Midsommar's "Happy" Ending, Explained

[@bisexualichigo4227]

The bright visuals of this movie are why I like it. Even in a sunny bright setting, you can make it creepy.

[@TheSuperNats]

Yeah it’s easy to rely on darkness to amp up the suspense. I respect that they took on this challenge of intense sunniness and it was still terrifying.

[@trinaq]

I agree, you have to applaud the cinematography for managing to convey a creepy, unsettling atmosphere by using bright images the entire way through. 🔆😊

[@dogwalk3]

folk horror & daytime horror are an entire sub genre! check out "a field in england," & "blood on satan's claw."!

[@mimmikibilly]

When I go watch a movie which I suspect may display some violence, sunny and bright scenes or any source of light are what scares me the most. I'm sensitive to blood, so if it's hidden in the darkness it is more subtle, usually.

[@Fluffy-Fluffy]

It made me want to go back to Stockholm and lay down in the grass at Djurgarden in summertime ( my phone doesn't let me write it correctly). It somehow really does look superbright at times.

[@maisydazey]

I will NOT let the “grisly finale” pun go underappreciated

[@shradhachawan4569]

Hahaha😂

[@nemesisdelaudela]

I'm not fluent in English: can anyone explain the pun here, please? Thanks

[@valc8882]

I bearly missed it... :))

[@sydneybrooks6038]

OMG

[@Coryalan2]

This comment thread is honestly becoming unbearable.

[@tangerine6388]

"A SMILE finally breaks onto Dani's face. She has surrendered to a joy known only by the insane. She has lost herself completely, and she is finally free. It is horrible and it is beautiful."

[@1mol831]

What insane is, depends on logic systems, which govern different cultures. Which cultures are influenced by the laws of physics in a university, which some universes have other systems of existence thus produce vastly different culture for which sometimes horrible and beautiful do not exist.

[@anonymousmcanonymous3055]

Movie "journalists" : "woah, what a happy ending for a feminist movie about a woman getting revenge on her gaslighting PoC boyfriend!"

[@lysterhine]

@@anonymousmcanonymous3055 Exactly. Anyone who thinks this way sounds like they would be very, very prone to the cult manipulating them, too

[@cirquedude123]

I got out of my toxic five year relationship a few days after I saw this. When Pele asked Dani if Christian felt like home to her I wept and knew I had to do something. I owe it to this film, I don’t know if I would have gotten out of the terrible relationship if I hadn’t seen this film. Great job Ari.

[@VixxKong2]

Dani is the one that kept Christian even when he wanted to go. She kept making him feel guilty every time he wanted to leave her. If that’s who you identified with, maybe you should work on yourself and how you treat others, instead of trying to blame your partner for your unhappiness.

[@YoutubeSun1]

Jacob Hutton Good for you! I will admit that I had been Dani many times...needy, clingy, desperate even. I had horrible judgment when it came to dating. 🤢. If I had been in one of those relationships when this came out, I’m pretty sure I’d have seen a mirror image. Many people don’t understand that it takes *2* people to make things toxic. Yes, of course I had my flaws, but it’s that very thing that those former partners looked for and exploit. Narcissists mainly. Funny thing is when I (finally) got to my happy place, and accepted my super sensitive emotional self, in walked my “home”. My husband and I just celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary yesterday. 😃❤️. I wish you well on your journey!!🤍🙏🏼🙌🏼💯

[@allyli1718]

And The Wild Bean Appears and it looks like you identified with Christian. Dani is clingy and depressed with or without Christian. She is not depressed to guilt him into staying. She is depressed because her family is dead. And her “clinging” is just her trying to find support from her boyfriend, which is normal. The fact that Christian was emotionally unavailable is where things get tricky. He should have just broken up with her. The trick is that she’s just lost her family, so it would make him look bad and he’d feel bad. (That’s where your “guilting” thing comes from) However, Dani didnt choose to lose her family to make her look pathetic and keep Christian. This situation is not her fault (unless you just expect someone who’s entire family died to just be fine.) He has to make a choice to stay with a person he can’t love but wants to keep around or be honest with them and break up but potentially make himself look bad. Christian rectifies this situation by trying to leave without telling her to go have sex in Sweden. THIS is where we see that Christian is a fucking asshole. Instead of doing the hard thing, breaking up with Dani (which would make him look and feel bad, because it would leave Dani super upset), he does something easy that is just as hurtful (Dani is still super upset, just now he doesn’t have to see it and or deal with the consequences and can have sex). He doesn’t even break up with her when he’s caught. Like dude, this woman is too emotionally compromised to break up with you right now. You have to break up with her if you don’t want to deal with her. Oh? You’re just gonna leave for Sweden instead of breaking up with her? Shit man, that’s a great idea, and totally not a cowards way out that will deal a ton of confusion and hurt. Wow you’re such a great guy, your girlfriend is the real asshole I would feel differently if Dani was doing this randomly, or acting like she would suicide without Christian (clear guilting and manipulation), but that simply isn’t the case. Her family is dead (reason), and she tries to seem “cool” for Christian’s emotional unavailability (not guilting). What I would fault her for is not understanding Christian. She didnt want to see that Christian is checked out of the relationship, she didn’t want to see that he’ll never be honest with her, she didn’t want to see that he won’t even break up with her. This leads to the continuation of this toxic relationship, the “two to tango” aspect. But I would say that Christian’s assholery is more clear and direct bc if he’s not happy he should have just been honest instead of running off to Sweden

[@VixxKong2]

@@allyli1718 I didn't identify with none of these idiots. The only one that made sense to me was the UK girl that had the right idea to gtfo as quick as possible. But unfortunately they killed her and her fiancé. Nobody else made sense. So you get outta here with that bs

[@psychoPilgrim36]

And The Wild Bean Appears You sound like you lack empathy and that makes me feel sorry for you

[@-anothersarah-8803]

Wait y’all saw that as a happy ending? I saw it as her mind finally breaking

[@LaydiNite]

It is and it isn't. That's what made the movie so interesting to me. On the one hand, she's in this very unsettling community far away from home and is drugged and traumatized. On the other hand, she has found the connection that she wanted so desperately and couldn't get from the people she had been around before. Even at the beginning, she doesn't really have a "home" to go back to. Her family is dead, her boyfriend is emotionally abusive and doesn't want to be in a relationship but is too much of a coward to break up with her. She seems to not have any support system, she hangs out with her Christian's friend group, but doesn't have one of her own. She's alone and already dealing with serious trauma before they set out on the trip. That's the scariest part to me; her life was so awful that the cult became a preferable situation, because at least then, she has people who support her emotionally and treat her with some form of care and respect, no matter how twisted it is. She has a community now, people who listen to her thoughts and feelings, and empathize with her. It left me wondering if she was really worse off here than she would have been had she stayed behind and continued with her life as it was back "home".

[@DrGregoryHouseIT]

@@LaydiNite They are not treating her with care and respect, it's all one big manipulation.

[@heathersmith3805]

Saamme. It’s so disturbing and I’m worried for her to be stuck with them.

[@LaydiNite]

@@DrGregoryHouseIT Maybe so, but she was being manipulated by her boyfriend and his friends as well. Even if the cult is only empathizing with her out of a desire to keep her there, that's still more than she had before. That's my point: Her life was so messed up before the trip that it makes you question if she's really any worse off in the cult, even knowing how awful they can be. In some ways it comes back down to the question if a comforting lie is preferable to a bleak truth. Is it better to be alone and unwanted, or be among people who reach out to you and want you there, even if it's for their own twisted reasons? She might actually be happier in the cult in a way, and that's what makes it so creepy and upsetting.

[@UzumakiNarue]

@@DrGregoryHouseIT exactly! And that is probably one of the scary things! Maybe they would care for her in their weird way cause she tried to be part of them (?) Like...she participated and spend time with the other people in the community. We as audience saw all the twisted ways but to her she only saw people who were nice and a new family. Its like abuse relationships when sometimes people who are in them cant see the same red flags that an outsider can

[@BioshadowX]

Such a good ending, not in the moral sense but because it makes you double take yourself and say wait, am I really feeling okay with this?

[@marianar2948]

Yup! It's like reading Lolita

[@nath7557]

Yes! That exactly captures how I feel about it!

[@Pinksparkles1511]

Exactly, people were murdered

[@ironmonkey1512]

You felt that way because the casting was terrible and you didn't care about the characters.

[@aaronrivera6732]

You guys are sick ❤️

[@Valentina-ng4hh]

There is also the fairy tale element of Pelle being a darker verison of Prince Charming. Think about it. HE chose to bring Dani because in his eyes she needed to be part of his community. It is very clear in the directors cut that when Pelle is around his friends (Josh Mark and Christian) he is somewhat annoyed with them. But when he is with Dani he always looking at her, remembering her birthday, kissing her when she becomes may queen, and when he is explaining the traditions he is talking to her.

[@marthazarinamartinezruiz2640]

@Manophere. com sorry dude but if a girl is drugged, she is not cheating on her boyfriend, she is being taken advantage of, and the logic still applies in reverse.

