The Lost Patient also known as Le Patient is a French thriller drama directed by Christophe Charrier. Based on the book written by Timothé Le Boucher, The Lost Patient shows how a young boy named Thomas (Txomin Vergez) finds the killer of his family with the help of his therapist. The movie set in 2001, unravels the truth and explores the aspects of mental health keenly. The movie’s producer is Juliette Sol and is produced by Stromboli Films.
The movie’s cast includes Thomas Grimaud, Clotilde Hesme as Anna Kieffer, Rebecca Williams as Laura Grimaud, Audrey Dana as Betty Grimaud, Stéphane Rideau as Marc Grimaud, Matthieu Lucci as Dylan and Alex Lawther as Bastien. The music for the film was done by Alex Beaupain, and the cinematography by Pierre Baboin. The movie runs for an hour and a half and is available in Polish, French and English language.
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The Lost Patient Ending Revealed: and the Killer is…
Thomas Grimaud himself. While battling with a mental health disorder for years, Thomas murders his parents and his cousin, Dylan, out of rage. Thomas, who has always lacked parental love, grows into an aggressive teen who copes with his pain by assaulting his parents and others. He is so aggressive that he kills the neighbour’s dog for barking.
Towards the end, we see that the unknown killer wearing a hoodie is none other than Thomas himself. After murdering his family, Thomas wears a black hoodie, goes out of the house, and returns only to find his dead family. He cries and regrets his mistakes. One could clearly see that he has been struggling with bipolar disorder as he starts crying for the family he killed.
So is Laura an Actual Person?
Laura Grimaud is an actual person, but the person represented as Laura is not real. When Thomas is born, the Grimauds lose their 10-year-old daughter Laura. Thus, they start neglecting care for Thomas as they’re caught up in processing Laura’s death. As time passes, it is clear that Thomas is never bothered at home.
Back at Dylan’s house, one could see Thomas’s rage at discovering that there wasn’t a single image of his younger self in the family album. We also get to see that Laura was never there during those events, but he created that figure to escape his sad and lonely reality. Moreover, it can be seen at the end when Thomas sits down after stabbing himself, he watches a girl singing on the TV. Maybe that is why, when he woke up from a coma, he remembered that particular girl and made her Laura’s character.
All the times he pictured Laura doing something, be it aggressively kissing a girl, yelling at a stranger, and such, it was actually Thomas who was doing it. In one scene, when Thomas pictures Laura hugging the mother, to which the mother responds negatively, it is realized that Thomas is actually experiencing it. In another scene, when Laura presents the mother with a bracelet, the mother seems uninterested and throws the gift in the garbage. It’s evident that it was Thomas who gave the gift, which was not appreciated by the mother.
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Why Did Thomas Kill Dylan and the Grimauds?
One can’t justify the fact that Thomas killed because of his trauma, but yes, that is the core reason behind it. He did kill, and he deserves the punishment for that, but if we look deeply, we can get a clear picture of how poorly he was treated. Because they had lost Laura, his birth was regarded as a curse. When Thomas was a baby, he wasn’t even fed well or bothered when he was crying. Thomas has always been neglected and was forced to sleep in the basement room.
Whereas, when Dylan moves into the Grimauds’ house due to his dying mother, Thomas sees how his parents treat Dylan with love and care. In fact, Dylan gets to sleep in Laura’s bedroom, which has been cleaned and closed for years. This enrages Thomas and pushes him to kill the family who had made his life pathetic. If his mental health issues had been identified as soon as he began to become aggressive, both his parents and Thomas could have repaired their relationship.
Why is Anna Trying to Give Thomas a New Life?
Anna, on the other hand, believes that if Thomas’ problems had been noticed earlier, he could have been changed into a fine young man. As he murdered his parents while he was 16 years old, Anna believes that the present-day, 19-year-old Thomas can lead a new life. Anna also goes to the extreme, where she is seen quarrelling with a doctor to let Thomas live peacefully.
In the end, we only see Thomas lying on the hospital bed, tied up, as his eyes tear up. As he finally realizes that he killed his family, Anna stays beside him as a sign of hope for him to lead a new life.
The Lost Patient: Final Verdict
I personally believe this movie must be watched by everyone, as it depicts reality. There are various cases of children murdering or assaulting family members due to abuse and improper care. This movie shows mental health aspects neatly, and the ending’s plot twist is on point. The ending is a vital point for viewers to realize how deadly one’s life can turn if one lack a good childhood.
Speaking of Thomas, we do not know whether he is going to be fine after his horrible act. But we do know that he has Anna beside him to help him move on. If you haven’t yet watched the movie or want to rewatch it, it is streaming on Netflix now.