What Does The Ending Of Enemy Really Mean?

2. Adam Vs. Anthony

Enemy's opening title declares that "chaos is order yet undeciphered", which seems to be referring to Adam's quest to reconcile his two conflicting personalities, creating order by deciphering which one is dominant while purging the other.

The Anthony-starring film Adam watches is even called "Where There's a Will, There's A Way", seeming to provide unconscious encouragement for Adam to pursue a resolution to his condition.

Anthony insists that Adam won't ever see him again after he's spent the weekend with Mary, and though the audience will initially take that claim at face value, Anthony is literally stating the fact that once this war for dominance has played out, only one of them will be left standing.

The audience may not appreciate the relevance of what Anthony says, but Adam does, which is why he visits Helen while pretending to be Anthony, in an attempt to maintain dominance, stop Anthony from purging him and in turn purge Anthony. Unexpectedly, Helen asks him, "Did you have a good day at school?", demonstrating her awareness of and apparent comfort with Adam winning out.

Helen's approval may help kickstart Anthony's "death" from Adam's mind, as symbolised by the car crash, because Adam starts crying shortly thereafter, presumably through the anguish of losing some part of himself, no matter how disruptive. Helen then tells Adam, "I want you to stay", seemingly cementing Adam's place as the "winner", mere seconds before we see Anthony and Mary's surely fatal car crash.