[@Scarlet_Cameo]

@Manophere. com Because he wasn't drug when he cheated her

[@nangke]

Christian agreed to having sex with the other girl before he got drugged. He was looking forward to going on vacation away from Dani from the beginning so he could have sex with other women

[@annasaussieanimals4678]

Christian was drugged, the sex was non consensual. No matter his motives for holiday, that sex was not consensual. Crappy people can still be assaulted and victim blaming is not ok. Dani didn't know that he had been drugged so obviously she is going to take it badly when she sees her boyfriend like that. He never really had the opportunity to explain himself either. All that being said, Manophere is either a straight up misogynistic psycho or a massive troll. Get some help dude.

[@VixxKong2]

Agustin Camejo Facts. People seem to forget that when they sympathize with Dani

[@toe854]

I feel like they don’t mention the fact that everyone gaslights her into staying the whole movie which also helps with the lack of empathy for them

[@evelynlamb1455]

She shouldn't have tagged along in the first place--I thought Ari Aster did a great job of showing how toxic and co-dependent their relationship was (or at least had become by the time we meet them). Girl should've stayed home, worked with her therapist and gotten caught up on her thesis.

[@SpiderMan-ni8ek]

@@evelynlamb1455 yeah. Blame her for her trauma. Everyone knows that therapy is all you need to fix that!

[@Fluffy-Fluffy]

@@crob80231what if the illness happens after years of being together? And I don't think anyone who had some emotional issues would even be drawn to you. What a onesided look you have on things.l

[@charlotteraeflanigan1659]

Christopher R if you actually watched the movie this is Dani’s liberation from Christian... he was the problem. She’s not neurotic her sister brutally murdered herself and their parents😂😂😂 I think that takes a minute to recover from.

[@haleydunning3819]

@@crob80231 cold take my dude

[@doreenshi8620]

Okay I usually don’t comment, but I feel like everyone is interpreting Midsommar in a very black and white way which does such a disservice to the movie. Like a lot of women, I felt that catharsis too at the end with Dani smiling. It was really easy to sympathize with her. Some are pointing out that what happened to Christian (and everyone else) wasn’t okay. Two things can be true at once. This movie is about toxic relationships yes, but more than anything, I think it’s about the human desire to belong and how unprocessed trauma and abandonment can make you try to achieve that at all costs. I mean, the beginning of the movie is probably one of the most traumatizing things that can happen to anyone ever. I’m pretty positive the director intentionally made Dani sympathetic and Christian (and the rest to some degree) unlikeable. To put the audience in her place and basically be taken along for the ride no questions asked. Enough to maybe even end up cheering for his death. Again, pretty sure that’s by design. The point isn’t who’s the “good guy” or the “bad guy”. You know, it’s about a commune that becomes worse and worse throughout the movie until you realize, yep, that’s a cult. And you can understand why Dani is indoctrinated despite every horrible thing the cult has done. With her gaslighting shitty boyfriend and no support system, even though what happened to them in the end was by all accounts wrong, Dani finds sympathy and belonging with the cult. Well, what feels like sympathy and belonging. Whatever seems to fill the void of her lost family. The whole movie is basically a mindfuck and is supposed to question what you’re feeling. Its horrible but somehow kind of freeing? It’s like the metaphorical feeling of having your trauma taken advantage of and being lured into a cult, and then your feelings manifesting into a really dark revenge fantasy. Its a really unique horror, but I think what makes it a horror at all is that very human fear. How susceptible people can be to evil communities when their trauma is untreated and exploited. But hey that’s just my take lol.

[@Cyssane]

Actually I think it goes even a bit deeper than that. It makes you question your own moral compass, especially if you felt anything good or satisfying about Dani's smile at the end. We all like to think we're the hero in our own stories, but with a minor shift in perspective, we might just as easily be the villain. Same as the society we live in. Is it the truly the best way to live? Would elderly people prefer to take their own lives (and deaths) into their own hands among loved ones, or die helpless and alone in an old folks' home? Is it best to encourage self-reliance and independence, or community and self-sacrifice? Is murder worse than greed? How much misery and death are each of us responsible for, either directly or indirectly? Like it or not, in some way we all have blood on our hands.

[@addie3072]

yesss couldnt have said it better myself. brilliant take on this film 💗

[@aianaart3443]

Brilliant point of view

[@imtihanatq]

Just agree just agree.. Sorry.. But yeah I agree, what a rich vocabulary there to describe your take about this movie. I'm like having a delegation or smth haha

[@imtihanatq]

@@Cyssane and I agree with you too haha

[@jess9722]

did y’all know christian was screaming when he was lit on fire. its hard to hear over the fire/music but you can hear very hoarse screaming. its also rumoured that they cut off his legs to fit in the bear suit (bears have shorter legs). btw since bears have a lot of fat insulation, chances are christian died from being boiled/fried alive rather than burned.

[@RosieSquall]

Well, there goes my appetite.

[@thatonegamergirl1182]

Yeah because its really your kids' fault for you not financially supporting the children you chose to have. You need help. Seriously seek help you sound like a psych0.

[@julio2011hotdog]

Man, Your hate is not at all compared to what the movie wants you to feel, could you just start by trying to be less of a crappy person and actually helping the mother of your kids?? Thanks

[@JimmyNails27]

...wow.

[@ambiguoussarcasm]

Where did you get this info from?! It’s super terrifying yet interesting

[@CharismaBlue911]

This movie had the same effect as Gone Girl. Whenever I watch it with friends, all the women are like "Yeah... I get why she did this. Good for her," while all the guys are sitting there like ☹

[@Skeksistential-crisis]

Definitely wasn’t for ‘no reason’ and while killing him was wrong I wouldn’t say she was the bad guy in the situation but ok. Guess this just proves op’s point 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@RegalHonour]

I love how someone immediately comments “but she was in the wrong and is extremely unlikeable!” Well, let me ask this, WHY is she unlikeable to you? Because I honestly loved her.

[@WolfzieDraws]

@Ian Jones As a woman I actually agree with you. Dani doesn't have an actual personality, she's just entirely defined by the things that she's been through/ things that happen around her. Pretty much everyone in the movie is unlikable and the deaths, for me at least, felt unjustified.

[@marianar2948]

@@WolfzieDraws that's pretty much the point, Dani has undergone excepcional trauma so the viewer's point of affinity with her is just pain. She's not allowed to shine because she's never in a comfort zone, so your level of empathy depends on your own sense of kindness reagarding death, family and love. To me she's the type of character whose personality is built by silence; in her passivity you find her inner turmoils 😉

[@Peecamarke]

Weird, it was made to be relatable to anyone breaking up with a partner

[@eliannagaribaldi2668]

I think the movie isn’t about her finally getting over her oppressive boyfriend; it’s about the cult becoming her new oppressor. They act warm and welcoming, and present an image of love and perfection. But I’m reality, they’re just controlling and manipulating Dani the same way her boyfriend did. Dani thinks she’s in control, but she’s simply traded in one captor for another.

[@c5quared626]

there is no cult. it's a metaphor for getting over toxic relationships. watch the video again

[@randomhuman97]

​@@c5quared626getting over a toxic relationship by getting into another one.

[@Hakiimthedream]

@@c5quared626it’s literally a cult that drugs and kills people

[@pbelancsik]

@@c5quared626 Maybe watch another review on the movie. Please do so soon. And if you believe what you just described is a metaphor, you missed the majority of the movie, or didn't actually watch it.

[@Whofuckencares808]

Moral of story: every person should leave someone if they really don't like them. Staying with someone out of "sympathy" leads to terrible things.

[@licherally212]

imo it wasnt even sympathy i think he just wanted someone to abuse

[@Whofuckencares808]

farah could u elaborate? would like to hear someone else's take. imo (I don't remember the characters names) the main girl keeps pushing for making something to happen when she should really work on herself. The main guy obviously doesn't want to be with her but he doesn't want to leave her cause he would feel bad, despite all she has been through. But in the end he gets molested and she kills him. Then she is happy that he is dead? That is just creepy of her and very psychotic.

[@MeliCont123]

Yup I was in a TOXIC relationship for 6 years, I still stayed for the last 2 out of pity for my ex but that BACKFIRED. DO NOT WAIT TO GET OUT.

[@Whofuckencares808]

meli thx for sharing meli. That must have sucked. Have a buddy who is currently in one and she is terrible to him. he stays cause of her past, but she abuses him everyday. it breaks my heart. he isn't the same anymore.

[@shellyscreation3339]

@@Whofuckencares808 Technically speaking, she didn't "kill" him. Either way, the 3 Dudes were marked for death when they entered the place- The Harga clearly have a zero tolerance policy for as*holes. The 3 literally brought their own fate upon themselves.

