Sinister Switch (Daughter in Disguise)(2021) Ending Explained

Welcome to Knockout Horror. I recently received a barrage of hits to my review of Daughter in Disguise, otherwise known as Sinister Switch. That can, typically, only mean one thing. People have just checked the movie out and are looking for either opinions or explanations.

With this in mind, I decided to throw up a quick Daughter in Disguise Ending Explained article to clear things up. This is an old style Ending Explained article for me. I go a bit more in depth into the story than I have been doing recently. Feel free to skip anything you don’t need to read.

Keep in mind, if you haven’t watched the movie yet. You should check out our spoiler free review first as this ending explained article does contain spoilers.

A Parent’s Worst Nightmare

Kicking things off, we learn that parents Kristen (Emily Alatalo) and Justin (Steve Belford) have experienced the kidnapping of their daughter, Olivia, around six years ago. Part of a series of abductions in the local area along with a few other girls who have, also, never been found. They have no clue where she is and Kristen has been haunted by the loss.

The couple have since split up, likely as a result of the trauma associated with the disappearance. Kristen now works putting together non-fiction books centred on parents reuniting with their missing children. Kristen’s most recent book turns out to be based on a story that wasn’t entirely truthful. Prompting her to abandon it. That’s when the parents get the call that their daughter has been found after six years away from home.

Olivia, apparently, escaped from her captor. She has no clue where the house was located and can provide no helpful information to recover the other girls stuck there. Kristen attempts to prepare Justin for Olivia to be “different” from how they remember her. Kristen and Olivia’s relationship is awkward. Almost like they are strangers. But things begin to pick up. Justin, on the other hand, notices that things are off. Olivia seems different and lacks apparent knowledge and memories that their daughter should have. She has vague memories of her childhood but they seem to be somewhat off.

A Big Slip Up

Things really come to a head when Justin notices that Olivia is about to eat shrimp. Considering she has already been chowing down on the food and hasn’t fallen on the floor with her throat closing up looking like the marshmallow man’s younger sister. It is probably safe to assume that this girl does not have a shrimp allergy like their daughter Olivia did. Naturally, Olivia uses the way in which Justin grabbed her arm, to stop her from eating said shrimp, to manipulate the pair. Dispelling their concerns, albeit briefly.

Meanwhile, Kristen’s work colleague comes up with a great idea. Why not make a book about Kristen, herself, reuniting with her daughter, told from both of their points of view. Kristen gets her daughter back and she gets to be famous. Olivia continues to be reluctant to give any information to police. Almost as if she is hiding something.

After a visit from “her” childhood best friend Beth. We get the first hint that this may truly not actually be Olivia. Beth is shocked when Olivia shouts at her, accusing her of faking interest so she can tell her schoolfriends about how crazy Olivia was. When Justin confronts Beth as she is running out of the house. She tells him that Olivia is different and not the same person. She also tells him how Oliva related to her that her closest friends are the girls she was held captive with. At least someone in this situation isn’t a complete moron.

They Finally Start to Get It

Justin finally starts to realise that something is wrong. Justin questions Olivia, poking holes in her story by telling her what Beth said. As well as attempting to guilt her into giving more information to help the other captives. Meanwhile, Kristen is receiving a call to tell her that her company is hiring a ghost writer due to her lack of ability to write her own story. Olivia storms out of the house after Justin’s questioning. Prompting Kristen to ask what happened and, for the first time, Justin relates his concerns to her that this might not actually be Olivia.

After searching, Kristen finds Olivia on a bridge, crying. Apparently she had just got done threatening Beth. Though the dirt on her coat suggests she might have done something more sinister to her. Olivia tells Kristen that she is disappointed that her parents are not together and that is why she has been acting strange; seemingly managing to manipulate Kristen, once again. Or did she? The next day, Detective Sims informs Justin that Olivia assaulted Beth the night before. So not only is she completely different from their actual daughter, quite moody, and has constantly greasy hair. She is also dangerous, as well.

Kristen Sets a Trap

Just when you think Kristen is oh so gullible, she comes up with a plan. She takes Olivia to a place that she claims is Olivia’s childhood “special place”. She reminds her of the time she played with Uncle Lucas in the field and the time she broke her arm while sledding. Olivia smiles, seemingly reminiscing and agrees with her that those were crazy times.

