Here’s every clue Sweet Girl drops in the build-up to its big Rachel/Ray twist. On the surface, Sweet Girl is a relatively straightforward action thriller in which Jason Momoa’s Ray (Aquaman, Game of Thrones) embarks on a bloody rampage in the wake of his wife’s death. Raging against the machine of greedy pharmaceutical companies and political corruption, Ray leaves behind a trail of bodies as he tosses assassins out of windows and hits smarmy CEOS with fire extinguishers. In its final act, however, Sweet Girl executes an almighty M. Night Shyamalan-style twist that completely alters the audience’s perception of the entire movie.

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It turns out Jason Momoa’s Ray died due to the stab wound inflicted by Amo Santos during Sweet Girl‘s opening 30 minutes. Every time he appears thereafter, Ray is merely a figment of his daughter’s imagination, with Isabela Merced’s Rachel envisioning herself in Ray’s burly image. Every act of vengeful violence has been committed by the teenager. The innocent, voice-of-reason Rachel who follows Momoa around for most of Sweet Girl‘s runtime was never real – possibly an apparition of the former Rachel trying to break through.

Some would’ve seen this twist coming the moment DCEU’s Aquaman actor collapsed upon the subway platform following his fight with Santos, but whether viewers predicted Sweet Girl‘s Ray/Rachel revelation or not, the movie drops plenty of clues throughout. This trail of breadcrumbs rewards multiple watches, as second-time viewers can pick up on all the cues and inconsistencies signalling something is amiss. This is how Sweet Girl foreshadows its big twist.

The Backpack

Sweet Girl begins with the later scene of “Ray” jumping from a Pittsburgh stadium roof, and gives an early indication of the movie’s big deception. Watching with subtitles, a police officer over the radio describes the suspect as “carrying backpack” but when Jason Momoa’s Ray appears, he has no such item. Immediately, this suggests Ray isn’t the real suspect and, sure enough, when the twist is revealed in the full stadium sequence some 80 minutes later, Rachel is wearing a backpack.

Ray’s Speech

Sweet Girl‘s opening monologue does a good job of telling the audience exactly what will happen between Rachel and Ray Cooper. In his introductory voice-over, Jason Momoa describes the blurry unreliability of memories, alluding toward Isabela Merced’s character adopting her father’s persona later in the film. Though the entire speech hints toward Sweet Girl‘s coming surprise, the real clincher is “are these my memories, or are they hers?“

Their Names

Every movie and TV show tends to avoid giving characters names that sound similar, simply to avoid confusion. So Sweet Girl‘s cast featuring a “Ray” and a “Rachel” within its small handful of main characters is highly irregular. The similarity is, of course, intentional, continuing the blurred boundary between father and daughter.

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The Reflection

The first time viewers see Jason Momoa’s character after his stabbing is via a window’s reflection. It’s Rachel looking into the glass, and the apparition of Ray materializes behind her like a ghost. It’s a sign that Ray is a “reflection” of Rachel, and not physically present in the room.

“You Don’t Believe That”

Sweet Girl dupes viewers into thinking the “obsessed protagonist investigation board” in Rachel and Ray’s apartment belongs to the father, and that Rachel is worried by his unhealthy preoccupation. In a telling piece of dialogue, however, Rachel tells her dad there’s no conspiracy to solve, to which Ray replies, “you don’t believe that.” Looking back, this was meant literally, since the board was actually made by Rachel herself.

Accessing The Gala

Rachel slipping into the fancy UNICEF gala unnoticed makes much more sense than Ray. Without wanting to assign outdated gender stereotypes, Jason Momoa’s character looks like he’s jonesing to kill someone. He’s unkempt from nights of obsessive investigation, and hasn’t got an access pass. Ray stands out too much to not raise suspicion at an event crawling with security and personal bodyguards. For an unassuming 18-year-old who previously played live-action Dora The Explorer, however, walking through the halls unnoticed would be far easier.

“What The F…”

Simon Keeley has a strange reaction to seeing a knife upon his neck. Once Ray has dispatched the BioPrime CEO’s personal security, he grabs Simon, but the drunk villain appears confused upon catching sight of his attacker, uttering “what the… f**k?” For a man that takes 2 bodyguards to the bathroom, it’s weird that Simon’s surprised about getting assaulted. Again, this makes sense in hindsight because Rachel, the titular “Sweet Girl,” doesn’t look like your typical assassin. Isabela Merced wants to make a Sweet Girl sequel, so it’ll be interesting to see her exploit these misconceptions in other scenarios.