[@coolbeans5911]

When i first watched the movie in theatres, what i felt at the end wasn't catharsis, but anger. I didn't feel happy for Danny, because she moved from one abusive/emotionally distant relationship to another. The Harga doesn't love her or care about her, she's just a new member to indoctrinate. They lied to her about her friends, saying that they don't know where they are but know well that they've been murdered. They conspire for Christian and the redhead girl to have sex right from the beginning. They pretend to be open and in "broad daylight" but they hide a lot from her. They won't even let her leave when she wants to, so they clearly don't care about her well-being and personal needs. We don't ever meet other May Queens as far as i remember, so she'll probably be used to bear a child (the swedish friend is probs gonna impregnate her) and then they'll kill her off in some other ritual we don't know about. If not she'll commit suicide like the people in the film. They want their numbers to grow, but they don't want inbreeding, so they have to lure in people who qualify (white, healthy, star signs etc etc). Danny is just another pawn. They think they are selfless and caring, but are they genuinely? They stole the lives of countless people (people with family, friends and future plans) to benefit their own warped beliefs. I love reading up about cults, but they infuriate me so much. Lost, emotional, abandoned people, like Danny, who only seek community and acceptance, are manipulated and conditioned into this hive mind cult. Cults seek out vulnerable people. The Harga planned from the beginning for Danny to become May Queen, because they knew it would make her feel welcome and happy and easier to persuade, along with drugs to dim her better judgement Ugh, sorry for the rant. I've never went through a break up, so magbe that's why i don't get the catharsis of the ending. I still love the movie though, but i enjoy it more as a study of cult manipulation. Great video!!!

[@thechurchofsolange58]

Right?? I was so angry at these cult people. They smile while torturing the ppl. They are so hollow inside it's creepy. As you wrote, they conspired to have Christian sleep with the redhead and made sure Dani watches them so it could snap her. And the scene where they howl and cry with Dani, I felt so humiliated for her. It felt like they were mocking her. They don't actually feel heart broken for her, they literally planned it.

[@Daniela-yw9jd]

I agree. I’m not saying the break up isn’t an important part of the story- because it is. But as I watched it, I also mostly focused on the fact that this is a CULT movie, and as with any cult, it is incredibly manipulating. I would say this is a “cult fairy tale” movie. To dani, it does feel like a happy ending. The fact that her boyfriend and his friends were no good to her, makes the fact that they are all dead by the end (and she is happily part of her cult) to feel slightly satisfying-albeit horrific- in an emotional sense.

[@BREAKENSTEIN]

I was wondering, hoping, someone else had this response. I've been through multiple breakups with some ex's being just like Christian and I did not feel justification, happiness, and definitely not catharsis at the end. I was like, she goes from being stuck in a shitty family situation to stuck in a shitty relationship situation and then stuck in a shitty cult situation. Also now she aided and abetted in multiple murders... cool? i guess? I think the movie relied way too heavily on symbolism and foreshadowing so it just didn't translate well with making the human aspect and reality of the story relatable, if that makes any sense lol.

[@nandinisahu1716]

Thankyou... For saying it...I thought I was the only one that was infuriated at the ending and people calling it a "happy" ending for Dani... Like seriously it's so fucked up and I felt sorry for her

[@fatimabelemgonzalezposada457]

I can completely relate with your thoughts. To me it was a horrifying ending and a complete horror movie because she is always trapped, she is always imprisoned and manipulated, she's never liberated and if she once had the opportunity to be free, with therapy and counceling regarding her family or terrible relationship, now she has zero. She can't leave the cult, she can't make her own life, she doesn't even have anyone to confirm all that happen to her to another person. She was clearly brought there to breed or to be sacrificed. It was a dead end from the beginning. Not satisfying but claustrophobic.

[@chriscam4165]

I hadn't noticed the connection between Christian's passivity and his inevitable fate.

[@allansmith6715]

Not to mention the fact his name is: "Christian"

[@AnaGamer19]

Neither had I. It makes so much more sense now.

[@neosoontoretro]

@Chris Both Christian and Dani are passive the only difference is that Dani is liberated from passivity by being the one to end her relationship with Christian.

[@marianar2948]

I think many young men relate to Christian's bubble of confusion and not knowing what to do with your life, hence why his rape and death causes so much outrage. I believe that in horror those two things are not to be discussed within a moral frame and so people go out of their way to defend him. To me, he's despicable, but one hell of a great character 😆 he's very human and he makes the movie way more complex!

[@chriscam4165]

@@marianar2948oh yeah he's an excellently written character. A character that does so little to stand out is so interesting.

[@jess9722]

i know this will sound like a huge stretch but it makes me afraid how easily people on social media, got so angry at christian to the point that they would view Dani joining a CULT as a happy ending, and Christian’s death justified. one of the messages i got from the movie is how vulnerable people fall into cults. i didnt find christian’s death cathartic. i wanted dani to stand up for herself rather than have other people handle christian for her. dani never confronted her reality, she escaped into an illusion, and i find this ending to be a sad one.

[@izunaga8539]

Yes!

[@201stars]

One of the main elements is that cults prey on people who are emotionally weak. Pelle was a “friend” so he personally knew everything she was going through. That’s why he made himself the nice guy to lure her there. That’s how cults work.

[@obelieoly3455]

I had a similar sad feeling at the end of this film not catharsis, though it felt like it was almost a test to see if the film could make you hate a character enough that you would be okay with a cult murdering him, in that way I really did enjoy the film as it asks you to explore your own inner morality, and group think.

[@yardenoved599]

It's a matter of your point of view, for dani it was a good ending emotionally, and people who were in cults sometimes claim it to be a great sense of unity, emotional support and a strong family - which is what dani wanted. But from a 3rd person pov it's obviously a horrible thing. I think the question is how much did u identify with dani.

[@wmurd]

I also think it is assumed she will be killed after she served her purpose as a May queen soo... But yeah: in video they are basically telling us, that if you are an "emotional and sensitive person" you are most likely to be lured in a cult/sect. While, you know: her parents was killed by her sister, who also killed herself. If there was Christian, if there was no Christian - it won't change anything, I believe. It's not like she is special in her emotionality - they just found her in a dreadful situation, where anyone will be unstable, anyone will be an easy prey in such a state

[@Allonsy305]

I wonder how Ari Aster's ex feels about a movie with a girl having her ex being burned alive while stuffed in a bear suit was inspired by them. (This is a horror movie that almost feels like a fable, an odd lesson of having to separate yourself from toxic relationships before you find yourself in a worse one)

[@breepurple5501]

The ex, calling: "Ari, what the actual fuck?"

[@Aster_Risk]

This made me feel differently about the film. Like, fuckin-a, Ari.

[@EvolianTiger]

Wait what I don't get it

[@marianar2948]

maybe she thought "this is why I never tell my erotic fantasies to my BFs, they always make a movie out of it " :D

[@apullcan]

I'm personally more curious what his dad thought about "The Strange Thing About the Johnsons."

[@di9976]

"How we react to violence on screen largely depends on how much we empathize with the one committing it" ... wow.

[@narcis3720]

lol

[@genfuentes3582]

I think Breaking Bad tried this before, tbh. But I still love Midsommar in some special way.

[@astrolatte_]

This analysis makes me realised that the end of Midsommar reminds me of the end of The VVitch: at the end, after enduring the paranoia and horror from her family and the world around her, Tomasi writes her name in the book of the beast, finally becoming was everyone was accusing her to be: a witch. With her newfound inner power she fly into the dark between the trees alongside other witches and smile with paint but also with relieved.

[@alixxgator4632]

Very true! I just rewatched that movie a few days ago. Seriously creepy.

[@marianar2948]

I love these two movies 💜 and your comparision is very spot on!

[@joebeverley107]

Power she gained with the sacrifice of her innocent brothers and sisters. That's the thing with power it comes at the cost of others. She was in an awful position and it became a self fulfilling prophecy but still hugely fucking evil to side with the team that killed her family. Love folk horror it's endings are often so complex

[@cirquedude123]

Totally

[@Allonsy305]

YES. You're thinking "wow that's really fucked up, but at least she's not stressed out anymore" the weirdest sense of catharsis

[@lasers0pewpew]

I was on and off with my ex-boyfriend for a year but the day I saw this film I ended things for good. I saw so much of my ex in Christian and realised that what I was feeling when I was with him was not okay. Midsommar shows so well that being with a partner who is fake-nice and distant does a lot of damage to your self-esteem and makes you consistently doubt your emotional needs. Please don't be with a person who makes you feel that way. It's worth it to hold out for someone who will see the May Queen in you.

[@gracec9388]

Sounds like you are an unstable incel. I don’t know what you did, but it can’t be entirely your family’s fault. Seems like you’re shifting blame and resorting to wanting to violent harm your family because you can’t deal with your emotions. Please, for the physical and emotional safety of your wife and children, do not go near them

[@Betahms]

"being with a partner who is fake-nice and distant does a lot of damage to your self-esteem and makes you consistently doubt your emotional needs" I RELATE SO MUCH! I would always give up on my needs because I felt selfish for not doing what "such a great person!" expected of me. It finally hit me that he was the one in the wrong when he tried to alienate me from my (and his!) friends and family

[@amgm1996]

you are now our may queen!

[@caracre]

ProxyMoron I realized there’s odd ways to portray women as victims with no power while convincing people they hold the power... she couldn’t leave him due to her sadness... it was her boyfriend’s fault she stayed in a shit relationship.

