Midsommar Ending Explained, Cast, Plot, And More
by Rubaditsha
Updated May 03, 2023
Midsommar Ending Explained
The ending of Midsommar is surprising and unsettling, leaving many viewers with unanswered questions. The film is essentially a two-and-a-half-hour study of one woman's emotional journey towards emancipation from a toxic relationship.
Throughout the movie, director Ari Aster shows us how terrible Dani's relationship with Christian is, depicting his casual and selfish behavior towards her, such as dismissing her worries about her family, barely helping her through the grieving process, and forgetting her birthday. Despite all this, Dani continues to prioritize Christian's happiness and puts up with his gross friends, clinging to the closest thing she has left after losing her biological family.
When the couple joins a strange Swedish Pagan group, which is later revealed to be a suicide cult, Christian's selfishness reaches a new low as he forces Dani to stay with them, even though he wants to write a thesis on their culture.
Meanwhile, Dani finds a sense of community and belonging within the cult, especially during the election of a May Queen, where she is genuinely happy for the first time in the movie. However, after a special dinner, Christian abandons Dani to have sex with a red-haired girl, and Dani witnesses the act and is comforted by a group of women.
These sequences set up the ending, where Dani is faced with the choice between sacrificing her boyfriend and a random member of the cult. She ultimately chooses to kill Christian, not only because he cheated on her but also because she has found a new family that acknowledges and shares her pain. The movie ends with Dani smiling, having reached catharsis by confronting her fear of loss and finding a new family to help her through the aftermath.
Aster has explained that he was inspired by a recent break-up to write the movie as a "perverse wish fulfilment." He wanted people to enjoy the movie but also to contend with its aftertaste of uplift, given the disturbing nature of the ending.
The use of a bear costume for Christian's sacrifice is either a reference to Nicolas Cage's bear costume in The Wicker Man remake or to underline the fact that the movie is a dark fairytale. The film's opening storybook illustration and artistic foreshadowing throughout suggest that this is a dark take on a Hans Christian Andersen-style story.
In conclusion, the ending of Midsommar is a disturbing but ultimately cathartic resolution to Dani's emotional journey, highlighting the power of community and the human need for belonging and support.
Midsommar Movie
Ari Aster's 2019 folk horror film Midsommar tells the story of a troubled couple, played by Florence Pugh and Jack Reynor, who travel to Sweden with a group of friends to attend a midsummer festival. However, they soon find themselves ensnared by a sinister cult practicing Scandinavian paganism. Supporting actors in the film include William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren, Ellora Torchia, Archie Madekwe, and Will Poulter.
The film, which is a co-production between the United States and Sweden, was initially conceived as a straightforward slasher film set among Swedish cultists. While the final product does contain elements of this original concept, the film's plot focuses more heavily on the couple's deteriorating relationship, which was inspired by a difficult breakup that Aster himself experienced. The film's soundtrack, composed by British electronic musician Bobby Krlic (also known as The Haxan Cloak), draws inspiration from Nordic folk music.
Midsommar was shot on location in Budapest during the summer and autumn of 2018. It was theatrically released in the United States on July 3, 2019, by A24, and in Sweden on July 10, 2019, by Nordisk Film. The film received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Aster's direction and Pugh's performance. However, it divided general audiences. Despite this, the film was a commercial success, grossing $48 million.
Midsommar Netflix
Unfortunately, "Midsommar" is not currently available to stream on Netflix. However, it is available for rental or purchase on Apple TV. "Midsommar" is a horror movie about a group of friends who travel to Sweden to study a summer festival that is held every ninety years in the remote hometown of one of them.
What starts out as an idyllic vacation in a place where the sun never sets soon becomes a dark nightmare as the group becomes involved in the disturbing activities of the mysterious inhabitants. The movie explores themes of grief, trauma, and the boundaries between life and death.
The film was directed by Ari Aster, who previously directed the horror film "Hereditary." It stars Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter, and William Jackson Harper, among others. The movie received critical acclaim for its stunning visuals, atmospheric music, and powerful performances, particularly from Florence Pugh in the lead role.
While "Midsommar" may not be available to stream on Netflix at the moment, it is still a highly recommended horror movie for fans of the genre.