EXCEPT she doesn’t actually have an uncle Lucas and she never broke her arm. Kristen has caught her in a trap. This was the place that Olivia was kidnapped from. Olivia tripped up big time. Proving, once and for all, that this isn’t Olivia and they don’t actually have their daughter back, at all.

Kristen demands to know where Olivia is. Fake Olivia claims she doesn’t know if she is still alive. She asks “what about her?” and wonders what her place in the world is. Kristen tells her that someone must be missing her. Her parents likely loved her and just let her out of their sight for a moment as that’s all it takes.

Olivia denies this but tells Kristen to take her home to her family and she will understand. Kristen agrees. It turns out Fake Olivia is actually called Natalie, also the name of the actor that plays her Natalie Jane. Kristen remarks that the press didn’t know about her as she isn’t one of the listed victims.

Who is Natalie?

Natalie (fake Olivia) directs Kristen to the address where her father lives. While outside, she relates to Kristen that Olivia was her favourite. She was her friend and never tried to get stuff out of her. Kristen questions what she means by this. Natalie tells her that she always gave Olivia the least burned piece of toast and the cookies with the most chocolate chips. She took good care of her.

Naturally, a bit befuddled, Kristen asks where they are. Natalie tells her they are “home”. At least her home since she was kidnapped back when she was five. She was the only one allowed to call the kidnapper “dad” and they are at his house currently. Natalie doesn’t know whether Olivia is alive or inside the house. The kidnapper took her away.

In summary, Natalie was kidnapped back when she was only five years old. For whatever reason, her parents didn’t report her missing. Although police and media were aware of there being five missing girls from the local area. They did not know that Natalie existed. Meaning nobody ever looked for her.

She was given special privileges due to having been with the kidnapper for the longest time. Even calling the kidnapper dad. She was, likely, suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. When Olivia was taken away from the other girls. Seemingly due to being the kidnapper’s new favourite. Natalie felt displaced and rejected, likely believing she had been replaced and was no longer loved. Hence why she ran away.

The Rescue is On

Kristen tries to call the police but they are out in the sticks and there is no cell signal. Natalie notices that the kidnapper’s truck is gone so he isn’t in there. Remember the references to a muddy black pickup truck?

The pair decide to launch a rescue mission. But not before Justin sees a muddy black pickup truck in his driveway. Could it be the kidnapper? No, it is Kristen’s work colleague Anne and the writer she hired. The pair are doing a bit of research on the area so the ghost writer can get the facts straight for the book about Olivia’s disappearance. This is a bit of a strange false flag moment but that could mean the kidnapper will be home at any minute.

Meanwhile, Kristen and Natalie have snuck onto the property. Natalie thinks she knows the keycode to unlock the girls but the kidnapper, obviously, changed it when she left. Looking for an alternate way in, Kristen finds her way into a darkened room with bunk beds. It just so happens to be the room where the missing girls are being held.

Kristen stares at them as if they look like the cast of The Hills Have Eyes before asking if they know where Olivia is. Natalie appears behind her and reminds her that she isn’t there. Suddenly the pair hear a pickup truck pulling up. Kristen hides the girls and promises she will be back for them. They head outside where Kristen spots a room with a locked door.

Olivia is Alive

She runs over to the door, despite Natalie’s objections, just missing the kidnapper’s gaze as he heads into his house. Natalie, eventually, follows her over. Kristen is frantically trying keycodes, incredibly finding that the one given to her by Natalie works. She opens the door to find Olivia in the room. She embraces her, obviously ecstatic to see that she is alive. Natalie sees the embrace and, immediately, feels horrifically jealous, shouting for her Dad to come and spoil the reunion. It’s getting harder and harder to sympathise with this chick.

The kidnapper appears, bumping into Natalie and giving her a thoroughly good rollicking for running away. Confused, Natalie pleads with him, calling him “dad”. He tells her she is nobody’s daughter. Kristen appears, telling the kidnapper to let her go. Distracted, the kidnapper doesn’t notice Olivia sneaking up on him. Olivia pans him with the shovel. Only for Natalie to pick the shovel up and absolutely stave her “dad’s” head in with it. The nightmare is over, save the PTSD and personality disorders that develop from such an awful situation.

They All Live Traumatically Ever After

A news broadcast shows that the missing girls were rescued by Kristen. All 6 of them; so people finally realise that Natalie exists and actually was a victim too. The kidnapper is now in custody, likely suffering from some minor (severe) brain damage from the shovel shot to the cranium. And will probably spend the next few decades being rehabilitated back into a functioning member of society by Big Bubba and his thick ass truncheon.

