Like his feature directorial debutHereditary, writer-directorAri Aster’s sun-soaked horror filmMidsommarhas a lot on its mind. On the surface, it’s the story of a young woman enduring unimaginable grief while also trying to salvage her crumbling relationship, all while attending an increasingly ominous — and eventually deadly —midsummer celebrationat a remote Swedish commune. Digging deeper,Midsommaris also a twisted tale about the importance of empathy, shared emotion, and finding familyin the most unexpected places.
A couple travels to Northern Europe to visit a rural hometown’s fabled Swedish mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.
What Is ‘Midsommar’ About?
Before we dig into theMidsommarending and what it means, it’s important to track the arc of the film’s protagonist Dani, played brilliantly byFlorence Pugh. In the film’s harrowing opening sequence, we see thatDani’s boyfriend Christian(Jack Reynor) is reluctantly answering her calls and telling her she’s hysterical for “overreacting” to a disturbing email from her sister, who has bipolar disorder. Minutes later, Dani calls Christian again, having learned that her sister has just killed their parents and then herself in a murder-suicide. We then see a scene in which Dani is inconsolable in grief, crying uncontrollably, while Christian half-heartedly attempts to comfort her, hand on her shoulder, staring off into the distance.
Indeed,Ari Aster has calledMidsommarsomething of a breakup movie, and throughout the story, we see how Christian is distancing himself from Dani, treating her with severe indifference and ignoring the sensitivity of her emotions in this fragile state. This is evidenced by his failure to warn her about the ättestupa ritual they witness, and also how he brushes off her concerns about Simon (Archie Madekwe) “leaving” without Connie (Ellora Torchia).
What Happens to Dani and Christian in ‘Midsommar’?
AsMidsommarreaches its climax, the audience learns that —surprise!— thiscult-like community actuallyisdangerousand has very specific plans for Dani, Christian, Josh (William Jackson Harper), Mark (Will Poulter), Connie, and Simon. In the final act, all the outsiders except Christian and Dani have “disappeared,” and the midsummer ritual continues with a maypole dancing competition — which Dani wins.After the competition, Dani is crowned May Queenand is carted around the commune to bless their crops.
In the meantime, Christian has been taken away and asked to mate with the young Maja (Isabelle Grill) to bring some outside blood into the community. He’s subsequently drugged, and in his altered state,Christian does indeed go through with the sex ritual, solidifying hissevered ties with Dani. When Dani returns, she hears the ritual happening and witnesses Christian’s infidelity. She runs out, horrified and sobbing — but this time, she’s not alone. The women of the commune surround Dani, follow her into the sleeping quarters, and begin echoing her cries.
We saw this practice earlier in the film, during the ättestupa, in which members of the commune cried out in pain when the elder gentleman’s fall from the cliff failed to immediately kill him. The members of this community value togetherness above all else, andwhen Dani anguishes over her discovery of Christian’s unfaithfulness, the villagers literally share her pain. This is in stark contrast to the rest of the film, during which she is forced to quietly grieve alone while Christian either ignores her breakdowns or offers half-assed platitudes.
Dani Chooses to Sacrifice Christian, Who Is Burned Alive in a Bear Carcass
At the end ofMidsommar, after Christian has fulfilled his purpose of mating with Maja, the true reason for bringing these outsiders to the village is revealed. For the midsummer celebration’s finale, ritualistic sacrifice is necessary. We learn that yes,Josh, Mark, Connie, and Simon have all already been killed and will serve as sacrifices in the ritual, which now needs two volunteers from the village and one additional sacrifice. For the final pick, Dani is allowed to choose who dies — Christian, or a lottery-selected villager. Heartbroken, bitter, and angry over Christian’s betrayal (not just physical, but emotional as she considers the entirety of their relationship),Dani chooses Christian to die, in turn choosing this community as her family.Christian is then stuffed inside a bear carcass(paralyzed but still alive, mind you) and placed in the sacred temple along with the four dead outsiders and two volunteers.
As the temple is set on fire, the villagers look on. When one of the volunteers screams in anguish as he burns alive, the villagers outside begin to mimic his cries, writhing around and crying out. And while Dani — still in her May Queen garb — initially looks on in horror, her face eventually curls into a smile, and she joins the villagers in their celebration.
Why Does Dani Smile at the End of ‘Midsommar’?
At the beginning ofMidsommar, Dani is alone in her grief. In the end, she’s sharing not just her grief and pain, but joy and celebration. When her family died, Christian and his friends failed to fill in the gap. Dani was alone, isolated, and lacking any considerable empathy or compassion from those around her.By the film’s end, she has embraced the values of this commune— values of community and found family — and finally feels seen, heard, and felt.
It’s a bittersweet ending, to be sure (and certainly more bitter than sweet). The cult full-on murdered people, and while Christian kinda-sorta had it coming, the idea that Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) made friends with the express purpose of sacrificing them is disturbing. And although Christian sucks, some may question why Pelle chose to sacrifice Josh, who seemed genuinely interested in the rituals and way of life of the commune. Well, therein lies your answer — the less the outside world knows about this community’s sex rituals and sacrifices, the better.
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But the larger idea insideMidsommaris one of the importance of shared emotion.Relationships are tricky, and the trauma that Dani needed help to process was immense and incredibly complicated. However, even if he didn’t know exactly how to help her, Christian kind of seemed like he couldn’t care less. If there’s no foundation of empathy or understanding, it’s tough to build a lasting companionship. We as humans don’t want to feel isolated in either our pain or joy and one of the greatest gifts a partner or family member can give us is to share those emotions. To feel a little less alone. And while yes,Midsommar’s ending sees her boyfriend being burned alive in a ritualistic barn, literally inside the carcass of a bear, alongside the mutilated corpses of their friends,Dani has found a sense of community. Whether she’s horrified or elated, she’s at least found a family in which those emotions can be shared. It’s sort of a silver lining to a very,verygray cloud.
