The Sense of an Ending ending explained: What exactly happened to Adrian?

Released on April 14, 2017, the mystery drama film, The Sense of an Ending was based on Julian Barnes's 2011 novel of the same name. The film dealt with the important topic of memories and how they are interpreted differently by different people. It also emphasized how these different memories ultimately shape someone's present.

The plot of Sense of an Ending takes place in both the present and the past. Most of the film is presented in the form of recollections from the movie's main character, Tony.

In the present day, he is in his 60s or 70s and runs a camera shop in London. He leads a pretty simple life but is soon shaken by the sudden news of Sarah Ford, the mother of Tony's university flame Veronica Ford, leaving behind £500 and a diary written by Adrian.

Adrian was Tony's best friend in university, but their friendship severed when Veronica and Adrian started dating each other following the former's breakup with Tony. Adrian had then committed suicide, a fact Tony learned from his other friends at Sixth Form.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for The Sense of an Ending. Please read at your discretion.

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Adrian dies by suicide in The Sense of an Ending

The entire storyline of The Sense of an Ending is in a way set into motion by Adrian's death. Tony, who is leading a slow life in London, is shaken when he learns about the existence of his late university friend Adrian's diary, which he had left behind after he committed suicide.

Tony is intrigued by the potential of the diary to help him reconnect with his past and is trying to obtain it. However, he encounters an obstacle in his efforts in the form of his ex-girlfriend from university, Veronica Ford, who is unwilling to part with Adrian's diary.

Tony had previously failed to fully commit to Veronica when they dated during their time in university. Following their breakup, Veronica began dating Adrian, and Tony cut off all ties with both Veronica and Adrian.

When Tony meets Veronica in the present day to ask for the diary, Veronica refuses to part with it and reveals that she has burned some of its pages. However, she does offer Tony a few surviving pages from the diary, which unfortunately does not provide him with any significant insight into his past, as Adrian's writings in the diary were inconclusive.

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Veronica and Tony were not on good terms after their breakup at university in The Sense of an Ending

As previously stated, Tony and Veronica were seeing each other during their university days and were together for a while. However, things did not work out, and they parted ways permanently.

Situations became complicated when Veronica began dating Adrian, Tony's best friend. Tony found out about Veronica and Adrian's relationship through a letter the latter wrote to the former requesting his blessings.

Tony had intended to respond to the letter in a civil manner, but he later wrote an angry one and sent it. He didn't hear from the two after that, and he only learned of Adrian's death when his other friends from Sixth Form informed him about his suicide.

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Veronica's mother, Sarah warned Tony against her when they started dating in The Sense of an Ending

Veronica and Tony dated for a considerable amount of time in university before they broke up. Veronica also introduced Tony to her parents. He remembers once visiting Veronica's parents, where her mother acted very strangely.

As Tony recalls, she attempted to warn him about Veronica and asked him to keep a close eye on her in case she meanders too much. He also recalls Sarah flirting with him when they met, which confused him greatly.

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The Sense of an Ending is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, YouTube, Apple TV Plus, Google Play Movies, and Fandango at Home.