Out of the Darkness 2022

Drama

War

Box Office

$2M

Runtime

154 mins

Language

Danish

Directed by

Anders Refn

Made by

Space Rocket Nation ApS

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Out of the Darkness Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Out of the Darkness (2022). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

In a distant time when Europe was still blanketed by ice and unknown dangers, a small band of six humans travels across a rugged, unfamiliar landscape in search of a place to call home. The group is led by Adem, who is accompanied by his pregnant partner Ave, his younger brother Geirr, and Adem’s 11-year-old son Heron. They are joined by Beyah, a young woman, and Odal, an older man, as they push toward the mountains in hopes of finding a cave and a safer life.

Their journey grows perilous as a mysterious creature appears, and in the darkness of night, Heron is abruptly taken. The group, driven by fear and a stubborn resolve, follows Adem into the woods. In the chaotic scramble that follows, Adem sustains mortal injuries while Geirr carries him back to camp. Faced with the inevitability of starvation and the grim choice before them, Beyah suggests a brutal measure: Adem’s body is consumed to keep everyone alive, a decision that weighs heavily on the group and fractures their trust.

As Geirr strains to guide them through the forest, Odal grows increasingly paranoid, convinced that a demon stalks them. He contends with Beyah and Ave, attempting to force a brutal sacrifice to restore balance in his own mind. A struggle ensues, Geirr is knocked unconscious, and Beyah escapes into the uncertain wild. Odal’s violence continues when he wounds Ave, only for Ave to retaliate and break his ankle. Above them, the sky glows with aurora, a haunting light that deepens the sense of otherworldly peril. In the fog of fear, the creature reappears to claim Ave’s body, leaving the group to confront a painful reality.

By dawn Beyah and Geirr discover the truth behind the night’s horror: the creature is not a demon but a female Neanderthal wearing a mask. They follow her to a mountainside cave, where Beyah hopes to find the Neanderthal before retreating into the unknown. Inside the cave, Beyah confronts a male Neanderthal who tries to strangle her. She feigns death, then fights back, using a wooden spear to mortally wound him and press forward to uncover the fate of Heron.

Inside, Beyah finds Heron alive but threatened by the masked Neanderthal. Geirr, drawn by Beyah’s screams, presses on, only to be slain by the female Neanderthal who wields a stone ax. The confrontation leaves Beyah cornered, but she ignites fur bedding to create a desperate escape and drags Heron out through a narrow vertical opening. The Neanderthal female attempts to flee but becomes stuck at the top; as Heron urges help, Beyah delivers a decisive blow with a rock and kills her.

In the aftermath, Beyah explains what happened to Heron and the others, insisting that the Neanderthals were monsters who killed the group. Heron challenges that view, saying, “They are like us,” hinting at a deeper kinship and the unsettling idea that the abducted boy may have been sheltered and fed by those they deemed enemies. The two make a fragile peace as they survey the cave where Ave’s body lay in the Neanderthals’ care, a funeral that Beyah and the Neanderthals had prepared.

With the cave claimed and the night’s horrors weighed upon them, Beyah and Heron bury the dead and reflect on the price of survival. Beyah recognizes that the Neanderthals were, in many ways, simply people—afraid of the unknown, driven by love and hunger, just as their own group is. The pair resolve to move forward, carrying the Neanderthals’ memory with them.

As Beyah recounts their story to Heron, she admits regret for the killing, yet she also accepts the hard-won lesson: the first of a new people has emerged from the blood and fear of the old. Heron presents Ave’s body, laid out with care, and the two lay her to rest as they prepare to leave the cave behind. Beyah’s final words signal a cautious optimism born of hardship: “She and the boy learned to survive, the first of a new people.” When Heron asks, “What do we do now?” the answer is simple, hopeful, and forward-looking: “We try again.”

Out of the Darkness Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of Out of the Darkness (2022) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Arrival on the unknown shore

Six humans arrive on the shores of unknown land in search of a better life. The group is led by Adem and includes his mate Ave, his younger brother Geirr, 11-year-old Heron, and companions Beyah and Odal. They push inland with the aim of finding a cave to shelter them from the wild.