[@AllyInReality]

@Manophere. com FYI Your kids never wished to be born They were here on earth because you were horny one night Asking them to be dead is just you being chicken and wanting to run away from the responsibility that you dug yourself

[@AndromedaChace]

I had friends that found it empowering to watch this. I didn't . Dani did not seem empowered, when given an illusion of "choice" with no positive outcomes, by brainwashing captors.

[@beatsfromsoda]

Finally someone with a strong mentality. 2 hours in and a lot of people were okay with mass murder and human sacrifice. It’s crazy.

[@katarinawikholm5873]

Yeah, that was my take, too. The cult won, and nothing good will come from this. Her empowering revenge dream/freedom is an illusion

[@bennichol1510]

@@katarinawikholm5873 and then she will go back and get innocent people take them here and they will get killed and when she's old she will kill herself like the old people on the cliff and will just be a tool to bread.

[@plainlake]

Yeah, it is a great movie in luring both the audience and Dani into believing that what is happening is right, because it feels good. But seriously people need to take a big step back and look at themselves and why they feel that way.

[@SoulDelSol]

Why would anyone think murdering tons of people is good? Because the pretty colors? I'm super surprised to read that. I wonder how many people feel empowered by the Jason movies and think it was the right thing. Some scary people out there who get inspired by fictional horror movies 🎬 . And I'm sorry but quite dumb too if they don't see nuance and symbolism here too

[@stickynutjuicemoved959]

Nobody listened to her when she said she wanted to leave, and they got their wish - she didn't leave, and neither did they.

[@droppa57kgx24]

Nobody would’ve left regardless dumbass. Did you see what happened to the couple that did try to leave??

[@venicec3310]

JustGoPlay got straight murked lol

[@harbinger8035]

They would never let her leave, everything was planned by Pelle and the crazy cult

[@2psycho888]

@@venicec3310 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I'm dead 💀😭🤣

[@arieltallen5732]

"it's unethical" OH MY GOD THATS CHIDI

[@leiasart4610]

I think it's woth pointing out that the others don't FEEL her emotion, they just reenact it.

[@antoclarke4185]

I love how Christian is so easily vilified in Dani’s eyes that we understand why she chose him. But in reality, he didn’t want to have sex with the girl until he was drugged. He clearly wasn’t going to cheat before that. But the cult shows her that he’s the bad guy, so that when they give her the power to get revenge, she finally feels accepted.

[@PT-zz9ks]

Pelle is the real antagonist in the story. He lured his "friends" to his cult to be murdered and seemingly will steal one of their girlfriends.

[@lettylunasical4766]

I always assumed he went out and purposely found a group of idiots. Dani was a happy extra (looks like the Harga and is easily manipulated due to being in such a weak place emotionally). I'd say the Harga in general are the antagonists.

[@jaycejohnson6846]

Hm only if you interpret his motives to be as selfish as the people he brings there, which doesn't seem to be the case. He loves his family.

[@tyrant-den884]

But he's a "nice-guy".

[@tyrant-den884]

@@lettylunasical4766 so he's the guy version of the scariest character in "Get Out"?

[@tyrant-den884]

@@jaycejohnson6846 so did Ro-Ro.

[@somyaaaaaa]

I think I take issue with you guys saying that Christian "allowed" himself to be drugged and lead to having sex with another woman. He seemed reluctant from start to finish about it. If he was drugged, that can't be him having sex with the woman, it was straight up rape.

[@zzzzzzz906]

Toxic femininity is forced femininity in women. Whoever says Christian was not raped is the one who wants to defend Dani and the Harga. Obviously, this is a plan of the Harga from the beginning. It is not about "femininity" or feminism as some people are saying. He was raped, like a woman would be too. Many women are raped in manipulative passive relationships as happened to him.

[@marianar2948]

While I do agre that was straight up rape, you're forgetting that Christian started to flirt with the girl very early on and his sexual interesse in her was very purposeful - he even went to have a conversation with her parents to have his permission granted. So there are a lot of nuances in his behaviour and I do think that was made on purpose to make the viewer question the after shock he has after the sex is over. In horror it's improductive to discuss legimitazion by bynaries, the rape scene means wayyyy more than "he deserved it or not?"

[@1Dispretty2me]

Yeah but it's not like he was drugged with an intoxicant, it was literally stated that it was a potion for virility...not a roofie

[@angxlpeach]

@@marianar2948 Agreed, the movie and it's characters are too complicated to box them in white and black. Nothing is supposed to be taken at face value in this movie.

[@minakarenina9583]

I agree, christian was raped but at the same time I do think it's another way to portray is passiveness because he is confronted with the issue of maja being interested on him from the beggining of the movie by several different persons and he did nothing about it, he knew about the spell she tried to put on him, pelle told him maja was interested in having sex with him, and when the elders confronted him they didn't said "u have to have sex with maja" but "what do u think about maja? We approve of u and maja" so... Did he really didn't have a choice?, I think he had several opportunities through the movie to tell maja off and he never even once did it directly or even tried telling dani what was happening with her and even tho I don't agree with raped and murder being a good punish for being passive I do think the rape was a part of it.

[@moonlily1]

I didn't find the ending "happy" and I wasn't pleased that Christian was killed. I felt unsettled and ambivalent about the ending and didn't see it as "happy" although Dani might actually BE happy. It's sad because although Dani now has the feeling of being loved and belonging and found a new family, she's a different person now, she has been brainwashed and doesn't see her actions objectively, and will not have true free will beyond this turning point.

[@sickjuicysjamshack3580]

I’m wondering what she’d be like in a couple of hours after the high has worn off

[@Hakiimthedream]

the ending is compel fucked, christian is drugged up and token advantage of, the bros all die for minor infraction and at the end Dani is hiii as a kite smiling at her boyfriend and his friends being scorched

[@moonlily1]

@@Hakiimthedream I don't think the bros died for their infractions. I think they were marked to begin with and would have been killed no matter what they had done, although in the minds of the hosts, their infractions were by no means minor. Likewise, I think that Dani was always intended for conversion and was never on the chopping block, though her behavior may have made a difference, if she'd acted in a way that suggested she would never be able to integrate.

[@Hakiimthedream]

@@moonlily1 we are of the same opinion, im just referring to how some people attributed their deaths to how shitty they were, i've heard other explain their deaths in ways that make it seem like they almost deserved it, i just think its lazy

[@moonlily1]

@@Hakiimthedream I think that the context is meant to manipulate how you feel about their deaths and unconsciously view the situation from the Harga's perspective. It was Pelle's mission to go and find some people to bring back, and I think he chose people he wasn't attached to or empathetic towards and only pretended to like. I think we're also meant to share the contempt. You look at it like they're just shitty useless people taking up space, no great loss if they're not around, but being lame and douchey isn't enough to deserve a brutal death.

[@mazalblues]

"Christian does this passibly, allowing himself to be drug and led to the act, as if this way he can pretend he isnt really choosing to do it." geez, what a way to describe what is essentialy a rape.

[@awill3454]

If the genders were reversed, of course they would call it rape. What a shit analysis of this movie

[@ebbie0074]

I always thought she snapped when smiled at the end 😂

[@lettylunasical4766]

Me too. Just lost her mind.

[@joebeverley107]

Until the hallucinogens wear of

[@zzzzzzz906]

She's lost her mind, it's in the script. Florence Pugh was brilliant at that.

[@L16htW4rr10r]

I completely I agree with you

[@DrGregoryHouseIT]

Florence Pugh played her that way.

[@collegestudent967]

“Allowing himself to be drugged and led to the act. That way he can pretend he isn’t really choosing to do it.” That might be the grossest thing I’ve ever heard, and if the one drugged was a woman: this video would require an apology.

[@MrPeterReyes]

Yeah, I winced at that part. Also they totally missed the point: drugging Christian was all about taking advantage of him, and further manipulating Dani- even her seeing him in the act was part of their plan.

[@Dumpknoedel]

I was just happy that for once the creepy culture was white and not native-american

[@MarkFilipAnthony]

for some reason representing native white cultures as uncivilized and evil is much better than showing non-white native cultures uncivilized and evil. As a scandinavian, I always wondered if I can feel offended by popculture worngly representing norse culture, or if I should not feel offended because all scandianvian cuntries today are now rich and privilaged people? Even if only a small portion on Norse culture is still practiced today (like Jol/Jul/Yule), it's still a heritage that is not represented very well

[@jessicayoung3656]

Never seen any native american horror films.

[@honeyrumham]

@Emma Lynch The film version of The Shining has Native American elements as well, from the decor to the history of the Overlook being built on Native ground. The manager even states "The site is supposed to be located on an Indian burial ground and I believe they actually had to repel a few Indian attacks as they were building it."

Ever seen The Wilker Man?

[@jessicayoung3656]

@@honeyrumham native American elements are different from a native american culture driven movie. It's not the same. A horror movie exploring the culture of native american like midsummer exploring swedish culture is practically non existent. But again I'm unaware if it does exist, it could.

