, who, though she had a few girls to assist her, due to food poisoning, couldn’t be of any help. Commander Lola, thus, shares her plan with them and gets them to execute it.
Thus, the visit of the queens to El Gavilan’s club proves to be beneficial for the women themselves, as they get the ashes back, and also for Lola, as they get the most wanted criminal. In this process, all three women find their lost selves and their lost happiness. They realize that nothing external is responsible for their happiness; rather, it is they themselves who are in charge. Thus, they go to visit Anotonio Posadas but refrain from speaking to him. But Antonio notices Estrella and tries to talk to her, but she doesn’t show any interest. Marilu at first thinks that Estrella is jealous and therefore keeping her away from Antonio. But Estrella reveals that Antonio was making advances toward her and cheating on Marilu; therefore, Estrella doesn’t want him to be with Marilu. Hence, Marilu knows for sure that her marriage with Jose will work if both of them work as a team. Thus, she expresses the same to Jose, and they agree to be complimenting the teammate from here on.
Paty, on the other hand, accepts and appreciates herself, and thus, she wants to be away from Esteban, who treats her badly, hardly cares for her, and cheats on her. Paty chooses herself rather than Esteban, who enforces his opinions on her. Famela, toward the end, goes to the Caribbean and scatters her mother’s ashes. From then on, she heals herself of the mommy issues and goes back to being a changed person. Each of the four women who undertook this road trip went through a process of change for the better. And like every road trip genre film that ends by altering perspectives, this too does the same adding value to the lives of the protagonists. Thus, their trip to Cancun ends positively.
A journey distinct by surprises which helps the women embrace their wickedness and frailties. A journey although predetermined and completely marked by uncertainties adds remarkable experiences to their lives making them heroes for the world to admire. “Queens On The Run” shows four women on the run, but only to find their true selves and return to be ambitiously victorious. Like “All The Places” we do not get to see the protagonists return home and embark on a transformed journey, but for sure, the four women have understood that they are capable of a lot more together. This trip has given them the confidence to fight the evil that continues to disturb society through people like El Gavilan. Although the film never set out to resolve a social issue, it does through these women tell us that we need people with a vision to make things work and bring out change. “Queens On The Run” optimistically shares how these women discovered their true selves through the tough times they encountered. We can probably expect a sequel and an entertaining story in the days to come.