In Under Paris, starring Bérénice Bejo (The Artist), an ever mutating shark makes its way from the Pacific Ocean to the fresh waters of the Seine just in time for a world triathlon. One scientist — still traumatized after the shark killed all of her colleagues — goes to great lengths to stop the shark before it strikes again. But does she succeed? Read on to find out. 

Who’s in the cast of Under Paris? 

To read about the cast, plot, and everything else you need to know, check out this guide. 

How does Under Paris end?

So how did we get here? Polluted seas and climate change have forced sharks to evolve at a rapid clip. When one such shark, nicknamed Lilith, massacres Sophia’s entire crew — her husband among them — Sophia (Bejo) quits her gig as a marine biologist. That is, until Mika (Léa Léviant), a member of the ocean conservation group Save Our Seas (SOS) contacts her: Lilith is now in the Seine, Mika says. They have to get this precious angel baby back to the ocean. Sophia refuses — the shark’s too dangerous; she’ll kill anyone in her path. But after a run-in with the river police, headed by Adil (Nassim Lyes), the trio end up working together … for a time. Mika, too hell-bent on saving Lilith, ends up staging an SOS sit-in in the worst location possible: Lilith’s nest in the catacombs, where Lilith’s given birth to tons of mutant sharks, who’re already having babies of their own. (Aww!) 

How, you might ask? Well, Lilith has evolved so quickly she’s now reproducing by parthenogenesis — meaning she doesn’t need a mate to get pregnant. On top of that, she’s mutated into the first of a brand-new species. While Lilith’s a true icon, breaking glass ceilings left and right, it’s not good for the humans: If she and her shark babies aren’t stopped, they could destroy us all. And we? Do not want that. Unfortunately, Sophia and Adil don’t break up the sit-in in time, and the shark and her offspring kill several people, including Mika and her partner at SOS, Ben (Nagisa Morimoto). 

On take two of Operation No More Lilith, Sophia and team set a shark trap to deploy during the first round of the Seine triathlon. The crew wanted to do it sooner, but the corrupt mayor (Anne Marivin) would rather the billion-dollar event go well than expose the shark murders. So, yikes, the plan goes ahead just as swimmers dive into the water. Sophia uses an infrared light machine to attract the sharks as the others place explosives. When the sharks begin to swarm, Lilith seems like a no-show, then appears out of nowhere and munches explosives expert Poiccard (Stephane Jacquot) to death. Just after sharks chomp river police officer Adama (Ibrahima Ba) apart, the dynamite goes off, blasting Sophia and Adil through the catacombs. But did they kill Lilith?

Lilith and Bérénice Bejo in Under Paris

No such luck. Lilith shoots out of the rubble, swimming so close to Sophia she nearly boops her on the nose. The mega shark attacks, killing Adil’s fellow officers Markus (Marvin Dubart) and Caro (Sandra Parfait). Luckily, our pals Adil and Sophia survive — which is nice, because they kinda have a little thing going on. Lilith heads for the triathlon athletes, dragging a net of buoys on her fin, which would be cute if she weren’t a threat to humankind. One by one, she picks off the swimmers. As they scramble to climb out of the Seine, they accidentally pull in spectators, bringing in more chum for Lilith to gobble down. L’heure du déjeuner! 

Thankfully, the military shows up to save the day — or so the military thinks. As Adil and Sophia swim closer to the chaos, guys with big guns light up the water, sending spectators into a blind panic. But do you remember, from earlier? There are live artillery shells in the Seine from World War II (a real thing, by the way). The river police have found dozens over the years, but there are still a ton down there. Lilith outruns every bullet until — BOOM. The shells detonate. They get activated in waves, blowing up Paris’ ancient bridges like a chaotic-evil Rube Goldberg machine. Bystanders scramble to escape. Manholes explode from the pressure. Lilith slaloms past every shell. It’s madness out here in these arrondissements. 

Those reservoir basins the mayor talked about earlier that pump fresh water into the Seine? They’re blasted open by the shells, as is any remaining river infrastructure. From seemingly out of nowhere, ungodly amounts of water rush in. Everyone’s swallowed. 

Lilith’s baby and Bérénice Bejo in Under Paris

Sofie Gheysens

Does Sophia die in Under Paris? 

No. Moments after the flood, Sophia miraculously emerges from the floodwaters as sirens sound. She carries a barely conscious Adil to the top of a metro entrance, where she observes the devastation around her. 

Does Lilith die in Under Paris? 

Nope. As the camera zooms out on Sophia and Adil, we see Lilith and her tight-knit fam circling Adil and Sophia. Paris is submerged, overtaken by seawater, trash, and sharks. During the end credits, we’re shown a map detailing how Lilith and her kin will take over every waterway — first London, then New York, Bangkok, Venice, Tokyo, and eventually the entire globe. The message? If we don’t take better care of Earth and its inhabitants, killer sharks will replace us all. 

Does Adil die in Under Paris? 

While Adil does not seem to be doing well after so much swimming in the catacombs, the Seine, and the flood, he’s still alive when Sophia drags him to safety at the end of the film.

Will there be a sequel to Under Paris? 

A follow-up film has not yet been announced — but according to director Xavier Gens, it’s not off the table. 

“As of today, we’re not on it, but there’s a chance that we’ll be discussing it soon,” Gens told Variety. “If there is a sequel, it will take place in a Paris that is entirely submerged under water.”

Are there actually sharks in the Seine? 

No. Mako sharks (which Lilith starts out as) need saltwater to survive, and the Seine is a freshwater river. The only reason Lilith made it out of the Pacific Ocean and into the Seine was through her ability to rapidly mutate to new environments — a skill she acquired to combat the effects of climate change. 

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