[@mariatikhomirova7404]

I felt sorry for Christian. Yes, he was not a good boyfriend at all, but he deserved to be broken up with, not to be dead in a bear costume. Dani basically is just moving from one trouble to another, there was no good moment to break up with her peacefully. She’s extremely attached to her bipolar sister, Dani is restless and nervous and always expecting some weird stuff to happen. These are the only subjects she talks to her boyfriend about in the very beginning of the movie. And then her whole family dies and Christian realizes that once again he HAS to be supportive, comforting and attentive. Dani only takes, she (due to her trauma) can’t give anything back. They had to break up. Christian obviously could not handle Dani’s problems and had no resources to help her. Dani didn’t get any help at all from a person she thought she loved though could not let him go just because she needed someone and didn’t want to be alone. They are both wrong and some sort of toxic, but Christian is not a villain in this story.

[@thebisexualcatholic6612]

Gotta say, the “christian allowed himself to be drugged and have sex with another woman” take is very gross. Christian was drugged and manipulated into having sex i.e. he was raped. To frame it as though its his final betrayal just doesnt sit right with me

[@dominickstewart433]

It’s completely inappropriate of this channel and shouldn’t be tolerated

[@Chill_Pills]

Not only was he drugged there was a not so subtle implied threat that they would kill him if he didn't do it. I mean they killed all his friends already.

[@gamerdru101]

So we're just gonna ignore that the cult also murdered the couple from London and lied about their fate? No explanation for what their sin supposedly was?

[@AntonConstanti]

exactly, a lot of people were killed who didn't commit any sin.

[@GalaxiaStars]

+Gamer Dru Also are we going to ignore the fact that the cult is directly responsible for her sister's murder suicide of their parents?

[@jonweman6128]

@@GalaxiaStars why how? They did a lot of things but what in the movie makes you think that? It happened in the US and the only cult member there we know of is Pelle, who doesn't even know her family.

[@paigebice900]

I believe the Harga saw their "disrespect" of their culture and beliefs as their sin.

[@sickjuicysjamshack3580]

@@jonweman6128 I too had the feeling that the Harga, and likely Pele, had a hand in her family’s deaths, though it’s not confirmed in the movie. The fact that they look like they died peacefully unlike Terri (the sister) resembles the respect and care the Harga showed their elders, so their peaceful deaths could have been a result of murder by a Harga. Also, everything just works out so conveniently to get Dani into the community, coupled with Peles early interest in her

[@Luvirene]

all of your comments is scaring me. i get why dani chose to smile in the end to burn all her past and problems but i feel scared some of you smiled at the end with her. how lonely is this generation? that loneliness is vulnerable to any manipulating tactics. but i like this movie too because it made me understand dani but question if all those idiots deserve to die? is dani really safe? is our loneliness a vulnerability that can be easily taken advantage by any cult/religion or any malicious person?

[@ninaprotaciom.9977]

niceeeeee comments and scary reality that we accept the ending for her cause she doesnt have anything else and she settles to just have the worst because thats what she was left with

[@xxxmaysilssss690]

This movie has proved that many people today would be easily manipulated into joining a cult. That’s 100% true. And it is very sad thinking about it.

[@juliamiller5120]

I didn’t smile at the end. I didn’t find it satisfying, empowering, or any of that. I found it horrifying and sad. Christian didn’t deserve that. He was kind of a garbage boyfriend and a straight up shitty person. But he deserved to be called out not burned alive in a temple. For me, this wasn’t cathartic. It was the result of incredible manipulation. And portrayed how easy it is to influence someone in a vulnerable state which was also really unsettling.

[@CatharticCreation]

most people are actually already in a cult, at least in the western world . they’re either right or left wing, with the divide growing further everyday, and the cult blindly obeying their masters via social media. Many people are prime candidates for cults because they’re already stressed, isolated, and constantly being bombarded by people telling them to hate “the other”

[@maqbooltunio2561]

This movie is iconic and will be remembered as one of the best horror movies of all time

[@AxxLAfriku]

I will now count to 3 and then I am still the unprettiest KZbinr of all time. 1...2...3. Btw I have two very hot girlfriends. Thank you for your attention, dear tinio

[@marianar2948]

So true 😎 I think it's going to surpass the horror niche and become a general reference like The Shining!

[@softly128]

I really really want to watch it, but I am really really scared of horror movies

[@lettylunasical4766]

I preferred Hereditary, but this is a good horror.

[@isaacfraker837]

This movie was literally horrible

[@emmamary25]

Have I seen Midsommar? No Did I click right away because its The Take? Yes

[@TheSuperNats]

Watch it!

[@qu33flatina]

Me af 😅

[@akirebara]

I cannot recommend this movie enough! Go watch it. It's incredible.

[@vxcdsefddes1784]

I didn’t like the movie, but I loved this analysis

[@krishollanddoyle5062]

Why would you watch analysis and spoilers for a film you've never seen??

[@zzzzzzz906]

It was never a happy ending to me. Just thinking about Dani, she ends up insane, with another manipulative relationship (the harga), I think Pelle was going to marry her right away and after all, she would have no way of running away.

[@inkajoo]

The real horror seems to be about the hopelessness of the two extremes - extreme isolation and extreme community. There is no middle ground to escape to and everything is awful.

[@zoehoffman8652]

I didn't (personally) see the ending as happy in any shape or form. It's literally her breaking point. She has officially become part of a cult that has manipulated her and used her emotions to their advantage. It's just quite tragic, in my opinion.

[@pbelancsik]

That's the main point of the ending, and Ari even says it. He wanted people to initially see it as her ultimate redemption, then realize later it's actually about how someone in her mental state (with no sense of love, empathy, etc) can be manipulated into joining said cult. It is so far from a happy ending, and most people don't see it because of a smile and a upbeat folk song.

[@yvannaduran7190]

The Take: *uploads this video about one of my favorite movies ever* Me going through an awful break-up: "ooooh yes"

[@MeBeCreepy]

“Drugs, sex, and death, oh my” 😂

[@Bruh-lf7wo]

That sounds like a vibe

[@jordanmca77]

I felt saddest about the bear. Poor bear.

[@ferocityfilmsofficial]

I was so caught up being traumatized with the rest of the movie I didn't even think of the poor bear. He probably had a name!

[@bi-óloga]

@heni tink I also laughed at the "it's just a bear" line but when I rewatched (is this a real word?) it I was like "oh the bear"

[@harbinger8035]

When t y showed the bear burning in that picture I knew something really horrible would happen.. I just didn’t know how horrible

[@miffedmax3863]

I felt horrified at the end. It’s not just because of the violence- it’s because it felt like Dani truly lost her mind at the end. The fact that she found community and family in a violent death cult is a terrifying prospect for me. To think that a reasonable person could be sucked into that madness scares the shit out of me. Even worse is knowing that other people found the ending so cathartic. That is madness.

[@MrHootiedean]

Interpretation is such a fascinating thing because I didn't see her smiling as catharsis. To me her smile represents an awkward acceptance that she just got everything she wanted but knows it's more than she can handle.

[@gladyswibowo]

I don’t think he “chooses” to be drug...

[@g4rgola]

yes christian was a terrible boyfriend, but he was r@p3d in that scene and i feel like a lot of ppl ignore/ forget that. they forced him to take drugs, and had been doing so for a while. he did not choose to do that

[@chocolatemilkhotel96]

My take on the film is that cults will suck you in when you're at your most vulnerable (grief, divorce, depression, etc)

[@Visplight]

I dunno - I didn't think it was happy. Maybe I've had too much experience with cults, but I don't think she has a good ending - regardless of morality. Her sanity was completely obliterated, and she's not really a person any more - just new breeding stock for the Harga. She's physically alive, but there's really nothing left inside. She meets just as gruesome an end as everyone else, it's just a little more complicated.

[@TheArtis4n]

That's the point.

[@ultimatekunochi6577]

Could Christian’s name be a symbol? Dani leaves Christian ( i.e Christianity) to join a pagan society

[@ultimatekunochi6577]

Manophere. com my comment doesn’t really have anything to do with that. Plus, i haven’t watched the movie. I’m going off the take’s representation

[@lunamerci7801]

I agree it probably is. Christian being monotheistic and her moving to a more "open-minded" polytheistic society, taking her control back.

[@rosacentifollia]

Yooo, that's true!

[@tiaammar925]

Never crossed my mind 🤯

[@hawktalk639]

I believe it to be at least partially true. And it's something I've done.

[@a.3032]

As a Swede, I can confirm this is how our Midsommar parties happen. 10/10 accurate portrayal.

[@Fuzato15]

Never going to sweeden then

[@skynet4496]

I love the line about how we perceive violence based on empathy with the one who commits it... In current culture people love to see "cool tough" people commit violence, like that psychopath James Bond, yet I'm the opposite, I dislike that and prefer seeing real feeling, not calculated murders.

[@thechurchofsolange58]

Yeah James Bond is such a really annoying, overrated dude who gets praised to the high heavens

[@darryl2542]

James Bond is a glorified soldier/assassin. He kills because that's part of his job.

