Burning Sands Ending Explained by the Director & Cast

We speak to the director and cast of Netflix’s Burning Sands about what happened at the end of the movie, and what it’s all about. Featuring stars Trevor Jackson, Alfre Woodard, Tosin Cole, DeRon Horton, and director Gerard McMurray.

Transcript provided by Youtube:

00:01
y’all are sorry who put it out LC Girard
00:05
MacMurray’s burning sands explores the
00:07
darker sides of hazing in a black
00:09
fraternity the film’s ending leads us in
00:11
a bleak and somewhat ambiguous place but
00:14
we got the opportunity to ask the
00:16
director and cast about what really
00:18
happened in this ending and what we
00:20
should take away from the film obviously
00:22
this is going to involve spoilers a
00:24
pleasure black attorney also into a
00:26
black University so the DNA of the story
00:30
come different comes from within me and
00:32
I thought I want to explore that world
00:34
I mean burning sands leaves us in a very
00:37
realistic spot so everybody will have a
00:40
different take on what is coming next
00:43
the important thing is where are we
00:45
going to step next that’s that thing of
00:47
holding up the mirror and you reflect on
00:49
it
00:49
Zurich and his pledge brothers prepare
00:51
for helmet the culmination of their
00:53
brutal hazing process
00:54
Zurich has been struggling under the
00:56
pressures of hazing he lost his
00:58
girlfriend after he was forced to depend
01:00
to have sex with another girl your bra’s
01:02
college he’s failing to complete his
01:07
schoolwork and his ribs are so battered
01:09
from beatings but another strong head
01:11
could actually kill him stay away from
01:13
blows to the ribs of you end up an
01:15
operating table but things are starting
01:17
to look up Zurich turned in his paper on
01:19
Frederick Douglas and he’s rejuvenated
01:21
as he speaks to his fellow brothers
01:23
about self-respect and respecting each
01:25
other he comes from kings and Kings not
01:27
play you you you jinx as they head
01:30
toward how might we expect the worst for
01:33
Zurich House welcome to hell myself
01:37
and there it does get hit in the ribs as
01:39
we feared but he’s hanging in
01:41
then the big brothers ordered the
01:43
pledges to eat dog food third friend
01:45
Frank starts spitting it out so zero
01:47
tried to help his friends finish the
01:48
food
01:49
the brothers pulled the wreck off to
01:51
start feeding him at which point Frank
01:53
tries to rescue Zurich from that beating
01:55
and this leaves the brothers to be frank
01:57
even harder we see they’re taking such
02:00
hard blows to his ribs at this point
02:02
that he cries out in pain he’s clapped
02:04
over the ears and the sound shifts to
02:06
signal the intense pain we think this
02:09
might be the end for him but that end
02:11
doesn’t come and we look over to see the
02:13
big brothers beating Frank until he
02:15
falls to the ground and starts foaming
02:17
at the mouth you know Frank the action
02:20
ceases as everyone realizes that Frank
02:23
needs emergency attention in front the
02:25
story you think is going to go one way
02:26
but then towards the end it just takes a
02:28
whole different turn and you never
02:30
really saw it coming the Big Brother is
02:32
ordering the pledges to be dominant you
02:33
leave and watch off with cameras copy
02:35
your fakers cover your place before
02:38
take your fucking boy and go come on go
02:41
go
02:43
but Derek uncovers his hood and realizes
02:46
he can’t leave his friend regardless of
02:48
the consequences and his pledge brothers
02:50
join him after Frank is carried into the
02:53
hospital we conclude on this slow shaky
02:56
track in to Zurich in the waiting room
02:57
the first question that pops into our
02:59
mind is of course is Frank dead we hear
03:03
the doctors speaking in the background
03:05
and you didn’t make it traumatic aortic
03:07
rupture he did he’ll shoot at someone
03:10
contacted the University
03:13
definitely Frank is dead but instead of
03:15
showing like the repercussions of it
03:18
I wanted audience to make their decision
03:20
that’s barely audible dialogue than you
03:22
did makin sure he did not choose it’s
03:24
all we get to tell us that Frank has
03:25
died and there will be massive fallout
03:28
for the fraternity University and
03:30
individuals involved but we don’t see
03:32
any of that fall out the camera instead
03:34
stays with Zurich to feel his grief
03:36
after he’s not been able to save the
03:38
friend he considered a brother after
03:40
this movie of almost all wide-shots
03:42
we arrive at a close-up not too
03:45
dissimilar from the opening closest so
