Healed Ending Explained: The Final Outcomes for Jazz and Olivia

Healed, directed by Meghan Weinstein, could have easily been dismissed as unworthy of attention if not for the final fifteen minutes. The climax does not save the film from being a disaster, but it does manage to make the entire experience feel less problematic.

For anyone who, like me, felt sick after watching this film, I hope this article brings you some comfort or, rather, some healing.

Plot Summary: What Happens in the Movie?

Jasmine, known as “Jazz,” and Olivia are a loving couple eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first child. A random phone call reveals that Olivia’s wealthy white father disapproves of her same-sex relationship, even though Olivia attempts to maintain her daddy’s approval.

Consequently, Jazz and Olivia decide to attend a retreat aimed at cleansing their spirits, even though Jazz is less than enthusiastic about it. She agrees to go for Olivia’s sake, but as we all know, these types of retreats rarely lead to good outcomes.

What Happens at the Retreat?

Movies like Healed often rely on a twist to engage viewers. Everything appears relatively normal—perhaps even a bit too normal. Yet, if you’ve seen enough films, you can sense that something sinister is afoot. Typically, such films reward audiences with surprises, but that isn’t the case with Healed.

It doesn’t take long for viewers to figure out the underlying issues, which contributes to the film’s larger problems. The retreat is managed by the unsettling Georgia, whose goal is to convert LGBTQ+ individuals to heterosexuality. Given the prevalent homophobia worldwide, this premise isn’t surprising.

Many people, especially from older generations, still believe sexual orientation is a choice. Thus, Olivia’s father devising a scheme to turn his daughter straight, finally pushing her towards marriage with a man, feels exaggerated yet amusing.

Healed could have thrived by focusing on this ludicrous aspect instead of striving to be a conventional psychological thriller. However, not everyone can master the craft like Jordan Peele.

How Does Georgia Try to Create a Rift Between the Couple?

I considered framing the question as “How does Georgia attempt to make Jazz and Olivia straight?” But even that thought felt ridiculous. Expecting originality from Healed would be foolish. The film aims for a Black Mirror-like experience, infusing a heavy dose of technology into the mix.

There’s an app, also called Healed, developed by Georgia, which supposedly hypnotizes gay individuals into believing that life is better as a straight person. However, that’s not Georgia’s only tactic. To add some authenticity and stretch the film beyond ninety minutes, she employs basic hypnotic techniques, including strobe lights.

One outstanding addition is Kevin, who appears as Jazz and Olivia’s would-be savior whenever they face danger—crafted by Georgia herself. The threats are minor, such as car breakdowns and creepy men attacking, yet this is enough to suggest the “value” of men as protectors.

How Does Jazz Save the Day?

Throughout the film, Jazz struggles with self-doubt regarding her ability to protect Olivia, stemming from her tumultuous past with her musician father, who was both an alcoholic and abusive. Although this issue only surfaces during the climax, it has been apparent from the start.

At one point, I feared the movie might succumb to ludicrous prejudice, which would have been incredibly problematic. Thankfully, Healed managed to pull back just in time. It was always intended for Jazz to come to her senses and recognize Georgia’s manipulation.

While she had her doubts from the beginning, Olivia became too engrossed in the retreat, overwhelmed by pregnancy stress. Consequently, Jazz had to play along, enduring hardship for Olivia’s sake.

Georgia successfully distances Olivia from Jazz and conducts a full brainwashing. There’s a brief moment when Olivia recognizes Jazz’s misery and decides to leave, but by then, she has succumbed too deeply to the hypnosis.

Fortunately, all Jazz needs is a specific trigger to break free from Georgia’s control. As fate would have it, that trigger comes from Georgia herself, who casually utters something only Olivia would say to Jazz.

The most satisfying moment of Healed occurs when Jazz confronts Kevin after she realizes his true intentions. Understanding that technology is the key to reversing the hypnosis and restoring Olivia’s senses, Jazz accesses Georgia’s computer to achieve this. Olivia, who is headed to her father’s place, returns to confront Georgia.

The film concludes with a cinematic sequence where Olivia and Jazz escape in a car, battered and bloodied yet stronger than ever. This outcome feels like the only way for the story to end.

Under different circumstances, this story could have been impactful, but unfortunately, that was not the case for Healed. I can’t wait to forget this entire experience, and I believe many of you feel the same way. Settle in for a cinematic journey with this movie now available on Amazon Prime Video.