The ending of the film Christy explained by stars Sydney Sweeney and Katy O’Brian

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Christy.Christie stars Sydney Sweeney and Katy O’Brian explain the film’s haunting ending. Sweeney plays real-life professional boxer Christy Martin in the sports drama film, while O’Brian plays Lisa Holewyne, a boxing opponent of Christy’s who later becomes his wife.

In an interview with ScreenRantFrom Liam Crowley, Sweeney was asked about the moment Christy gets into a car and apologizes for getting blood on the seat, and how that may have changed the actor’s perception of his character.

Sweeney explains that this moment demonstrates Christy’s selflessness, that she thinks of others and still sometimes sees herself as a burden. She also reveals that it is “one of my favorite shots”even though the scene was shot at the end of the day in just five or seven minutes. Check out his comments below:

It was one of those moments where, even though everything is happening to her, she still thinks of others. Maybe she’s always aware of the burden she’s putting on someone else instead of really thinking about herself. But this scene was really interesting. It was the very end of the day, we didn’t have time. We shot that scene in five or seven minutes. It was a catch; we don’t have time anymore. And it’s also one of my favorite photos.

O’Brian was asked about the final scene between Christy and Jim Martin (Ben Foster), the boxer’s trainer and abusive husband who almost ends up killing her. Although O’Brian wasn’t on set when Christy and Jim’s tense scene was filmed, she reveals her reaction to the moment and why she appreciates the way director David Michôd approached it.

I wasn’t. I’m glad I wasn’t. I guess, like most people, I don’t like watching violence against women. I prefer not to do it. One thing I really liked about the way David handled this was a lot of it was in the expressions. You didn’t really see the knife go in and in and in. I think that might feel very… like a further violation in some way. Then, there were also other scenes of violence where we see it happening behind the scenes, off camera. I think it’s really important to show that this is what’s happening in people’s lives as well. They may, in public or in everyday life, seem healthy, like they’re in a normal relationship, and what’s happening that you don’t see is the part that’s really traumatic. And a lot of that happened completely off-screen, which for me was very powerful. I think it was much more tasteful for him to do it that way.

Beyond being just a traditional sports drama film, Christie addresses many important issues, including domestic violence. For O’Brian, it is important that the ending focuses more on the characters’ expressions and incidents that happen off-screen instead of showing every detail of the violence. The film also highlights how these relationships can appear normal and healthy from the outside, while the rest of the world doesn’t see the trauma unfolding.

ChristieReviews have been mixed, but Sweeney’s performance has been consistently praised by critics, highlighting how she immerses herself in the lead role. Her performance may also be related to her deep understanding of the real Christy Martin, as evidenced by her explanation of how Christy feels when she puts blood in the car.

There has even been talk about the possibility of Sweeney receiving a 2026 Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. By Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) to Emma Stone (Bugonia), it’s a very competitive year for this category, but the strength of Sweeney’s performance and the positive response it garners could still lead to a nomination.

Regardless of what happens during awards season, Christie was recognized for telling an important story and featuring some of Sweeney and O’Brian’s career-best performances. Sweeney’s next film is The cleaning ladyreleased on December 19, while O’Brian’s is The running manreleased on November 14.

Release date

November 7, 2025

Runtime

135 minutes

Director

David Michod

Writers

Mirrah Foulkes, David Michôd

Producers

Brent Stiefel, Kerry Kohansky-Roberts, Sydney Sweeney, Teddy Schwarzman, John Friedberg, Michael Heimler, Justin Lothrop, Brad Zimmerman, David Levine