03:47
that after the wide shot switch focus
03:49
for most of the movie on the group as a
03:51
whole we end with a closer window into
03:53
Zurich psychology that was our last shot
03:56
on our landing so we shot it in
03:58
sequential order from Hell night to
04:00
teleport so it gave really data that
04:02
connection emotionally to release godean
04:04
so we’re shooting that scene we talked
04:06
about about him losing a brother and how
04:08
would you really sponsors and we see
04:09
that empty seat at the end I don’t think
04:11
about you know he would be there for you
04:12
tonight he’s not so whatever how you
04:13
really feel in this let it let it be let
04:15
it be naturally he finally calls his
04:17
father whose messages he’s been avoiding
04:19
all week propose and we cut to black
04:23
throughout the film’s his death cutting
04:25
a contact within the gang feet you know
04:27
he knows something is going on he’s not
04:28
quite sure really what the what’s going
04:30
on now he said in time and I think just
04:31
having just having that call and having
04:33
a moment at the end really say something
04:36
about father-son relationships and
04:38
definitely specifically like men any
04:42
father’s for me when I was playing the
04:44
character talking to my dad may have
04:46
swayed me one way or the other and I
04:47
felt like this was my journey this is my
04:49
decision I had to do it my way and I
04:52
feel like if my dad was on the phone I
04:53
was like you know maybe shit I was
04:54
listening to them or maybe if you
04:55
continue but I wanted to be able me the
04:58
second question that comes into our mind
04:59
is what they’re going to do now given
05:02
the call to his father and the backstory
05:03
we know that his father never finished
05:05
pledging Lambda Phi my pops can finish
05:09
giraffe’s imma prove his worth his
05:13
father din you know finish crossing
05:14
tonight and that was always a thing that
05:16
I think
05:16
to proved himself enough I was like my
05:18
father when I went got here I’m going to
05:20
go through but then even though why he’s
05:23
going for you still having these complex
05:24
eyes it worth it we gathered at Zurich
05:27
is calling him to say he’s not going to
05:28
cross the burning sands that he’s not
05:30
going to continue with the fraternity in
05:32
a moment he decided to expose his face
05:35
and remain at the hospital to wait for
05:37
news on Frank he chose that brother over
05:39
the Brothers of Lambda Phi he’s rejected
05:41
the moral code of this fraternity that
05:43
would leave one of theirs to die just to
05:45
protect themselves from repercussions
05:47
he’s had to stay strong for his brothers
05:49
and for himself I feel like you know he
05:51
knows that he can do it anyways to stay
05:53
strong but his world broke down and
05:55
that’s kind of just where I was like if
05:56
I lost a family member and especially in
05:58
the circumstance where I was I was at
06:00
college like would be traumatic I think
06:03
he definitely changed his mind
06:04
you know we revealed our identity so he
06:07
already had like it’s done now that was
06:10
the final drug I don’t think he fits L I
06:12
think that’s that I think that that was
06:15
that’s in Zurich discovers an his hazing
06:18
process that the fraternity he’s always
06:20
dreamed of joining is actually a toxic
06:22
environment that abuses its new members
06:24
to an extreme but Derek does find true
06:27
Brotherhood in the bond he forms with
06:29
his fellow pledges they learn how strong
06:31
they are and they commit to each other
06:32
uncle Mitch I got you bro Frank dies
06:35
because he tried to help Derek who had
06:37
just tried to help him so Frank’s death
06:39
underlines what’s wrong with the
06:41
fraternity system as its portrayed by
06:43
McMurray Zurich and Frank had become
06:45
true brothers but the Lambda Phi
06:47
brothers beat them and kill one of them
06:49
as punishment for they’re trying to help
06:51
each other what this kind of hazing
06:53
process is enforcing if not Brotherhood
06:55
and self-respect and equality but a
06:58
hierarchy a pecking order in which the
07:00
lower must obey the higher without any
07:03
autonomy or respect granted to him we
07:06
need to change and we need to now
07:07
because lives of our students and the
07:09
honor of this paternity unit stake
07:11
lyrics struggles to reconcile his
07:14
admiration for Lambda Phi as he’s
07:15
imagined it and their treatment of him
07:18
and his pledge brothers as dogs or
07:20
slaves and this is where Frederick
07:23
Douglass comes in the Frederick Douglass
07:25
read
07:25
