Meg Ryan's 2023 film What Happens Later is a romantic comedy in which she stars as Willa Davis, who reunites with her ex-boyfriend Bill Davis (played by David Duchovny) after their flights are delayed by a snowstorm at an airport
. What happens later in the story:
- Willa and Bill, who dated in their 20s, spend the day and night together at the airport, awkwardly reconnecting and revisiting old arguments, while potentially reigniting their spark
- After the storm clears, they part ways with a long, passionate kiss but no clear resolution on whether they will get back together. Willa boards her flight to meet the daughter she gave up for adoption, encouraged by Bill's message "JUST TRY" written on an old business card he gave her
- From their plane windows, they try to exchange phone numbers using hand signals, but their planes take off before they can complete the exchange. The vapor trails from their planes form a heart shape, symbolizing their unresolved connection
- Meg Ryan explains the ending is intentionally open-ended, reflecting that Willa and Bill are "always hitting and missing," constantly trying to reconcile but never fully achieving balance or closure. Their relationship is portrayed as ongoing and cyclical, like the yin-yang symbol, representing halves of a whole who keep coming back to each other but also keep struggling
- The film explores themes of missed understandings, the impact of past heartbreaks, and the idea that larger forces might be at work in their lives, even if it feels like suffering at the moment. Ryan hopes the ending is not a cop-out but a mature reflection on love's complexities
In summary, What Happens Later ends on a bittersweet, ambiguous note, leaving it up to the audience to decide if Willa and Bill ultimately reunite, while emphasizing that their connection and struggles will likely continue indefinitely