[@rafaelmaleakhilumbanbatu9873]

ok so its time to add something to "avoid if possible" list - people who find dani last smile in midsommar as empowering/happy/positive etc etc

[@penelopeclaire539]

I saw this movie as more of a cautionary tale, and an unfair cautionary tale at that. It was actually really triggering for me. I identified a lot with Dani and her emotional pain. I've always felt the need to suppress everything and dismiss my own feelings the same way she does in an effort to make herself less of a burden on her friends. But what really sucked was that when I went to go watch this movie, I was with people that have acted a lot like Christian and his friends in the past. I actually got a panic attack during the murder suicide scene because that comment about attention-seeking sounded eerily similar to things the people sitting right next to me had said about me. Then Dani keeps feeling the pressure to suppress her emotions and accommodate to the people around her. But no one accommodates back except the cult. It felt so manipulative. Like that scene where the women cry with Dani was immensely cathartic and I felt immensely jealous of the support they were showing her. But I wasn't happy about it. I saw all the ways that Christian and his friends were assholes, but I was still horrified to see the cult harm them. Christian was straight up raped, and I feel like that isn't taken with as much nuance as it should. When everyone eventually got picked off and they set the hut on fire, I didn't feel catharsis. I was confused as to what Dani was thinking. And when she smiled, I was disillusioned. I'm sorry for my gendered reading on the movie. But it feels like there's often no in-between for women. And maybe it's just a universal truth that I haven't accepted yet. But I feel like as a woman, I'm only ever doing all of the emotion work or none of it at all. I'm either an unappreciated mother teresa or I'm widely regarded as a bitch. And the sad part is, I want to be truthfully in between. I want a support system that allows me to breathe without making me push for the space I need to exist. And I just feel like every relationship, whether it be a friendship, romantic, or familial, I always find myself getting hurt by more toxicity. And the worst part is it's usually not my fault. Usually people are just unabashedly assholes. Sometimes they're happy to admit it but they're always unwilling to change. And I just can't reasonably function on my own. I'm human, I need at least some people around. I can't realistically just isolate myself from all of my relationships and expect it to go well. So when I watch Midsomar, and I see Dani smiling at her boyfriend's murder, everything just feels wrong. It's like I'm being told that my anger and my emotional turmoil WILL eventually get the best of me, but that there isn't really a healthier alternative. The people that fulfilled Dani were part of a murder cult. The people that finally freed Dany from the crushing weight of her emotions also stole her individuality. They gave her an outlet by indulging her in her rage, by hurting the people that hurt her all while calling it love. And I guess I'm supposed to cut people like that out of my life before it's too late. But what if they're everywhere? I just feel like finding people that actually support me is such an unrealistic task when I look at the way most people are. And my trauma and suffering isn't my fault. Having feelings isn't my fault. Now, having suppressed my feelings, having had patience with some really difficult people, having prioritized kindness when I was the angriest I've ever been, I have to exhaust and hurt myself even more for an indefinite amount of time to try and find people that will finally give me a break. In ending those relationships, I'd have to isolate myself completely in an effort to find better people. AND I have to be wary of anyone looking to take advantage of me like the cult takes advantage of Dani. It's just so unfair. And yeah, I get it. That's the world. Life is unfair. Being a woman is just a harder difficulty setting. But what a miserable truth. If that's what I have to do, I don't know if I have the strength to do it.

[@penelopeclaire539]

I just realized that last line is basically accidentally the star wars quote. And to anyone who actually made it to the end of that comment, I don't know whether to say I'm sorry or you're welcome.

[@bellamyami]

It having been two years since your comment, I really do hope you have worthy people close to you now.💗 I'm sorry for what you have suffered. It may seem like genuinely good people are rare, and maybe they are, but they exist. That means you can have healthy, positive, emotionally fulfilling relationships. No one should settle for less.✌

[@TheLadyRochester]

I watched this film near the beginning of the coronavirus quarantine period (in March) when I was also on the brink of breaking up with my boyfriend. I live far away from all of my closest friends and family, and one of the only people nearby was my boyfriend who was not emotionally available at the time. I felt Dani's isolation and emotional distress on a visceral level. The scene where the women surround Dani and wail with her was one of the most cathartic parts of the whole movie because, like Dani, I just wanted someone else to empathize with me and express my feelings in a group.

[@fatladysings77]

well, I came in here with curiosity about whether or not you ended up breaking up with your boyfriend. But now this other guy's comment is really concerning to me. This movie is a horror and the fairy tale. Not a guide. Nobody needs to burn for your personal suffering.

[@TheLadyRochester]

@@fatladysings77 It's a long story. Basically we broke off our fast-paced, intense, serious, committed relationship and started seeing each other on a more casual basis instead. We still want to be together, but we need to give each other room to grow and become more emotionally healthy.

[@littlechesiregirl]

Omg, I lived exactly the same situation and fully understand you !

[@DrGregoryHouseIT]

The women cause her pain and only pretend to empathize. Why do people keep missing that?

[@lindenpeters2601]

@@DrGregoryHouseIT Exactly. Wailing with her does not mean they are actually sad. They feel bad for her, but crying on-cue like that = acting = fake.

[@МаринаДилан]

That's funny how accurate this actually revealed personal traumas. I mean, for me the ending was extremely disturbing not because of the burning alive dudes, but because of situation where grief and emotions of Dani were taken away (aka shared) by her "new family". So instead of growing up and being her own person (after obviously co-dependent relations with her sister and parents and way too much relying on her boyfriend lacking of support), she immersed herself into this sick society, deepen herself into the most extreme form of co-dependence. Honestly I was so disturbed with the idea of my personality, my feelings being withdrawn and diminished. For me this movie is not about breakup (I mean dudes come and go), but mostly about dealing with unbearable grief. Obviously that "new family" is just a cheesy replacement for the original one, and Dani lost her chance to become her own family. (As for me I came from extremely religious family with hyperprotecting mother, and only in my late twenties I managed to distant from them emotionally, I overcame depression and finally felt as free complete individual, so I was really triggered and felt really sorry for Dani). She needed real help, obviously, not fake "support" from new family, not this dissolution). Sorry for redundancy, this movie stills awakes a lot of emotions

[@cupcakegurls909]

That smile was a liberation. She was able to let go of everything she’s known and through a sacrifice, she was reborn. She could start over and live a happy life. Edit: I love that this turned into such a debate about feminism. Anyone else notice how it’s never a feminist that brings up feminism on YT comments? Damn I can’t even have an opinion without getting labeled. They should start a group against that kind of thing happening to wo- oh, wait.

[@ChadEricCartman]

Thats the most retarded thing I've heard today. I just knew it was said by a woman. A cult brainwashes a broken chick and these retarded fangirls are like 'sHeS rEbOrN".

[@zimzimzalabim]

@@ChadEricCartman it's horrifying that there are people that actually romanticize this character's journey and see it as something positive. Yeah I don't put it past misandrists to being okay with a man being burned alive because his gf felt like it in a bout of rage fueled by depression and drugs. If we reversed the roles and Dani was a guy who ultimately got his gf murdered, this movie would've been despised by feminist groups, no excuses.

[@DrGregoryHouseIT]

It is definitely NOT that. Dani has exchanged her horrible relationship for the same, only ten times worse.

[@brittanydiamond6772]

Flying right past the misogynistic replies, I get that thematically there's a part of the ending that's very 'yes she's finally breaking free of her inconsiderate boyfriend' but I'm with Gregory in that it comes at the expense of Dani's literal sanity and what little independence she had. Now she's been fully mindfucked by a murderous cult who manipulated her trauma until her psyche broke--it's every problem she had before but, like Gregory said, ten times worse. It's not a happy ending in the slightest. I'd even argue that her deranged smile at the end was the most terrifying part of the movie.

[@zimzimzalabim]

@@DrGregoryHouseIT absolutely, and now she's become a trophy for Pelle to show off. There is no liberation there. Whoever thinks that got it all wrong. Yet it's typical of fragile femininity to dismiss views as misogynistic when they don't with their twisted notion about men always being the ones to blame in any relationship. So it's okay that Christian gets punished for not supporting a clingy and codependent partner battling depression. But if he were going through that instead, they would not say that Dani is inconsiderate or selfish for not wanting to be with him. Can you imagine if Christian was the one that ends up getting her killed and smiling at the end? Would they call it liberation? Double standard, all the time.

[@literaIIyshy]

I love how passionate the narrator's voice keeps getting all through the video. Like she's so immersed in the analysis she can contain her feelings ❤️

[@ZeinaIan]

I might be in the minority here but I did not feel satisfaction while watching this. They didn't deserve death particularly the 2 British people, they did nothing. Dani just came off as murderous and crazy to me at the end and I felt bad for Christian not her.

[@thefieriestredhead8913]

Too true.

[@harbinger8035]

If you’re in the minority.. I’m scared

[@wonderwoman5663]

I can tell you all about what it's like when you finally lose your mind. Suddenly, the regular sense of emotion you feel about what's right and wrong just kind of goes away and you lose yourself

[@Doktorlady]

"I remember when- I remember, I remember when I lost my mind/ There was something pleasant about that place"

[@mattwebb4189]

Great movie but I cant help but wonder what happened to Dani afterwords. I don't think we saw any of the previous May Queens which makes me think she had a grissly end.

[@scp--297]

Right? It was a happy moment not a happy ending.

