Midsommar Movie Ending, Explained

Ari Aster’s Midsommar took audiences on a journey of what a toxic relationship looked like. Dani (Florence Pugh) couldn’t recognize her boyfriend Christian’s (Jack Reynor) toxic behavior until she went on an unexpected trip to Sweden with him and his friends. Playing around with foreshadowing and poignant commentary, Aster created a cult classic horror film.

Like Hereditary, it dealt with bizarre elements of unexplainable situations. The theme of grief was present in both films, but what set Midsommar apart from Hereditary was an added component. On the surface level, Midsommar focused on Dani’s attempt to overcome a recent loss by going on a trip with her boyfriend and his friends. However, on the flip side, it was actually about their deteriorating relationship. Instead of leaning on each other to survive, Christian and Dani were pulled in opposite directions, primarily due to Christian’s inability to be a good partner.

What Is Midsommar About?

Dani, a college student who had recently lost her parents and sister in a brutal event, was grieving. But she was stunted by her boyfriend’s dismissive attitude about processing it. Right before her family died, Christian had intended to break up with her, but the tragedy ruined his plans. So, he begrudgingly invited her on a trip with his friends Josh (William Jackson Harper), Mark (Will Poulter) and Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) to Sweden to partake in Midsummer, a festive celebration marking the end of the summer season.

However, as it turned out, the group, accompanied by two other travelers, Simon (Archie Madekwe) and Connie (Ellora Torchia), had actually become part of a ritual of the cleansing of the harmful elements of the commune, ultimately leading to sacrificial deaths. This ritual occurred every ninety years and involved things like stuffing victims with straw or burning them alive. Meanwhile, the commune was preparing Dani as their new May Queen and welcoming her as a member. However, in order to embrace her new life, Dani had to let go of her past, including her toxic relationship with Christian.

Midsommar Ending, Explained

Christian was chosen by Maja (Isabelle Grill) to be her mate in order to prevent incest within the commune. She concocted a love potion with period blood, pubic hair and other things to seduce him into having sex with her in a ritualistic setup. Dani walked in and saw Christian cheating on her. Horrified and saddened, she began to sob uncontrollably, and the women of the commune joined her in mourning her broken relationship. Since Dani couldn’t properly grieve her parent’s and sister’s death, Christian’s betrayal pushed her beyond her limits.

After having sex with Maja, Christian realized how disturbing this all was and escaped to a shed. But he found the body of Simon with flowers stuck to his eyes. Before Christian could leave, he was incapacitated. Having fully embraced her sadness and May Queen duties, Dani had to choose between Christian and a random person from the commune to finish the ritual. In her angry state, she picks Christian to die. He’s then dressed in bearskin and burned alive with five others. In the distance, Dani appeared visibly upset, but after a few moments, she began to laugh maniacally. At the very end, she smiled ominously, letting go of her boyfriend once and for all.

What’s the Deeper Meaning Behind Midsommar?

As beautiful as Midsommar was, the film holds many questions, mainly the story’s intentions. As gruesome as the film was, Dani and Christian’s relationship was the central conflict. Christian’s inability to be a suitable partner to Dani pushed her into the arms of a cult. After losing her family, instead of doing the right thing by staying home and helping her grieve, he offered her a trip because that’s ultimately what he wanted to do. This was Dani’s first birthday without her family, and Christian only thought of himself instead of showing remorse. He even forgot her birthday and how long they’d been dating. These instances added to the looming issues of their relationship.

When the group witnessed the death of two elders jumping off a cliff, Dani was rightfully mortified, considering her sister had committed suicide not that long ago. Christian admitted that it was bizarre but didn’t recognize the real problem. His inability to realize the severity of Dani’s trauma allowed their relationship to slip further and further apart. But Maja’s love spell and Christian’s ultimate betrayal finally enabled Dani to get the help she needed. Instead of going off alone and swallowing her tears, as she had been doing the entire trip, she let the sadness consume her. The women of the cult replicated her cries to show that it was okay to fall apart.

This was mirrored during the opening of the film. Dani was alarmed by her sister’s email and tried to hold it together while speaking to Christian. He brushed over the seriousness of the situation and emotionally manipulated her to shut down. When Dani learned about her family’s demise, she leaned on Christian. But instead of consoling and feeling her pain, he just awkwardly held her as she sobbed. But when she cried with the commune, they could feel every emotion she did. Dani felt as though she was putting her problems onto Christian, but the truth was he was her romantic partner. She should have been able to confide in him, considering they’d been in a relationship for four years.

The Significance of the Bear in Midsommar

The bear Christan was placed in was another big mystery. Aster claimed, “The bear is a very important symbol in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. It was loaded in all of the right ways. To sort of tie it to Christian and the way that he dies. It occurred to me at some point in doing research for the film that this is the right way to send Christian off.”

Ultimately, the bear symbolizes a sacrificial offering for Hårga’s sins. However, it’s easy to see it another way. In Norse mythology, the bear is closely associated with warriors. That’s a group that Christian would have likely related to, given his toxic attitude, but with the bear being part of his death, it showed his true weakness as he paid for his mistakes. Meanwhile, instead of swallowing her pain as usual, Dani let her pain be free and showed her true strength.