‘Stranger Things’ Doc Director on Filming the Discussion About Demogorgons in the Final Battle and That Ambiguous Ending: ‘That’s the Reaction the Duffer Brothers Wanted’ (EXCLUSIVE)

When Martina Radwan, the director of the documentary “One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5,” first met with Matt and Ross Duffer, the show’s creators, she told them that yes, she would want to celebrate the series by showing how the final season was made. But she also wanted to delve into the brothers’ creative process and how it evolved as “Stranger Things” grew into the era-defining hit of the Netflix age.

“Because often, especially with a show that’s that big, that gets left out,” Radwan says. “That it’s still a very creative process, and still a very collaborative process.”

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Radwan moved to New York City from Germany in the mid-1990s, and most of her work has been as a cinematographer. She won an Emmy in 2024 as the director of photography on the documentary “Girls State,” and in 2023, she directed her first documentary feature, “Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow.” She was hired to direct “One Last Adventure” in summer 2023, several months before production began on “Stranger Things 5″ and began working on the documentary that fall; the dual strikes had finally ended, and production could finally get underway.

Radwan was already a fan of the show, but in order to prepare, she re-watched it and read everything she could about the Duffer brothers. “And that’s when it became clear — the scope has grown so much,” she says. “And yet, at the heart of it, it’s still ‘Stranger Things.’”

By the end of 2023, Radwan moved to Atlanta to embed herself into production on the show’s final season, and went to set, she says, every day.

“One Last Adventure,” which premieres on Netflix on Jan. 12, follows the making of “Stranger Things 5” from its first table read through the final day on set. It details filming the season’s massive setpieces — such as the conclusion of Volume 1, when Will (Noah Schnapp) accesses the powers he didn’t know he had to fight the Demogorgons — and the series finale’s battle in the Abyss. When reflecting on the show in an interview, Radwan says she thinks that the conclusion of “Stranger Things” is the “end of an era,” which feels true. Not only is “Stranger Things” so culturally dominant that entire conspiracy theories can be made up about it — as illustrated by the viral “Conformity Gate” rumor this week — but in the future, shows on this scale will likely be mostly computer-generated.

Matt and Ross Duffer are the focus of the documentary, but stars Millie Bobby Brown, Sadie Sink, Finn Wolfhard and Schnapp are among those who also share their experiences on the show and reflect on it coming to an end. Here, Radwan talks about how she directed “One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5.”

This project is so different from your previous work. What was it about “Stranger Things” that made you want to do this documentary?

It goes back to the aspect of creativity, and the kind of filmmakers that Matt and Ross are. Because I wanted to celebrate film. I’m also teaching, so I see the kids not knowing older films. I love that about Matt and Ross — that they always come back to these older films that are much more handmade than what we get to see now, particularly at that level and at that size. I really love that they kept referring to older movies with such respect and such admiration.

As you were shooting, were you figuring out what the story was?

Certain things emerged. Because it was very clear from the beginning that it was a coming-of-age story, and not just for the cast — everybody. The brothers, all the collaborators, and also, the time we live in.

Other things emerged as well. What “Stranger Things” is really about, what Matt and Ross are really amazing about, is this that they always want to live in the real world, so they build everything. “Stranger Things” was an end of an era — I don’t think anybody will ever build the Pain Tree again, which is a football-field-sized set.

When we wrote a cover story about “Stranger Things,” we interviewed Shawn Levy, and he talked about the “bubble of twinship” between Matt and Ross, and how it’s impenetrable — that they’re the original hive mind. Do they diverge at all as creative people in terms of their duties on set or in the writers’ room?

I really think they are not that different. Matt is more the set guy, versus Ross is more the writer guy. They say that, but then really, they’re so intertwined, which is fascinating.

We all think “Stranger Things” happened overnight. It’s like, no, it didn’t; they started when they were 8. It became clear that they really are a hive mind. Very rarely do they disagree.

There aren’t interviews with people beyond the show itself. It’s the Duffers, it’s the cast, it’s the department heads. Did you consider voices from outside the show?

There’s so much information about “Stranger Things” out in the world that I wanted to keep it in the bubble. Anything that you need to know outside of the show, you can get — it’s out there. 