[@moonlily1]

I'm not 100% sure I'm recalling rightly, but wasn't one of the women Dani befriended a previous May Queen? The one to whom she said "you're so beautiful"? Weren't the ones who went with her to bless the crops former May Queens? They did, however, specifically say that they sacrifice 9 people every 90 years. The 9 was already accounted for, 4 Harga and 5 outsiders, so no, there is no reason to believe they sacrifice Dani. They also stated that they have to bring in outsiders every so often for the purpose of genetic diversity and there's no guarantee that Maja's single encounter with Christian will result in pregnancy and we know Pelle wants her, so, I think the goal for Dani was indoctrination and integration. I have always assumed that Dani stays with the Harga and joins the community.

[@smartbunny]

@@moonlily1 Which ritual do they do every 90 years? It can't be the 75 year olds committing suicide, or the May Queens (they happen every year, right?). I didn't get the 90-years part.

[@DrGregoryHouseIT]

During the movie there is a drawing of a woman sitting serene in flames. I guess that will be Dani at the end of the Midsommar festivities.

[@tanzida2165]

i LOVE that you guys mentioned "dogville." it’s actually the most satisfying movie ending for me. with all the horrible and disgusting things (at first subtle, and then just totally off the radar) people did throughout the film, the ending felt savagely righteous.

[@joselocalau123]

this movie made me feel nauseous, i loved it

[@joebeverley107]

JCV love the subtle visuals

[@nangke]

Several people ran from the theater I was at. This movie is really too much for some viewers. Anyone who decides to try watching should take great care when doing so

[@JustforNow777]

Right! I felt like I was holding my breath the whole time. Waiting for something crazy to happen...not disappointed lol

[@mothygoth]

absolutely love this comment as a movie review

[@jess3964]

I’m so sad that this movie was snubbed at the Oscars because it at least deserved some nominations😔

[@user-my9ok1nz1j]

Florence did an absolutely *amazing* job portraying Dani. I love that her voice is rather deep

[@elfaro1607]

It’s definitely cathartic for those who’ve dated someone just like Christian. Also my desire for Dani’s happiness was profound by the end of the film, contributing to why I smiled.

[@starlord6433]

Manophere. com it’s spelt fantasies

[@olivial8354]

@Manophere. com you have serious issues, please get some help

[@lydiafayre9806]

@Manophere. com You've posted on most of the comments under this video claiming things that' aren't true. A woman who has the same fantasies that you have should seek counseling just like you should.

[@DrGregoryHouseIT]

If you smiled her happiness meant nothing to you, though.

[@zeera7080]

You all have problems if you think it's a happy ending

[@nemesisdelaudela]

It seems to be quite often forgotten that no choice was given to the 5 strangers. This can be particularly noticed on Christian's part: he was purposely denied any kind of help when he asked for it during the Queen May celebration dinner (cf the old man who clapped at him, amplifying the confusion in Christian's head and visual perception). The drugs he was being offered (or almost literally forced to his nose, cf the smoke thing he was given to inhale before their sexual intercourse) were never given as alternative to any other kind of healthier/drug-free substances. Stating that him being apathetic in that case only to protect himself from accusations of actively wanting it sounds like the result of a considerable misreading of the nature of the Harga people's actions.

[@michelletran2637]

Manophere. com not really because m is defending Christian

[@Nomin130]

None of the people Pele brought faced any harm until they first acted out of line or disrespect the village. And the drugging only happened in the last 20 minutes of the movie, after christian cemented himself as a bad person in the eyes of everyone there. He had the entire time beforehand to leave or change himself, but he didnt.

[@nemesisdelaudela]

@@Nomin130 Actually, the drug-influence is involved since their arrival at that place. The group is casually offered drugs as soon as they meet Pelle's friend (I forgot his name, the one who brought the British couple). He kinda insists when Dani refuse, leading her to have the tea instead and they experience their first psychedelic trip over there in the evening (Mark can't believe it's actually 9PM although it's full daylight, remember?) We happen to know no one can leave when the British girl can't find her boyfriend and is immediately told that he left without her and that she can't leave until the car is back, supposedly because of traffic rules.

[@DrGregoryHouseIT]

@@Nomin130 Nope, they are being drugged as soon as they entered, and the people Pelle brought were meant to fulfill those roles. There is no room for error or surprise.

[@tomemeornottomeme1864]

@@Nomin130 But the whole thing is *planned.* They didn't decide to kill these people when they started acting out of line, they were bringing them there in the first place.

[@nandinisahu1716]

It's seriously bizzare and sad how people can be so okay and happy with the ending.... It's so dangerous how these people on social media can so easily say that it's alright for the boyfriend and his friends to get brutally murdered just because they are slightly bad people and side with a cult that has fucked up rituals and ideologies and murders people brutally

[@fawnila6310]

I don't think the other friends deserved it but Christian definitely did. I wouldn't side with the cult either. I loved the ending but would still escape the cult after all was said and done

[@lolo_was_here]

This was such an incredible lesson on revenge and the idea that when you don't forgive someone you harm yourself. When she smiled my first though was " she can never go home again", she will never be who she was before.

[@Matthew-gl6ni]

You say "break up" but it's a specific break up with an abusive partner who even gaslight the death of everyone she loved as a burden to him. As being in an emotionally abusive relationship it is VERY cathartic to connect in that way.

[@alixxgator4632]

I felt the same way. I connected with Dani so much because I’ve spent most of my life being like her and having people like Christian and his group of friends in my life.

[@Skeksistential-crisis]

Somebody a few comments up was trying to say she was completely in the wrong and ‘killed her boyfriend for no reason’... yikes man, you gotta be the kinda person to treat people exactly how Christian did to not realise that it certainly wasn’t for ‘no reason’

[@turbobus4983]

@@Skeksistential-crisis Sure, he was an asshole, but he certainly did not deserve THAT??

[@Peecamarke]

After seeing all the toxic masculine tropes you could also arguably say specifically an abusive male partner, tbh

[@Skeksistential-crisis]

Turbo Bus never said he did, just that what happened to him didn’t happen for no reason. Neither party was completely innocent, but it’s certainly understandable why Danny did what she did- and that’s not to say she should’ve or it was right to do so, just that there was a clear reason why she did so.

[@abbypierce4196]

I’ve been debating on rewatching this. Seems I’ve got my answer!

[@taraalex1122]

I feel like this video should've covered how Dani's ending could be rather dangerous for her. Living in that commune is not a really positive experience in the long run. Perhaps, Dani's parents' murder was orchestrated by them. Honestly, I feel like Pelle had a lot to do with this more than people give him credit for.

[@DrGregoryHouseIT]

He definitely does.

[@aistej4943]

no

[@FluffyPoopPrincess]

Swede here, and it was such a missed opportunity for the movie to NOT play "Hårgalåten" ("The Hårga song") when they were dancing around the pole to spite the devil as that song is like about that, literally. Search for it, it's beautiful!

[@Lotharia88]

Omg yeah same. They made it more authentic then "accurate" which is fine but they really missed some opportunities, like playing the Hårga song. I was kinda waiting for it during the entire movie.

[@LittleMissV]

That’s so metal. Lol

[@katarinawikholm5873]

If they had, it would have given away Pelle’s role, but I agree, it would have been grand

[@n4musica]

Ari Aster apparently said he didn’t do that so that people wouldn’t associate the real song with the fictional Hårga cult.

[@FluffyPoopPrincess]

@@n4musica Ok that's very fair and wise. Good thinking, Ari Aster!

[@nightmare2272]

what gets me is that people dont see its. a literal cult "it made her happy" ITS A CULT SHE GOT BRAINWASHED ITS NOT A GOOD THING

[@eceyildirim3309]

the movie is SUPPOSED to make you feel confused, both feeling for dani and against her decision. it's a horror movie, you are supposed to be uncomfortable, aster just creates this in an unusual way by not focusing on the typical horror aspects and instead making you conflict with yourself. absolutely brilliant.

[@christinawasch4526]

The Producer was obviously traumatised by season 8 of got and wants to do justice to Dany and finally give her a throne and burning the people who wronged her.

[@redginger4224]

Lmao

[@Mbalz779]

Right

[@Whatsinaname_]

Please do a video on the white savior trope.

[@lenag.654]

Yes!

[@RK-ep8qy]

Sierra What's in a name yeah!

[@goodrose4734]

They just did!!!

[@nikreim3726]

Okay I totally understand the relationhsip-breakup-interpretation even if the director is saying it himself. But for me Midsommer discribes the danger of our society and the new form of facism. Today we live in a capitalistic, all consuming system that sometimes disillusionates us. This is illustrated by the students, every good and negative aspect. That´s why some people seperate themselves and join or create such conservative, maybe fascistic groupes as this one. This is the danger in which our society could turn into. A translated quote: It is possible, that fascism doesn´t return with big noises, but in a way which is friendly and hugging. And we, like the characters of the movie, don´t see the real horror and get sucked in or worse. The society in which we hide in can be more dangerous then the one we want to hide from.