Rick about slavery and enslaving
07:27
ourselves we through the film
07:29
underlining the complexity of identity
07:31
for these characters young middle-class
07:33
black men hardworking and ambitious get
07:36
confronted with an environment that’s
07:38
unhealthy and dangerous with the
07:40
Douglass passages McMurray criticizes
07:42
the fraternities mindset with the
07:44
message that escaping slavery also means
07:47
rejecting any system of masters and
07:49
slaves and resisting the temptation to
07:51
oppress or subjugate ourselves and
07:54
others when Frederick Douglass is
07:56
talking or narrating throughout the
07:57
story of prison of struggle there is no
07:59
progress it’s easier to build strong
08:02
children than to repair broken men so
08:04
like it’s what’s in the back of my head
08:06
as I’m going through these things it’s
08:08
like if I’m saying these words but I’m
08:10
going to this you know where am I going
08:12
with this am I am I going to agree with
08:14
this I to me that’s going to you know
08:15
stay quiet to the side that’s inside of
08:17
me to speak and Frederick Douglass has
08:18
always been inspiration to me and when I
08:21
was developing the screenplay I thought
08:22
introduce Frederick Douglass with the
08:24
history of film about the slavery
08:25
breaking free types of things in his
08:27
film I think it was a very honorable man
08:29
and he’s in the story they’re just
08:31
trying to be honorable man refrigerators
08:33
were so he was a good person to really
08:35
model my character if you ever get free
08:38
from the oppressions and wrongs heaped
08:40
upon us you must behave the removal we
08:45
must do this by labor by suffering I
08:48
sacrifice and if needs be by our lives
08:53
from the lives of others but this story
08:55
doesn’t want to talk about the history
08:57
of slavery instead the movie tries to
08:59
show the complicated legacy of slavery
09:02
that continues to impact black Americans
09:04
and all our society on every level from
09:07
socio-economic realities to the intimate
09:10
psychology of individuals I think
09:12
burning sands is a a window into
09:15
african-american life that the public
09:19
hasn’t seen before
09:20
another question raised by the ending is
09:22
what’s the social message the film
09:25
leaves us with is McMurray condemning
09:27
hazing or fraternities outright or is it
09:30
more open-ended in the end the movie
09:32
is an anti fraternity since the lesson
09:35
the pledges learned is true Brotherhood
09:37
with each other burning sands comes from
09:39
MacMurray’s own experiences and
09:41
MacMurray says he would pledge all over
09:44
again I would pledge 7% giving me I had
09:46
a problem because a given session is
09:48
almost like a process you go in the
09:50
military and police force or fired
09:53
minute they all have a process I’m going
09:55
to say anything bad happen but as I was
09:57
a process with everything so out for me
09:59
I would definitely will do it again
10:01
because it made me the person I am today
10:03
the problem is presented by the movie is
10:06
the extremes that hazing can be taken to
10:08
as fraternities lose track of what it’s
10:10
supposed to be about inherent in this
10:12
discussion is the concern of masculinity
10:14
especially for black American and how to
10:17
make masculine bonding a positive force
10:19
rather than a toxic influence that
10:22
pressures and harms other young men it
10:24
brings up the life of the black middle
10:26
class most of the stories that we see I
10:29
don’t see my brother in it I don’t see
10:31
my father my uncle I don’t see the
10:34
majority of men in my life
10:35
reflected in those but I see a myth so
10:38
when you say lives matter
10:39
you really are not just saying it
10:41
because it’s a no-brainer and it’s right
10:44
but you feel invested because you’ve
10:47
been shown because you’ve been moved
10:49
it’s good to see African Americans going
10:52
to college and experiencing that life
10:54
having moments and educating ourselves
10:56
because we’re tired of seeing ourselves
10:57
asleep sometimes you know maybe we want
10:59
to go to school burning sands underlines
11:02
the core of what a fraternity should be
11:04
what are the principles of the
11:05
fraternity leadership scholarship
11:07
compassion and brotherhood all right
11:09
that’s something you’re gonna have to
11:11
live by the rest of your life
11:12
Brotherhood
11:13
whether it’s bound by Greek letters or
11:15
forged through shared experiences
11:17
respect and love between equals and a
11:20
willingness to do anything for each
11:22
other
11:23
[Music]
11:27
yeah
11:29
[Music]
11:32
you