The Forgetful Goon

Following the gala attack, Agent Meeker interviews the one bodyguard Rachel left alive (who got the fire extinguisher, rather than the bullet) – but it’s curious that the survivor has no recollection of his attacker. Meeker connects the dots to the Cooper family in Sweet Girl‘s very next scene so, in narrative terms, why not have this frosty goon give a vague description of Jason Momoa? Because had he recalled seeing a teenage girl instead of Aquaman, Sweet Girl‘s big twist would’ve been ruined.

Tom Waits

As Rachel and Ray drive to Toronto, Tom Waits’ “Day After Tomorrow” plays over the stereo. This sorrowful tune includes the lyrics, “who turns the wheel, who rolls the dice?” and these words echo Sweet Girl‘s Ray/Rachel dynamic, where it’s not clear which persona is really behind the wheel.

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Meeker’s Confusion

Rachel makes a phone call to Agent Meeker during a roadside motel stopover, assuring the FBI investigator that her father is innocent. If Ray really was Meeker’s prime suspect, why is the agent so shocked when Rachel mentions her father? Meeker looks surprised here because she would’ve already discovered that Ray was deader than Game of Thrones‘ Khal Drogo, and is only now realizing Rachel has a split personality.

Paloma

At several points in Sweet Girl, the illusory Rachel is represented by Paloma, the toy bunny. The swap becomes apparent during the motel attack sequence, where Jason Momoa is alerted to incoming mercenaries by the sound of jingling bells. He’s lying near the door while Rachel sleeps in the room’s bed next to Paloma, but after rousing his daughter, an ever-so-brief shot shows Paloma sitting where Rachel previously laid, with no sign of the bed being disturbed. Rachel was on the floor all along.

“R Cooper”

For obvious reasons, Sweet Girl‘s FBI agents never explicitly reference Ray as their main suspect, but when Rachel makes her second phone call to Agent Meeker, we see their investigation board in the background. At the very top is their target’s name – “R Cooper.”

Meeker’s Second Call

If Rachel’s first call to Meeker hinted at Sweet Girl‘s big twist, their next conversation is even more transparent. Firstly, Meeker tells Rachel that her father would be proud of her. This is an odd thing to say about a wanted killer, but makes more sense knowing Ray is dead (and didn’t kill anyone). Then Meeker tells Rachel, “you are in control” and makes the girl repeat her own name. Their impromptu life coaching session is a clear nod toward Rachel’s diverging personalities.

“Little Girl Who Lost Both Her Parents”

When Ray confronts Vinod Shah in a collapsed tunnel, the BioPrime chairman warns him that assassins will soon be hunting a “little girl who lost both her parents.” At the time, this line seems to be a threat on Ray’s life but, in hindsight, he’s simply taunting his assailant for being an orphan.

“Only The One Sitting Next To Me”

During the diner conversation between Ray and Amo Santos, the killer reveals his final target is “the one sitting next to me.” This seemingly confirms Congresswoman Morgan wants Ray dead, but is willing to leave Rachel alive, but why would the ruthless pharma conspirators leave a key witness running free just because she’s a teenage girl? This is a major clue that only one character is sitting with Amo in the diner.

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Amo’s Backstory

Amo also compares Ray’s situation to his own, revealing himself as the sole survivor of a slaughtered village. The two scenarios barely match up, since Ray still has his daughter, and is a fully-grown man rather than an innocent kid. Amo’s comparison secretly reveals that he’s talking to a lonely teenager, rather than a man trying to avenge his wife while protecting his daughter.

Rachel Never Directly Affects Her Surroundings

No character ever directly addresses Jason Momoa’s Ray and Isabela Merced’s Rachel simultaneously. Neither does the illusory Rachel ever directly impact her environment in any meaningful way. So when Amo acknowledges Rachel by name in the diner, Ray has already walked out, and when Ray asks his daughter to pump the gas while he fixes their car, she’s unable to do so because imaginary people have no legs.

Ray Goes Alone

By the time Ray is cornered by police and FBI on Pittsburgh’s stadium roof, some viewers would’ve figured out Sweet Girl‘s twist. For those who haven’t, there are two final clues. Firstly, Paloma is sitting in the tow truck’s passenger seat where Rachel was supposed to be and, secondly, Ray leaves Rachel behind when he runs off – out of character for such a doting father.

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About The Author


Craig Elvy
(3631 Articles Published)

Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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