Netflix’s The Great Flood has become one of the streaming platform’s most talked-about Korean films of late 2025. Blending high-stakes disaster with speculative sci-fi, the movie has sparked passionate debate among audiences worldwide — some praising its ambition, others baffled by its complex narrative. In this deep dive, we unpack the great flood ending explained, explore what critics and viewers are saying in ‘The Great Flood’ review, and highlight the standout performances in the great flood cast.
Plot Overview: More Than a Disaster Flick
On the surface, The Great Flood appears to be a gripping sci-fi disaster thriller. Directed by Kim Byung-woo and streaming exclusively on Netflix, the film centers on An-na (Kim Da-mi), a devoted artificial intelligence researcher and single mother, who awakens one morning to discover an unprecedented flood swallowing the world — starting from the floor of her own apartment building. Alongside her young son Ja-in (Kwon Eun-seong) and a security officer named Hee-jo (Park Hae-soo), An-na battles rising waters, collapsing infrastructure, and her own growing desperation to survive.
What begins as an intimate survival story — a mother trying to keep her child alive — soon morphs into something much more layered and philosophical. Midway through the narrative, the film pulls the rug out from under the viewer by revealing that the catastrophic flood is not merely physical reality but a simulation. Its purpose: to test and calibrate an advanced AI “Emotion Engine” capable of replicating genuine human feelings, particularly those born from intense love and loss.
The Great Flood Ending Explained
The heart of the great flood ending explained lies in this sci-fi twist. An-na’s journey through the flood isn’t happening once — it’s happening thousands of times. Each iteration forces her to relive traumatic decisions, refine emotional responses, and inch closer to saving her son. Over the course of 21,499 loops spanning decades (in simulation time), the AI learns what it means to be human by observing how An-na reacts to loss, hope, fear, and love.
In the decisive loop, An-na recalls a crucial memory — that Ja-in is hiding on the 30th floor of their flooded apartment building. This breakthrough allows her to finally reunite with him, a moment that becomes the emotional climax of the film. The closing sequence shows An-na and Ja-in traveling back to a submerged Earth aboard a rocket, hinting that they may help repopulate humanity — or that they themselves might be the culmination of the AI’s work. The film deliberately leaves it ambiguous whether the An-na we see at the end is the original human or a synthesized version built from simulation data.
Cast of ‘The Great Flood’ Movie
The the great flood cast brings together some of Korean cinema’s most compelling talents:
- Kim Da-mi as Gu An-na, delivering a performance that anchors the film’s emotional core with grace and grit as a mother navigating both external and internal turmoil.
- Kwon Eun-seong as Ja-in, whose innocent presence provides emotional weight to the narrative, even when the sci-fi elements turn abstract.
- Park Hae-soo as Hee-jo, the security officer whose role evolves from mysterious survivor to essential guide through the chaos.
These performances have earned praise even from critics who were lukewarm on other aspects of the movie, with many noting that the actors elevate material that might otherwise feel overambitious.
The Great Flood Review: Divided Waters
When it comes to the review, opinions are sharply divided. On one hand, many viewers applaud the film’s visual spectacle and emotional ambition. Its flood sequences are vividly realized with compelling CGI and high-intensity survival scenarios that draw the audience into An-na’s desperate quest.
On the other hand, critics and moviegoers alike have pointed to narrative confusion and pacing issues once the story shifts into metaphysical territory. Some argue that the sci-fi twist overcomplicates what began as a relatable story of maternal devotion, leaving audiences to puzzle over unfinished ideas rather than savor a coherent emotional arc. The film’s score on aggregate review sites hovers around mixed territory, with critiques focusing on its uneven execution and structural ambiguity.
The Great Flood is not simply another disaster movie — it’s a bold, sometimes bewildering exploration of love, loss, and what it means to be human in an age dominated by artificial intelligence.
If you’re intrigued by films that challenge as much as they thrill, The Great Flood is worth streaming — just be prepared to dive deep into its layered storytelling and ambiguous ending.
Watch ‘The Great Flood’ trailer here:
