Streaming on Netflix, ‘Freaks: You’re One of Us’, is a superhero flick that follows the journey of a German woman named Wendy (Cornelia Groschel), who is an ordinary & shy fast-food worker. As the story progresses, Wendy finds out that she has superpowers. Later, she goes on a hunt to find more people like her and comes across a conspiracy that hid the existence of several such people.
The Plot Summary
Wendy is a married, dedicated mother who loves her family very much. We learn that she isn’t quite well-off financially. One day, when she’s taking the trash out at work, she runs into a mysterious homeless beggar (Wotan Wilke Möhring) who tells her that “you’re one of us.”
He then informs her that the pills her shrink Dr Stern (Nina Kunzendorf) has prescribed her, suppress superpowers that she has had by birth. Instinctively, she wonders what all of this suggests, and stops taking her medication out of curiosity. When the three men try to assault her, she pushes them away with tremendous strength, understanding the true meaning of what the beggar meant.
Then, she meets the beggar again and slowly starts unfolding her newly found powers. She also sees that Elmar (Tim Oliver Schultz), a coworker, has similar powers. She tells him that he will reveal the truth if he stops taking the pills as well. But soon, the new initiates notice that people with special powers are locked up in a mental health facility that functions as a prison. The superheroes are then forced to confront their realities.
Freaks: You’re One of Us Ending Explained
Image Source: Netflix
Domestic pleasure is out of reach for Wendy as soon as she starts training herself. Her husband (Frederic Linkemann) believes that she is cheating on him. Her son even says that the changes in her temperament have begun to frighten him. She hugs him and tells him that she also feels similar to what he does.
She confesses that she had a thing with Elmar, but also admits to her husband that she still wants to have a family with him. Elmar is also an old patient of Dr Stern and attends his appointments regularly. Nevertheless, he still has a lesser-known motive. After the tramp told him that he couldn’t just parade his electric powers around as his actions have consequences, Elmar informs the doctor about the beggar.
Elmar wreaks havoc when he shows up at Wendy’s House during her son’s birthday party. He informs her about the tramp’s arrest and confesses his love to her. But she is unimpressed and tells him to leave her house immediately. Elmar’s behaviour also sparks a dispute between Wendy and her husband, which ends with her thrusting him into some furniture. Following this, Elmar uses his power on his father, and when Wendy sees this, he hurts her as well.
Wendy wakes up at the psychiatric department, and Dr Stern assures her she only had a nervous breakdown. She comforts her by saying that she is not a freak, but just ill. It revealed that in her childhood, Wendy, actually killed the principal of her school after he confiscated her walkman in front of her mother.
Wendy then spends several days at the mental institution, going through with the changes gradually. Dr Stern revisits Wendy’s husband and urges him to get the son for a checkup to assure his mental well-being. He is also put on the same medications as his mother.
The Grand Finale
Image Source: Netflix
Elmar visits Wendy at the facility and gifts her a ‘Walkman’ to apologize. He has changed & believes that people like her are meant for extraordinary things, and he sees why Wendy won’t commit to the greater good because of her family. After a few moments, the lights go out, and Wendy, accompanying the other residents, escapes the institution. Dr Stern ends up killing the mysterious beggar, and he dies in Wendy’s arms.
He tells her that he has tried to kill himself countless times after an accident that took his family away from him. He tells her to reassemble the other superhuman and keep up with his legacy and last wish. In the meantime, Elmar shows up at Wendy’s House and ties up her husband in a string of bulbs that he controls with his electric powers. However, Wendy arrives in time and saves the day by forcing him into their pool, and this burns him severely.
The show ends, Wendy’s husband tries affirming her that he can protect her, and ensures that there is a fair chance the family can have a fresh start. But she knows that this is not possible and leaves. After gathering the information she has on the other people, she begins with her mission to make the beggar’s vision come true. Through the post-credits scene, it is revealed that Wendy’s son also has superhuman powers, just like his mother.
