Survive: How Does Paul Die? Does He Kill Himself?

In Mark Pellington’s survival drama movie ‘Survive,’ a film version of the Quibi series of the same name, protagonist Jane learns about Paul’s death after getting found in Montana. Jane leaves Paul to seek help to rescue the severely injured man from the mountains. After falling off a small cliff, Paul even fails to walk properly. His broken ribs further slow him down, which makes Jane leave him to find help. Jane eventually finds a road, only to fall losing consciousness. When she wakes up multiple days later, her mother lets her know that her companion was found dead. However, the film/show doesn’t reveal how Paul dies! SPOILERS AHEAD.

Theory 1: Paul Dies of His Injuries

Throughout the film, Paul displays an eagerness to stay alive. Even when the latter repeats that she is ready to die, he doesn’t accept her pessimism. He displays the spirit to remain alive infectiously, making Jane dream of her survival as well. As someone who lost his mother in his childhood, he knows how cruel and unbearable death can be, which explains why he is confident about surviving even after ending up on snowcapped mountains without a human being anywhere to help him or his companion. Considering Paul’s spirit to live, he may have fought until the very end to stay alive.

Right after the plane crash, Jane realizes that Paul’s ribs have broken. While they try to escape from the mountains, Paul’s condition worsens. The broken ribs may have been damaging his internal organs slowly but significantly, threatening his life gradually. Paul’s body gets discovered only a day after Jane is found on a road. Considering his condition, a day is a long time for it to worsen. Paul may have realized the same as well. That can be the reason why he writes a note to Jane. Since he writes his last words putting in a lot of effort, the strain may even have fast-tracked the deterioration of his state.

After likely losing an immense amount of blood internally, Paul may have succumbed to his injuries. Rather than a suicide note, his letter to Jane can be the result of his realization that he doesn’t have a long time to stay alive. Since he loves her, he may have wanted to fill his heart with her thoughts and stop her from feeling guilty about his eventual death by writing the note.

Theory 2: Paul Kills Himself

Even though Paul is scared of death and eager to live, suicide cannot be ruled out in his case. The injuries he sustains while trying to escape from the mountains are severely hurtful. His condition worsens when he falls from the cliff after seeing a river from the mountaintop, which adds to the pain he is already dealing with. Since he is slowly dying, Paul may have decided to kill himself rather than die after eating pain for a long time. When Jane doesn’t return after a considerable period since she leaves him, he must have started believing that there’s no point clinging to hope for more time when the pain is getting unbearable.

When Jane leaves Paul, she gives him a bottle of pills she takes from the Lifehouse to kill herself. He may have consumed the same drugs to kill himself so that he doesn’t need to suffer from the unbearable pain anymore. If that’s the case, he may have done the act only after realizing that death is not far away. More than putting an end to his life, his action can be seen as his way of reducing the time he has to suffer the pain he experiences, specifically since his death has become inevitable. In his note to Jane, he writes about her being the last person he talks to with a sense of assurance, which can be a reflection of his decision to kill himself.

Regardless of how Paul dies, Jane gives him a new life in her mind through her memories. Although he ceases to exist in reality, she embraces him with love in her heart as he wants.