The Fare Movie Explained: What Actually Happened

The Fare is a 2018 psychological mystery film directed by D.C. Hamilton. The story is centred on two people, a cab driver and his fare, who are seemingly stuck in a timeloop. As they begin enjoying their company through the many taxi rides, the reality of it all comes crashing down. The cast has Gino Anthony Pesi and Brinna Kelly (also the film’s writer) in the leading roles. The movie is made on a tiny budget and has a great story, do check it out. Here’s the plot and ending of the 2018 movie The Fare explained; spoilers ahead.

Contents

Here are links to the key aspects of the movie:

• – What we think is going on
• – What is actually going on
• – Who is Penny? 
• – Who is Harris?
• – What does Harris notice about the scar on Penny’s head?
• – What is the water in the cab mean?
• – Ending Explained
• – What’s up with that thunderstorm?

The Fare Movie: What we think is going on

The film sees Harris, a cab driver, on his way to pick up his passenger, Penny, and before he can drop her at her destination, she disappears. Each time he resets his fare meter, he loops over and picks her up again. Harris does this in loops without retaining memories from previous trips. This one time, something on the road causes Harris to brake hard, and Penny hurts her head. As Harris touches her, he remembers Penny’s name. We’re lead to believe that Harris and Penny are living the same 20 minutes over and over in a timeloop, The two begin enjoying each others company, and things get romantic.

By now, a couple of questions begin surfacing in our minds beyond why the couple are looping. 

• What is Harry doing driving a cab in the middle of nowhere?
• What is Penny doing in the middle of nowhere?
• What is that thunderstorm?

Well, this is not a timeloop movie at all. Neither Harris nor Penny is living the same 20 minutes repeatedly.

The Fare Movie: Plot Explained: What is actually going on

Let’s answer all the questions pertaining to what the heck is going on in this lovely film.

Who is Penny? 

Penny is actually Persephone, the daughter of Zeus who was married off to Hades, the God of Death, with the permission of Zeus. Here’s what Penny mentions to Harris when he asks her why she can divorce her cold husband, “Our families are influential, and our marriage is an alliance between them“. She’s talking about the Gods.

What is Penny doing in the middle of nowhere?

Each year Penny takes a trip outside the underworld. While there are many ways for her to leave, there’s only one way to return – the taxi trip with Harris. The middle of nowhere is the path back to the underworld.

So, who is Harris?

Harris is the ferryman. He ferries souls into the afterlife and works for the God of Death, who has sentenced Harry eternally.

Why has Harris been punished?

Well, sadly, Harris is not at fault; it was all Penny’s doing. Each year she visited the land of the living and returned uneventfully. However, on one of her trips, she happened to meet a friendly cab driver named Harris and fell in love. In his ignorance, Harris begins a relationship with Penny that is short-lived as her time comes to return to the underworld. Without explaining anything to Harris, she leaves, and Harris finds only her empty house. 

In his distress, Harris crashes his cab and dies. I would reckon the God of Death arranged for this. Even if he didn’t, he punishes Harris to become his ferryman.

What does Harris notice about the scar on Penny’s head?

Penny received a scar on her head when she hit the partition in the cab when Harris braked hard. He notices that her wound didn’t reset; it healed. This means Penny hasn’t been resetting, and neither has he. When Harris demands to know the truth about what’s going on, Penny asks him to not drink the water before disappearing. In his next trip, Harris throws out the water and finds that someone else enters his cab and not Penny. As he drops the old man off, Harris asks dispatch over the radio what really is going on. Dispatch, who is the God of Death explains that Harris is a ferryman.

What is the water in the cab? Why doesn’t Harris know he’s a ferryman now?

To make Harris’ purgatory bearable, Penny provisions a special glass of water for him. Each time Harris drinks it, his memories as a ferryman are erased. For years (maybe centuries), Harris has been ferrying souls with no recollection of his time as a ferryman thanks to the water. His love and connection with Penny lets him remember her alone among everyone he ferries.

The Fare Movie: Ending Explained

The ending of the movie Fare reveals that Penny is Persephone, who fell in love with a man named Harris, and for this, Harris was sentenced by the God of Death to an eternity of being his ferryman. Harris and Penny are not looping but meeting each other once a year for twenty minutes. While the special water that Penny has left Harris makes him forget his life as a ferryman, his love for Penny makes him remember her alone. Harris decides to not drink the water and embraces his job as a ferryman as he sees the nobility in getting people to their destination.

Penny is very sorry that because of her, Harris suffers eternity as a ferryman. She urges him to drink the water so he doesn’t need to remember anything. Harris refuses to do so as he feels he might forget Penny. He thinks that he’s lucky enough to have 20 minutes each year with the woman he loves as it gives him purpose. They kiss and the film comes to a close.

Wait, what’s up with that thunderstorm?

Oh, that’s just the God of Death getting ready for a fight with Penny, which she knows by experience she’ll win.

What did you think about the movie The Fare and its ending? Leave a note below.