Youcef Is a Major Character in 'Emily the Criminal' — What Happens to Him at the End of the Film?

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Emily the Criminal.

Between your Wednesday rewatch and episodes of Harry & Meghan, you may have caught wind of Emily the Criminal. The film began streaming on Netflix in early December 2022 after being released in theaters earlier in August. The film received positive response and garnered a 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes as a "taut thriller that contains a wealth of social commentary," according to the critics' consensus. As of this writing, the film is currently the No. 4 movie on Netflix in the US.

The film follows the titular Emily Benetto (Aubrey Plaza), a young woman who turns to crime to recover from financial ruin. After struggling to get a job due to her criminal background, Emily struggles to pay off her student loans and is dug deeper into debt. She then becomes involved a crime ring. She is led by Youcef (Theo Rossi), one of the overseers of the operation with whom she becomes involved. Does he die in the end?

In the film, Youcef is one of the organizers of a credit card fraud ring in which "dummy shoppers" make large purchases with fake credit cards in order to sell those items later to turn a profit. Emily joins with the promise of making $200 for each job. While they initially only interact on a professional basis, Emily and Youcef soon beome close after sharing their individual aspirations. It isn't long before Emily asks Youcef to teach her how to make fake credit cards herself.

As they become romantically involved, their lives take drastic turns. Emily learns more tricks of the trade and even develops a liking for this kind of work. Meanwhile, Youcef becomes emotionally attached to her, much to the dismay of his cousin and criminal partner, Khalil (Jonathan Avigdori). But after a mistake by Emily nearly compromises the operation, Khalil cuts the two of them out of the ring.

Youcef decides to rob the fraud ring after being backed into a corner. Unfortunately on the night of the robbery, he finds that Khalil has emptied their facility and taken everything, including money in his and Emily's shared bank account. Emily urges Youcef to find Khalil at his safehouse and take back their money by any means necessary. They manage to take the ring's earnings from Khalil, but Youcef is gravely injured in the process.

As police begin closing in on their location, Emily betrays Youcef, taking the money for herself and abandoning him in order to make her escape.

Though Emily manages to survive and even starts up her own credit card fraud operation in South America, Youcef's fate is ultimately left ambiguous. Though he sustained severe injuries during the climax, it is unclear as to whether or not he dies.

Emily the Criminal is now streaming on Netflix.