Lucca’s World (2025) Ending Explained – Does Lucca get the treatment he needs?

Lucca’s World Plot Summary

Based on the book ‘The Two Hemispheres of Lucca’ by Barbara Anderson, this powerful Mexican drama does a great job adapting this source material, offering an unflinching look at raising a child with cerebral palsy, along with the pursuit of a potential treatment to help alleviate Lucca’s symptoms.

This treatment is where the bulk of Lucca’s Story’s plot revolves, with Barbara heading off with her family to India, where a pioneering new experimental procedure could see Lucca start to form more brain connections than before. This, in turn, would allow him to evolve beyond his current state, potentially forming words, eating, drinking and even giggling. All these life steps children take organically are given so much more weight and meaning in Lucca’s World, and this film is all the stronger for embracing every monumental step Lucca takes.

Does Lucca begin to regress?

After Barbara is let go from her job, that night Lucca ends up having a brief seizure. It’s only 25 seconds this time but it is a warning for what could come to pass should his treatments be stopped. His seizures have decreased by 70% since the treatments in India, but it also means that if these continue, it could undo all the work they’ve done so far with the Cytotron trial.

Andres convinces Barbara to let Lucca blossom and be himself. He wants her to give up and allow Lucca to have what’s best for him. It’s obviously difficult for Barbara to do this, as she’s spent so much time trying to give him the best possible life. Barbara has always blamed herself for not pushing more during labour, and so she’s almost trying to fill that guilty void in her own life with this.

Why does Barbara feel so guilty?

Barbara had a very difficult labour, leading to her going into respiratory arrest. She was saved by a miracle and the doctors at the time pulled her son out and did the best they could for him. They could have both died at that moment but through some sort of miracle or divine intervention, they both survived. Given this is a big part of what’s held Barbara back, hearing this is enough to give her a newfound appreciation for life.

Barbara rings John afterwards, one of the men who was part of Kumar’s trials and finds out that the plans for the clinic in Baltimore was all a lie. Jaramillo is a complete fraud and had no intention of setting up a clinic. He actually paid for an email with the John Hopkins domain to help sell the lie, but nobody there after knows him.

Barbara does further research and finds out that Jaramillo has scammed numerous people in the past, including John and even Dr Kumar, trying to take the credit for being the inventor of Cytotron when in reality, this is obviously completely false.

What does Barbara do about this?

Barbara is a woman possessed, determined to take the man down. Jaramillo clearly knows how to navigate the legal system and Barbara sends an email to him with her findings. This actually does the truck and with the help of the Secretary of Health, sets up a meeting to discuss the Cytotron trials.

Barbara shows up with Lucca but there’s bad news. It turns out they only want to approve the machine to be used for oncological purposes. They don’t allow for neurological purposes, and decide instead to focus on cancer treatments. “For the good of majority than individual cases.”

So while this is a small win, it’s obviously not a win for Barbara… until she receives a call from Dr Kumar, telling her that she’s always welcome and the cost for Cytotron for her in India is zero. She’s done a lot to help and as a result, there’s treatment for her and Lucca after all. Barbara had decided before this to enjoy he process of raising Lucca and she gets her reward right at the end, as Lucca says her name “Mama”.

How does Lucca’s World end?

As the final credits roll, we learn that Lucca and his family made 3 more trips to India and currently, Lucca is finishing elementary school and is in the same grade as his brother, Bruno. Lucca has been epilepsy-free for 5 years and has started walking and talking too.

In August 2021, Barbara, Andres and investors bought 2 cycotron machines and opened the first clinic outside India.

So in the end, Lucca manages to get his treatment and the sacrifices the family have made come to fruition in the best way possible, instilling hope for many others too.

 

 

Read More: Lucca’s World Movie Review


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