Midsommar Cast
Florence Pugh
Dani
Jack Reynor
Christian
Will Poulter
Mark
William Jackson Harper
Josh
Vilhelm Blomgren
Pelle
Archie Madekwe
Simon
Ellora Torchia
Connie
Gunnel Fred
Siv
Isabelle Grill
Maja
Lars Väringer
Sten
Henrik Norlén
Ulf
Anders Beckman
Arne
Julia Ragnarsson
Inga
Anki Larsson
Irma
Anna Åström
Karin
Liv Mjönes
Ulla
Mats Blomgren
Odd
Louise Peterhoff
Hanna
Agnes Rase
Dagny
Katarina Weidhagen
Ylva
Björn Andrésen
Dan
Lennart R. Svensson
Mats
Tove Skeidsvoll
Majvor
Anders Back
Valentin
Dag Andersson
Sven
Cast
Character
Midsommar Plot
After Dani's sister commits a murder-suicide by filling their home with carbon monoxide and killing their parents, Dani is left deeply traumatized. Her relationship with her distant boyfriend, Christian, is further strained. As summer approaches, Christian, along with his fellow students Mark and Josh, is invited to attend a midsummer festival in rural Hälsingland, Sweden, by their Swedish friend Pelle, who did not discuss the trip with Dani. After an argument, Christian reluctantly invites Dani along.
When they arrive at the Hårga commune, they are introduced to Simon and Connie, a couple from London who were invited by Pelle's communal brother Ingemar. They are offered psychedelic mushrooms, and Dani has a bad trip, hallucinating about her dead family.
The group witnesses an ättestupa ceremony where two elders commit suicide by jumping from a cliff onto the rocks below. When one of the elders survives the fall, the commune members mimic his wails of pain and promptly mercy-kill him by bludgeoning his skull with a mallet. Commune elder Siv attempts to calm Connie and Simon by explaining that every member of their community does this at the age of 72 and believes it to be a great honor.
Christian decides to write his thesis on the Hårga commune, irritating Josh, who accuses him of plagiarizing his idea. Dani attempts to leave after being bothered by the ceremonies, but is convinced to stay by Pelle, who explains that the commune became his new family after he was orphaned by a fire.
Connie and Simon demand to leave and are supposedly driven to a nearby train station. During his research, Christian learns that outsiders are sometimes brought into the commune for "mating" purposes to avoid incest. He is propositioned but refuses.
Mark is lured away from the group by a female commune member, and Josh is caught secretly photographing one of the commune's sacred texts, leading to his bludgeoning and dragging away by a man wearing the skinned face of Mark's corpse.
On the following day, both Dani and Christian are coerced into taking a hallucinogenic drink. Dani wins a maypole dancing competition and is crowned May Queen. Christian participates in a copulation ritual designed to impregnate Maja, a young member of the Hårga.
After the ritual, a nude Christian discovers Josh's severed leg planted in a flowerbed and Simon's corpse on display in a barn after being subjected to a blood eagle. He is then paralyzed by an elder.In the final ceremony, the commune leaders explain that they must offer nine human sacrifices to purge the commune of its evil. The first four victims are outsiders lured to them by Pelle and Ingemar, while the next four must be from the commune.
As the May Queen, Dani must choose either Christian or a commune member to be the final sacrifice. She chooses Christian, who is stuffed into a disemboweled brown bear's body and placed in a triangular wooden temple alongside other sacrifices.
The commune members are given drugs and told it will prevent them from feeling fear or suffering, but Christian is not and remains unable to move. The structure is set alight, and the commune members mimic the screams and wails of agony of those being burned alive. Dani initially sobs in horror and grief but then gradually begins to smile. The film ends with Dani smiling as the commune members dance around her.
Midsommar Trailer
Midsommar Ending Explained: FAQs
"Midsommar" is a horror film about a group of friends who travel to Sweden to study a summer festival that is held every ninety years in the remote hometown of one of them. The vacation that begins as a dream turns into a dark nightmare as the mysterious inhabitants invite them to participate in their disturbing festive activities.
The main actors in "Midsommar" are Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren, Archie Madekwe, Ellora Torchia, Gunnel Fred, Isabelle Grill, Lars Väringer, Henrik Norlén, Anders Beckman, Julia Ragnarsson, Anki Larsson, Anna Åström, Liv Mjönes, Mats Blomgren, Louise Peterhoff, Agnes Rase, Katarina Weidhagen, Björn Andrésen, Lennart R. Svensson, Tove Skeidsvoll, Anders Back, and Dag Andersson.
"Midsommar" can be downloaded or rented online on Apple TV.