‘Tully’ is a thought-provoking comedy film. Faced with the complex issues of postpartum depression and the struggle to adapt to the womb or the mother, we focus on Marlo, a tired mother who has just given birth to her third child. As she tries her best to balance her work, her marriage, and her three children with different needs, she ends up feeling depressed.
To help Marlo cope with her situation, her brother hires a nightmare named Tully, who miraculously changes her life. The two women begin to bond intensely and even though Marlo feels comfortable, Tully’s presence begins to make her long for her past life without getting tired, leading to problems. As the film draws to a close, it not only alerts viewers to its relevant themes but also raises a number of questions.
Tully: Movie Synopsis
‘Tully’ introduces the audience to the turbulent world of Marlo Moreau, who is recently expecting her third child with her husband Drew. She works as a PR specialist and has trouble managing things at home, mainly due to the lack of help from her spouse. Marlo and Drew’s second child, Jonah, has an undiagnosed growth spurt caused by excessive exposure to external stimuli. This creates problems for her at school and her mother struggles to take care of her diligently because her days are fast approaching.
Seeing Marlo’s plight, her wealthy brother Craig offered to pay for the night-caregiver, who could help ease the stress when the baby arrived. But she refuses to accept her offer since she does not want to hire a stranger to care for her child. Soon thereafter, she gave birth to a daughter, Mia, and three times she assumed her responsibilities. In addition, Marlo begins to lose confidence and feels disconnected from himself and her baby. Already at the end of her term because of fatigue and sleeplessness, she screams at the principal of Jonah’s school when she suggests moving him to another school.
Feeling powerless, Marlo contacted Tully, the night Craig was praised, and asked him to join. She is a 26-year-old man who is not ashamed of her loose conduct and prefers to live a full life. Gradually, she and Marlo begin a relationship, and the first one starts to talk to her about her problems. Not only that, Tully proves to be very good at her job and helps Marlo get back on track and feel confident again. Although Drew and Craig were surprised by Marlo’s change of behavior, they were curious as they had never met a nightmare in person.
Tully also encourages Marlo to reconnect with Drew and see her ambitions from her teenage years. But one day, she suddenly comes home angry at work and reveals that she has had a heated argument with her roommate by bringing several men home. When Marlo asks her to leave, she reveals that she is in love with her roommate, so she can’t go. To distract himself, Tully suggests that she and Marlo go for a night out in the city.
Though skeptical, Marlo agrees and goes with Tully, without informing Drew or anyone else. The women went to Marlo’s former residence in Brooklyn and enjoyed refreshments at a bar. However, Tully unexpectedly told her that she would no longer work for her. This puzzles Marlo, who is very close to him and totally dependent on her to raise her children. Tully then explained that her purpose in coming to them was realistic since she was there to “close the gap.”
In denial, Marlo stole a bicycle and headed for the apartment where she lived, where she lived with his ex-girlfriend. Tully follows her when she tells her to return to her family, but soon her boss starts to feel bad because of her breasts full of baby. Being away from home, Tully somehow manages to comfort Marlo and they start driving home.
Unfortunately, both women feel sleepy from exhaustion and Marlo ends up lying on the driver’s wheel. She is woken up by a car coming by and then she drives her car across the river to Tully. There, Marlo sees him as an artist who often comes to his dreams. Champion Tully helps him get out of the car and disappears, while she dies.
Tully Ending, Explained: What Happened At The End?
When Marlo wakes up in the hospital after her accident, Tully visits her to say goodbye. She says they can no longer be together as Marlo has to learn to throw away the past and focus on her secure gift with her husband and children. Tully explains to Marlo that she has to regain control of her life and that she can do well without her. Elsewhere, a hospital psychiatrist tells Drew that his wife’s accident was caused by fatigue and poor sleep hygiene.
When Drew goes to fill out some insurance forms, it dawns upon him that Tully is actually Marlo’s maiden surname. To sum up everything, it turns out that the nightmare AKA Tully was just the imagination of Marlo, who was created to comfort her in her troubled state of mind. After the birth of Jonah, she experienced deep depression, which may have seemed to be normal for Mia’s birth. When Marlo began to feel depressed because of her overcrowded schedule, she began to imagine Tully, who soon became her savior.
While Drew is outside the room, his wife, on the other hand, confirms that Tully is a portrait of his 26-year-old son. She realizes that she needs to stop longing for the past and adjust to her present state of health. So, she reassures Tully that everything will be fine when she grows up and says goodbye for the last time. With this, Marlo lets go of the fancy night nurse, who serves as a pillar for her until then.
Over the years, Marlo and Drew’s marriage suffered from monotony and from the responsibilities of raising two children. When they become pregnant for the third time, the distance between them increases, as they struggle to raise a child. Additionally, because of Marlo’s deteriorating mental health, she stops feeling energetic enough to spend time with her husband, let alone her first intimate relationship.
In the meantime, Drew quietly wishes to get closer to Marlo again, but hesitates to tell her so because of their growing career. Not only that, as she often travels on business trips, his wife annoys him for not helping at home. In addition, she feels sexually dissatisfied and visits erotica to keep herself busy. After Mia’s birth, Marlo becomes even more tired and loses time talking to Drew, thus widening the gap between them. However, things change for the better when Tully arrives and assumes responsibility for Mia.
Gradually, Marlo begins to return to normalcy and becomes part of the family. One day, she also shares with Tully about her lack of Drew’s intimacy. Tully suggests they imitate one of her sex dreams, and she dresses like the dinner waitress wearing the costume Marlo bought. She then escorted her to the bedroom and started a group of three with Drew and Marlo. This surprises him, yet he enjoys reconnecting with his wife.
Later, when it was revealed that Tully was Marlo’s imagination, it was proven that the latter was the one who seduced Drew to rekindle the intimacy between them. He also sees the distress his wife is experiencing and apologizes for her husband’s absence. He tells her that he loves her and promises to fix their marriage with her.
A few days after Marlo returns home, Drew begins to take some small steps to help the children and to express his appreciation for his wife. Thus, they are able to save their marriage from ruin and give it another chance. Moreover, even Marlo and Jonah’s figures improve.
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