45,000 years ago unknown shore

Journey toward the mountains

The group begins trekking toward the mountains, hoping to settle in a cave. They press through unfamiliar terrain, wary of threats that lurk in the wild. The search for a safe shelter becomes the central purpose of their days.

shortly after arrival toward the mountains

The abduction in the night

A mysterious creature raids the camp at night and abducts Heron. The rest of the group awakens to fear and immediately prepares to pursue into the forest. They are driven to follow Adem’s insistence despite the danger.

night woods near camp

Adem wounded and mercy killed

Adem attempts to track the creature into the woods but returns to the camp with mortal wounds. Beyah makes the painful choice to mercy kill Adem to end his suffering. The group faces a grim dilemma as hunger and fear press in on their fragile cohesion.

night to dawn camp edge/woodland

Tension and a dangerous ritual

Geirr leads the group through the forest, but they become lost and fearful. Odal blames Beyah, fearing a demon, and he and Ave conspire to sacrifice Beyah to protect Ave. A scuffle knocks Geirr unconscious and Beyah escapes into the trees.

midnight to early morning forest camp

Ave's fate and the aurora moment

In the struggle, Odal stabs Ave, and she counters by breaking his ankle. As the forest lights up with aurora borealis, the creature appears and carries Ave's body away. Beyah and Geirr watch the eerie scene unfold with mounting dread.

pre-dawn forest

Dawn confrontation: Odal slain; Neanderthal identity emerges

At dawn Beyah and Geirr witness the creature kill Odal as it drags Ave’s body toward the mountains. They ambush the creature, but it escapes, leaving behind the growing realization that it is a female Neanderthal wearing a mask. The hunt for answers continues.

dawn forest edge

Trail to the mountain and cave discovery

Beyah and Geirr follow the Neanderthal’s trail toward the mountains and locate a cave they believe could be her lair. The pursuit becomes a harsher trek as they search for shelter and the truth about the threat they face. The cave offers both danger and a glimmer of hope.

following dawn toward mountains, cave entrance

Beyah enters the cave and confronts the first Neanderthal

Inside the cave, Beyah is pinned by a male Neanderthal who tries to strangle her. She feigns death, then stabs him and mortally wounds him, reclaiming her spear as she presses deeper. She then discovers an unharmed Heron waiting in the shadows.

inside cave after entry cave interior

Geirr arrives; female Neanderthal strikes

Geirr, drawn by Beyah’s screams, curses deeper into the cave and encounters the female Neanderthal. She attacks and fatally wounds Geirr with a stone ax, leaving Beyah to confront the danger alone. The loss further tests the survivors’ resolve.

shortly after Beyah's discovery cave interior

Escape through the cave opening

The female Neanderthal threatens Beyah, who then sets fur bedding on fire to create a distraction. She and Heron scramble through a small vertical opening and escape the cave. The pursuer struggles to follow as the cliff’s edge blocks her path.

escape moment cave opening

Final kill and aftermath

The female Neanderthal remains trapped at the top of the opening, and Heron attempts to help. Beyah ends the threat with a rock, killing the Neanderthal and freeing themselves. They emerge into the daylight, shaken by what they have endured.

post-escape cave mouth

Reflection: they are monsters or us

Back outside, Beyah tells Heron that the Neanderthals were not monsters but people as terrified of the unknown as their group. Heron replies that they are like us, underscoring a shared humanity beneath different appearances.

after escape cave exterior

Ave’s body and a funeral arrangement

Inside the cave, Beyah and Heron discover Ave’s body laid out by the Neanderthals in preparation for a funeral. They bury the dead, honoring the fallen and seeking a measure of understanding from the night’s violence. The experience leaves them with a sobering sense of loss and continuity.

aftermath cave interior

A new beginning and a vow to try again

Beyah declares the cave theirs and recognizes a turning point for their people. She and Heron bury their losses and vow to move forward with the lessons learned. Heron’s question, 'What do we do now?' receives the resolute answer: 'We try again.'

post-conflict cave interior

Out of the Darkness Characters

Explore all characters from Out of the Darkness (2022). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Adem

Group leader whose relentless pursuit of a safer future drives the mission into the forest. His pragmatism and willingness to take risks create tension within the group and precipitate a chain of deadly events. Adem is mortally wounded and ultimately becomes the catalyst for Beyah’s defining moral choice.

🧭 Leader ⚔️ Risk-taker 🩸 Tragic casualty

Ave

Adem’s pregnant mate, whose presence intensifies the group’s stakes and moral decisions. She fights to protect the unborn child amid escalating danger, and her death marks a turning point in the group’s survival narrative. Her absence deepens Beyah’s resolve and the sense of loss pervading the journey.

🤰 Expectant mother 🛡️ Protector 🕊️ Hope

Geirr

Adem’s younger brother, a determined and steady presence who tries to steady the group after Adem is wounded. He pushes to keep the group moving and to navigate the dangers of the forest, ultimately meeting a fatal encounter with the Neanderthal threat.