A year later, we see Olivia waking up in shock, clearly not suffering the horrifying after effects of being held captive for 6 years. She heads downstairs where she finds both of her parents who, apparently, reunited as a couple. Justin is making eggs which is a bad thing because, if you think back to earlier on in the movie, he can’t cook for shit. Kristen says something utterly ridiculous in claiming that the “back to school” shopping will make Olivia feel better. Something no teenager on earth would agree with.

All of a sudden, prompted by an awful joke by Justin, Natalie walks in. Yep, Kristen and Justin have adopted her and she finally has a home to call her own. Oh, and two parents who are together. Much better than a deranged kidnapper. We’ll just ignore some of the sociopathic tendencies she displayed and her propensity towards violence when she doesn’t get her own way.

She picks up a raw copy of the book that Kristen has been writing. “One Daughter Lost, Two Daughters Found.” Indicating that she now has two daughters and that Kristen is going to make some serious money out of this whole ordeal. Good for her. She is going to need it for the decades of counselling everyone concerned is going to need.

Is Sinister Switch a True Story?

Daughter in Disguise (Sinister Switch) isn’t, strictly speaking, a true story. But, can you believe, this has actually happened before? While one might be inclined to dismiss this story as ridiculous. It is far more accurate than you might realise. Frédéric Bourdin is a serial imposter born in 1974. Starting as a child, he claims to have taken on the identity of hundreds of different people. The most noteworthy of those being that of three missing teenagers.

Nicholas Barclay went missing, aged 13, in San Antonio, Texas, while playing basketball. Three years later, Bourdin claimed to be the missing boy, despite living in France, having a full blown French accent and having a completely different eye colour. He was flown to the USA where Bourdin lived with the Barclay family for over five months. Claiming that he had been taken to Europe by a sex trafficking gang who had changed his eye colour.

It wasn’t until a private investigator noticed the differences in Bourdin’s ears, while a documentary was being filmed about the family, that suspicions grew. A DNA test was ordered and Bourdin was proven to be an imposter. This man was a full grown adult, not a teenager, and had literally no connection to their son. He was sentenced to six years in prison for perjury and passport fraud. Leaving the family to, once again, grieve for their missing son. Only now with the added trauma of thinking they had found him. Unfortunately, Nicolas Barclay is still, to this day, missing.

This has Happened More Than Once

Bourdin, somehow, managed to do this again in 2005. Claiming to be Francisco Hernandez-Fernandez, an orphan who lost his parents in a car crash. He donned a baseball cap to hide his receding hairline, adopted a teenage like walk and lived in Collège Jean Monnet for over a month before being found out. There is fascinating documentary about Bourdin titled The Imposter that is well worth looking up.

We also have the case of little Bobby Dunbar. A young boy who went missing back in 1912. Only for investigators to take a poor woman’s actual child away from her. Returning the boy to the Dunbar family claiming him to have been their missing son. Modern DNA test results revealed that the child had no relation to the Dunbar family. Making the tragedy all the more horrific.

If we want to go even more recent. We have the disappearance of 6 year old Timothy Pitzen in 2011. Pitzen was taken, by his mother, on a series of fun trips to theme parks and the like. Before disappearing without a trace. His mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, subsequently killed herself. Leaving a note with her body claiming that Timothy was safe but would never be found.

In 2019, a boy was found wandering the streets. He claimed to be Timothy Pitzen, only for the FBI to reveal, the very next day, that the boy wasn’t Timothy at all. He was, actually, 23 year old Brian Michael Rini. A man who had recently left prison after a 14 month sentence for burglary and vandalism.

Thanks for Reading

Despite how ridiculous this plot might sound, it has actually happened multiple times. Girls change so much between their preteen and teen years that, as long as they have the same eye colour and hair, it is almost believable. Especially when you consider Kristen’s desperation to have her child back. She wanted to believe and this let her overlook certain things that didn’t make sense.

Thanks for reading. I know this was a bit of an epic. You can stick around and take a look at some horror movie lists or some more reviews if you like. I appreciate every one of you for spending your time on Knockout Horror. It means the world to me as all I want to do is chat horror. Take care and I will, hopefully, see you soon.