Did Winona Ryder or David Harbour sit down with you? They’re not in the movie.

No, they’re not. We just didn’t get the time. They were busy with other projects, and so we didn’t have the time to sit down.

Not even on set were they available? Millie Bobby Brown does her interview with the nosebleed.

That was Millie’s idea! She was like, “This is my last day, I’m in character.”

Unfortunately, with David and Winona, we couldn’t find the time. We tried.

It was Millie’s idea to do the interview with the nosebleed on her face?

Well, we waited until her last day, and she just wanted to be Eleven. And then Millie being Millie, she gave a lot of other people nosebleeds as a wrap gift.

Were you just guessing which scenes would be the most interesting later for fans? Now we know what the huge scenes are that people will be talking about forever, but you hadn’t seen them.

Well, I read the scripts, obviously, and it became clear. And, of course, talking to Matt and Ross, and listening to them. Matt and Ross really wanted to have a behind-the-scenes film that gives young filmmakers an idea of how this is made. Clearly, the Episode 4 MAC-Z attack — I mean, literally nobody knew how to pull it off. And yet, they did pull it off.

I was interested in the writers’ room scene when they’re talking about how Mike will want a gun, but they don’t think that he should get one.

The beauty of the spectacle is that they always come back to the character. And really, in the writers’ room, I think that becomes really clear. Matt and Ross are really good at that. Yes, the MAC-Z took, like, six weeks. But at the end of the day, it is about the characters.

Not wanting to give Mike a gun — that made sense to me, because once he has a gun, he’s not innocent anymore. He’s not that nerdy kid that plays D&D.

There’s also the scene in the writers’ room where they talk about how there should be Demogorgons in the final battle in the Abyss — which people have fixated on, since that didn’t happen. Did that resolve in some way that we just don’t see?

I like that moment, and I like the conversation, because it obviously changed, right? And so having them sit there and really explore that — to me, the writers’ room is so fascinating, because you see them thinking.

I love that they were so sure about the Demogorgons in the final Abyss — except Ross was like, “Mmm, maybe there’s some fatigue, Demogorgon fatigue.” And Kate [Trefry] agreed. And you’re like, “Oh, OK — so this is not the last conversation. They disagree, and they will resolve it on some point.” We, in the doc, left it open because at the time the doc comes out, everybody knows there are no Demos in the Pain Tree.

What did you think of the finale?

I love the finale. I really did. I saw it in the theater, of course, here in New York, Union Square. And it was so cool to see everybody participating and following, applauding. It was really cool to see it in a communal setting.

And how do you perceive the reaction to the finale? I can’t tell yet what normal people think about it —  forget extremely online people.

I think people loved it, but I think they’re surprised. Because it’s an ambivalent ending, which I love, they don’t know what to do. I think most films nowadays tell you what to think and what to feel. Here, you’re a little bit on your own. And it has to settle. Because I do think it also will change over time, when you think back on it after your first impression. I think it’s the reaction that the Duffers wanted — the question mark.

Do you think Eleven is alive?

I like the idea that magic died, or that magic had to die. But then again, magic lives on within us. So I don’t know.

Can you talk about filming everyone’s series wraps?

Yeah, that was hard because there were so many, and it was so emotional. For all of them, either half their life is ending, a quarter of their life. For the Duffers, they will never have a “Stranger Things” again. It was important to me to really unify the endings. Matt and Ross had to have the last word. I wanted it to be one goodbye. I didn’t want to separate all the goodbyes, because it’s a shared experience for all of them, including the crew.

I would say the most surprising to me were Matt and Ross.

That they cried? They do get choked up. Especially Matt, I think?

Yes, Matt — that’s one of the things where they’re different. Matt is more openly emotional. I’m sure Ross is as emotional, but he has all the jokes, like, “Don’t worry, I won’t hug you.” And that’s very intended. He’s not a big hugger. So when Matt came in and just wanted to have a group hug on the very last day, that’s when I realized, “Oh, this is going to be really emotional.”

I thought they would try to hold it together. But I mean, how do you hold it together after 10 years?

This interview has been edited and condensed.