Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Fingernails.Fingernails‘ ending is about finding true love in a world where the concept of love is reduced to a test score and not a result of hard work and dedication. Written and directed by
Christos Nikou, Fingernails is an Apple TV+ original movie featuring Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, Jeremy Allen White, Luke Wilson, and more.
After the creation of “the test,” couples can discover if they’re truly in love by ripping off their fingernails and getting them analyzed by a computer, and the Love Institute is created to help couples learn how to successfully pass the test. Curious about the nature of love, and discontent with her relationship with Ryan (Jeremy Allen White), Anna (Jessie Buckley) gets a job from Duncan (Luke Wilson) as an instructor at the Love Institute alongside Amir (Riz Ahmed). Together, they try to help couples fall in love while also developing affection for each other – even if the computer doesn’t agree.
How Does The Fingernail Test Work?
The opening quote of Fingernails says “The earliest signs of heart problems are often found in the spotting, bending, or discoloration of fingernails.” Fingernails can be an early indicator of a number of different heart problems in real life, although love can’t be simply diagnosed based on heart condition as suggested by Fingernails, although the movie also calls the validity of the test into question (even if the characters never explicitly question it). In the offices of the Love Institute, there’s posters on the wall giving symptoms of love as if it’s a medical condition, but the clinical approach to love may actually be a detriment to couples.
According to Duncan, the test was created because there was concern that people weren’t actually falling in love; however, after taking the test, 87 percent of couples got a failing score, leading to a divorce epidemic. The Love Institute was established to help bring people closer together so they can pass the test, although focusing on the ongoing work of coming closer together shown in the class, which simulates real-life experiences to bring people closer together, suggests living life together and actually putting in the work is important for couples regardless of what the results of the fingernail test actually says.
What Does Anna and Amir’s 50% Test Mean?
Duncan says test scores of exactly 50 percent are often the hardest because that indicates only one member of the couple is actually in love, and due to the nature of the machine, it’s impossible to determine which person is the one in love. After Anna secretly analyzes her fingernail with Amir’s and the test comes back as 50 percent, she’s not sure which of them it might be indicating until she convinces Ryan to test again, and they get a 100 percent. Duncan said someone can’t be in love with more than one person at a time, so Amir’s test means he’s in love with Anna, but she’s not in love with him. At least if they accept the validity of the test.
While Anna didn’t test positive for love with Amir, Amir reveals he’d tested many times before and never tested positive until his test with Anna. He thought something must be wrong with him, so he started to work at the Love Institute, lying about being in a relationship with his neighbor, Natasha, in order to get the job. While the test says Amir’s love isn’t reciprocated, Anna decides to go against her test results to stay with him at the end of the movie, although Fingernails doesn’t give any indication about the long-term outcome of their relationship.
Why Did Anna Leave Ryan Despite Their 100% Match Test?
Anna and Ryan passed the test and get a perfect 100 percent score when they retake the test at the end of Fingernails despite Anna’s discontent. Anna tries to engage Ryan in some of the Love Institute exercises, such as drawing each other, but Ryan refuses, although he’s not totally resistant to relationship-building activities. He takes a shower with Anna (which she said was an activity that can bring couples closer together) and admits he only listens to Nina Simone music to make her happy, although he’s resistant to other activities, so Anna even goes as far as to simulate the electrical shock treatment on herself when he goes to work.
Anna’s discontent and Ryan’s lack of desire to put more work into the relationship are both signs that the test score may not actually be as indicative of love as people believe. The irony of this is highlighted by the effort other couples put into trying to pass the test and their disappointment at failing the test, with many divorces being seemingly triggered by the test results alone, such as Duncan and his ex-wife, while numerous couples are seemingly only together because of their positive test results. In all these cases, the couples could simply communicate a mutual desire, or lack thereof, instead of relying on what number the computer says.
Fingernails Ending and True Meaning Explained
Fingernails depicts two groups of people: people who are matched by the test, but keep re-taking the test because they’re unsure of the results and don’t feel in love, and people who fail to match despite working hard at the Love Institute to trigger a positive test result. The movie never addresses the possibility that the fingernail test machine results don’t hold any validity in the first place, but everyone accepts it even though couples like John (Albert Chung) and Maria (Heather Dicke) show a stronger desire and effort to be together with a 0 percent test match, than characters like Ryan and Anna, despite a 100 percent match.
There’s no major red flags with Ryan and Anna’s relationship. They seem to genuinely enjoy each other and mostly treat each other well, but the movie’s only explanation for why they’re together is due to their 100 percent test score, which Ryan sees as proof their relationship is good despite Anna’s discontent. Ryan doesn’t want to do any of the Love Institute exercises with Anna and after getting re-tested says he’ll never do that again, indicating a lack of investment in working on the relationship. Amir, on the other hand, works at the Love Institute explicitly because he’s interested in the actual work of love, which is what draws him and Anna together.
Fingernails creates a reality in which love has been medicalized, giving it a particular set of symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. The purpose of the love test is to help people avoid the pain of divorce, but the result is couples who take the test results for granted leading to mundane relationships, contrasted by couples putting in hard work due to their desire for each other, ironically dissuaded by the fingernail test results despite the clear evidence of their affection shown through their effort.
The ending of Fingernails sees Anna rejecting the results of the test, deciding to stay with Amir instead of returning home to Ryan. She begins pulling out her fingernails as an act of defiance against the notion that they can dictate if she’s in love or not. Fittingly Amir’s last words as he treats her wounded fingers is “this is going to hurt.” In the world of Fingernails the pain Amir anticipates may be blamed on the fact that their test isn’t a match, but their desire to work on their relationship, contrasted against Ryan’s lack of desire to work on his relationship with Anna, could be a much stronger indication of love than burnt fingernails could ever be.