[@michaejackson4ever]

A couple of things: Saying the deaths are "justified" is weird bc what about Simon and his gf (the london couple) after the suicides they freaked out and wanted to leave. But the Harga separated them and killed them off one by one. Nothing they did or said couldve justified their deaths, it was just plain and simple sacrifice Second, that sex scene w/ Christian gets overlooked. The entire time he looks daze and confused and not into it, even slowing down reluctantly, and one of the women comes behind him and forces his hips to thrust... i.e. force i.e. sexual assault. Idk how that can be perceived as "allowing himself to get drugged" to "cheat" on her. That was literal assualt, my dudes. Sure Christian was an absolute asshole of a bf, but he didnt deserve all that

[@paulasanders508]

15:38 it might well have been like that in the movie but out of context that sounds really victim-blaming

[@clown-cult96]

This reminds me of the Joker movie in a lot of ways. When our main characters (Dani and Arthur) triumph and smile at the culmination of the terrible things that have happened to them and the revenge they get at the climax of the movie, we’re left wondering to be happy for them or not...and what it says about us if we are.

[@gorgon2385]

I watched this movie right before I broke up with someone who wasn’t giving me the same amount of passion I was giving them. I came out of the theater so depressed because I didn’t want to recognize how familiar the relationship was. 1 year later and I’m content and fulfilled. Thanks Ari :)

[@babauranai]

i personally dont believe in revenge but i used to when i was younger and watched a lot of violent movies and played violent videogames. I think the acting of the toxic boyfriend was on point, he was gaslighting, denying anything and ultra apathetic, i think it was the cause of all of Danis pain. This movie doesnt manage to give with a happy ending to a toxic relatinoship, its an awful ending in the literal sense but like the girls said here, seeing the end as a metaphor i can empathize a 100%. When you break up, i believe the heart needs time to adjust, that goes different person to person but theres no way and i mean no way your heart can heal if you are still talking to that person, if you are still seeing the social media or even thinking about them. I believe you should "kill" the person, in this case "burn it down" which means make a barren wasteland for as long as the heart needs. Then you can talk back again like adults and see what went wrong and apologize respectably. Some people wont ever apologize, the toxic boyfriend here is a great example of a narcissist who cant see any wrong in their actions, but even if the people who abused you cant make amends, you can burn your own house for them inside of your soul, let it burn and build something with everything youve learned from the process. I loved the movie but it teaches nothing good when it comes to toxic relatinoships and i know it isnt an emotional healing class but a horror film but still, if any of you want some advice, the best way to avoid a toxic relationship is to end it before its too late, read the writing on the wall and have courage to end it before midsommar does

[@availanila]

I don't too and would have actually loved a forgiveness story of letting go and moving on is he's irredeemable. I just plain out hate revenge storylines and protagonists in them, even those secret revenge story's like Redd's in OINTB where the revenge is by not forgiving and trapping someone in the moment of evil too.

[@acronen]

Couldn't disagree with you more when you say "... but theres (sic) no way and i mean no way your heart can heal if you are still talking to that person..." Sometimes this just isn't an option. When I got divorced many years ago, we had a child together. We were both very dedicated to being good parents, and maintaining the best we could for her sake because our child would be harmed by the divorce no matter what, and she didn't deserve any of that pain. To minimize the pain, it would require us to maintain contact and still be united on many things. Like it or not, we were still a family. We both became better toward each other after the divorce, more patient, understanding, etc. We both needed to heal in our own ways, but were in constant contact and communication for the sake of our child, and ultimately it ended up being good for both of us too. We didn't have the stereotypical bad breakup or divorce. We just stopped being bad lovers, and started being good friends/family members toward each other as we both healed and moved on in certain ways, while maintaining strong connections in others. This obviously won't work the same for every relationship, and some need that complete cut off, but to generalize in such a way is pretty short sighted. Too many people, too many relationships, too vast a diversity of experiences. I think the best advice any of us can really give is: "If you need/want relationship advice, don't turn to youtube, twitter, facebook, or reddit (etc.) comment sections. If you just need a little catharsis and comfort sometimes, those can be helpful, just be careful."

[@Yahoodoraze]

I’m still hung up about the fact this dude booked a vacation with his friends that would have meant he wasn’t in town for her birthday OR their 4th year anniversary just after her whole family tragically died

[@remyoung]

I've never looked at the movie from this light. It adds another level of beauty to this dark film.

[@Sunnychuu]

Seeing the whole movie, I never hated Christian, just a slight dislike and certainly not to the point where I wanted him to die. But I understand that Dani didn't have the whole picture (she didn't know Chris was drugged) and felt like he deserved to die.

[@artificialmermaid9884]

same here. my dislike toward christian peaked when he technically tries to steal josh's subject for the thesis. people say that they got frustrated by dani's action when she barely do anything wrong (except her decision in the end of course), while christian is constantly showing his incompetence.

[@Delta_Aves]

I didn’t feel any kind of happy satisfaction in the ending, but rather I felt even more sorry for Dani, cause now with everyone in her life gone, she has completely surrendered herself to the Paegan cult, who, despite their kind, empathetic and wholesome nature, are beyond f*cked up and sadistic (the blood eagle, wearing someone else’s skin, drugging people and getting them to do weird stuff, and even paralyzing them etc.). It didn’t have to be this way either; if Christian and the others allowed Dani to grieve and listened to her emotions, instead of shutting her out, perhaps she wouldn’t be as seduced by the cult, and they stayed for personal gain instead of bolting. Instead they’ve trapped themselves, and Dani gets so emotionally battered that the only joy she feels is watching her former friends and boyfriend burn to death. Maybe Dani will live a happy life with the cult, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

[@vulcaireh2528]

Yeah, okay, I get your point. However, may I remind everyone... ITS A CULT

[@All-Hail-Gayle]

Horror isn't horror for the murderer. Horror isn't horror for a predator. It's all about perspective

[@delaneystorm]

I am so happy you covered this! My initial review of this movie was essentially a young woman finds herself and family in a beautiful new land after she's realizes she is unhappy in her relationship and deserves to be understood by her loved ones. It's absolutely a disturbing movie but I can't help but cheer when that smile creeps over her face. Every time I watch it. I think it's the most terrifying aspect of the movie personally - how it causes me to react.

[@DrGregoryHouseIT]

That young woman finds nothing of the sort in a new land. In fact, she ends up losing herself.

[@aistej4943]

@@DrGregoryHouseIT you are a fool, fool

[@pistolen87]

Alternate reading: Midsommar is about individualism vs. collectivism. Everybody as a collective is in harmony with each other in that place, but the individuals have to act and feel in unison with the group, otherwise they'll be killed. In the individualistic culture of the US, everybody is in it for themselves, but they are free to do so without some authority stopping them. How much personal freedom are you willing to resign for the good of the collective?

[@marianar2948]

True! Ari himself said that. People are overlooking that part of the movie

[@user-eu8jd2be9j]

treading that fine line in glorifying the US model of people in power, and people trying to attain power, fucking others over for their own self interest and personal freedom here

[@NightEyeStudio1995]

I don't think it's a happy ending. Dani was clearly targeted by Pelle to be groomed into the cult. That's how cults work. Yes the cult was "honest" about the things they did but it doesn't change the fact that they got a bunch of innocent people killed and then pulled an emotionally vulnerable girl issolated into the group, they also sure as hell kept a lot of secrets. Pelle didn't understand her, he never felt alone in his situation where as she did. He's planting the idea of staying with the cult while she's at her lowest emotionally and mentally. WHat about the scene where the random women cry with her? That's hella creepy! They're just a bunch of strangers who're pretending to scream and cry with her. They're not empathizing with her, they're pretending to. SUre they may think they're sharing the emotions, but it doesn't make it any less crazy. The cult did so many terrible things to these people without any consent from them. Dani only got a symbolic happy ending, but it won't be happy in the long term... Also the runes the Cult uses are rooted in Nazi germany and their entrance banner have a Swdish anti immigration slogan on it... that's a big red flag.

[@08V09]

I'm confused at how anyone could watch this and not conclude it was about a girl being groomed into a cult

[@thisissme]

Saw this after losing my mother and father, hits really different when you’re an orphan like Dani

[@sietecarpinchos635]

She's going from one toxic relationship to another, that's the whole movie explained from my perspective.

[@katzeartist5833]

Also I think the fact so many fairytale tropes are used is a reason the ending is 'happy'. Dani is the burdened 'princess' Pelle is the 'knight in shining armor' Christian is 'the beast' (this is why even in the very end the bear is burned, to keep the vile beasts away from the village) Midsommar are the 'trials' It would make sense that we identify these roles subconsciously from how ingrained this is to our early media like Disney.

[@rckstr_ntraining]

my favorite movie of all time, this film is comforting to me. Dani is setting fire and getting rid of the things that held her back and finally finding "her" family

[@PDeeVidoes]

Ari Aster has been on such an amazing roll with his films Midsommer and Hereditary! He is so original and continues to transgress beyond boundaries of the horror genre in order to come up with something different and terrifying. Can't wait to see what his next films will have in store!!!!

[@Alyboba]

I was going through the worst break up of my life when I saw this movie and I thought the ending was SO comforting and satisfying😂 I loved it!

[@DrGregoryHouseIT]

The ending.... of a woman being broken by a cult and forced in an even more toxic relationship than the one she was in at first? Why do people hate Dani so much?