🪓 Loyal 🪵 Steadfast 🛡️ Survivor

Heron

Adem and Ave’s 11-year-old son, a boy who embodies the fragile future of the group. He is abducted and later found alongside Beyah, playing a pivotal role in reframing the Neanderthals as beings capable of relation and protection rather than mere danger.

🧒 Curious 🌅 Dawn of survival 🪶 Innocence

Beyah

A young woman who becomes the group’s moral compass under pressure. She questions the brutal choices around them, survives the night, and ultimately confronts the Neanderthals with a mix of pragmatism and empathy. Beyah’s actions and reflections later frame the possibility of a new common humanity.

🗺️ Pragmatic 🗡️ Protective ❤️ Empathy

Odal

An older man whose fear-driven worldview leads him to propose sacrifice and blame as a way to avert danger. His aggression culminates in a violent clash with the unknown, and he is killed as the night unfolds, highlighting the peril of superstition in a precarious world.

⚖️ Moral conflict 🗡️ Aggressive 🔪 Desperation

Out of the Darkness Settings

Learn where and when Out of the Darkness (2022) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Time period

45,000 years ago

Set in the late Upper Paleolithic, the world is a harsh, cold expanse that tests human endurance. Migration, scarcity, and the struggle for shelter dominate daily life, pushing people to extreme choices in order to endure. The era hints at early interactions between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, as cultures collide on the edge of a evolving human story.

Location

Upper Paleolithic Europe

The narrative unfolds on the shores of an unknown land during the last Ice Age, as a small group moves inland toward mountains in search of a cave to settle. The landscape is rugged and raw, with forests, cold air, and scarce resources shaping every decision. The coming of a mysterious creature and encounters with Neanderthals tint the environment with danger and moral complexity, highlighting how place can force groups to redefine what it means to survive.

🧭 Prehistoric setting 🗺️ Ice Age wilderness 🐾 Shoreline to forest transition

Out of the Darkness Themes

Discover the main themes in Out of the Darkness (2022). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

🔥

Survival

Survival drives every decision, from foraging for scarce food to navigating threats and internal group tensions. The characters make grim choices, including cannibalism, to endure winter and protect the vulnerable. The film uses raw hardship to reveal what people will do when hope is scarce and the line between life and death blurs.

👥

Otherness

The encounter with Neanderthals challenges the group’s fear-based assumptions about ‘the other.’ The line They are like us is spoken, hinting at shared humanity beneath species differences. Perceived monsters become real people, inviting reflection on empathy, prejudice, and the complexity of coexistence.

🌱

New Beginnings

The ending gestures toward a new lineage born from tragedy and hard-won insight. Beyah and Heron’s survival suggests a shift in how the group will navigate the world, learning to see kinship beyond immediate kin and planning for a cautious, combined future.

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Out of the Darkness Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of Out of the Darkness (2022). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In the bleak, open landscape of Upper Paleolithic Europe, a small band of wanderers has just set foot on an uncharted shore, hoping to carve out a future far from the hardships they left behind. Led by the determined Adem, the group includes his pregnant partner, a younger brother, and a precocious eleven‑year‑old son, alongside two other travelers whose pasts are hinted at but not fully known. Their journey toward distant mountains is driven by the promise of shelter and a new beginning, yet the raw wilderness quickly reveals itself as a place where hope and danger are inseparable.

The atmosphere is one of stark survival, framed by the haunting silence of dense forests and the eerie light of the aurora that haunts the night sky. As the company searches for a safe haven, an unsettling presence stalks the perimeter, prompting a mixture of curiosity and dread. Within the group, differing worldviews surface: the pragmatic drive of Geirr to keep everyone moving, Beyah’s intuition that something beyond their understanding watches them, and Odal’s deep‑rooted superstitions that cast ordinary events in a mythic light. These tensions create a fragile balance, making every decision feel like a gamble between progress and peril.

Against this backdrop, the film cultivates a tone that blends awe‑inspiring natural beauty with a primal sense of unease. The young Heron embodies both vulnerability and the spark of adaptability that could shape a new lineage, while Beyah’s quiet resilience hints at a leadership emerging from unexpected places. The story lingers on the tension between humanity’s yearning for connection and the terrifying unknown that lurks just beyond sight, inviting the audience to wonder how far these early pioneers will go to claim a foothold in a world that is at once hostile and full of promise.

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