Midsommar ending explained: Dani’s smile in the end and a conclusion to her painful heartbreak

Ari Aster's Midsommar allowed Florence Pugh to dive into the deepest and darkest corners of her psyche as an actress long before Thunderbolts* came into being. This black comedic horror film introduced her as Dani, a young graduate student who reached the tipping point in her relationship with her boyfriend. It plays out in sunny, pleasing landscapes in Sweden, an inherently unorthodox setting for a horror film. On the surface, it might even seem like a sweet rom-com, away from the dreariness of the urban American landscapes.

Aster deliberately plays against the type to break the illusion of safety and security that its characters seek. It slowly amps up the tension in this anxiety-inducing fever dream that refuses to let Dani catch a breath.

There is plenty to admire about the horrors in its idyllic beauty, but Aster once mentioned that it is "a breakup movie dressed in the clothes of a folk horror film." So, the ending of Midsommar is a twisted representation of Dani letting go of Christian and their relationship. It shows Dani smiling shortly after sobbing over his death.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Ari Aster's Midsommar. Reader discretion is advised.

What is the plot of Midsommar?

Ari Aster's Midsommar follows Dani, who joins Christian and his friends Mark and Josh on their trip to Sweden upon the invitation from their Swedish friend, Pelle. She gets invited at the last minute by Christian, who has been meaning to end their relationship. However, he aborts that plan after the shocking deaths of Dani's bipolar sister and her parents.

Josh wants to write an anthropological thesis on the Swedish commune's practices while Mark just wants to sleep with the Swedish women. Christian doesn't have a clear motive, and his indecisiveness and narcissism become apparent throughout their stay in the commune.

Although unenthusiastic otherwise, Christian suddenly gets interested in the commune's rituals and plans to make it a subject of his thesis — leeching onto something that Josh has been working on long before Christian. He is also willing to cheat on Dani (and abandon her to go to Sweden) shortly after her family's tragic death.

At the commune, Christian conforms to their rituals even if it means watching people die off a cliff, unlike Dani, who gets horrified by their deaths, as any rational person would. The same happens with Simon and Connie, the British guests, who decide to leave, only to get killed before making it out alive.

What happens at the end of Midsommar?

A still from Midsommar (Image via YouTube/A24)

Aster establishes the fact that the commune operates like a suicide cult that thrives on the members' unwavering and uncritical allegiance to its values. Dani questions them almost every step of the way while Christian submits to them because he is almost devoid of a personality.

He is an opportunist, who pretends to be in torment with Dani. He claims she is emotionally unavailable because of her family issues while being woefully passive himself. That's why he refuses to help find Josh or Mark who suddenly disappear because finding them doesn't help him.

His allegiance to the commune reaches a tipping point where he is led to mate with a member, while high on hallucinogens. By the time he wakes up to the truth, he is ushered to be sacrificed. Around this time, Dani becomes the May Queen, expected to choose between him and someone else to be killed. She chooses him.

In the final moments, Christian gets stuffed into a bear's skin and incinerated by the cult members. Dani gets traumatized seeing her boyfriend getting killed, but within moments, she smiles cheek to cheek. It's not just a sign of her revenge, it is a painful reclamation of her happiness.

What is Midsommar about?

Midsommar is about the end of Dani's toxic relationship with the perenially distant and detached Christian. She tries to keep him happy even after everything she has been through. So, the ending is her letting go of his unfulfilling company. That's the core of this nightmarish film.

Yet, some viewers might ask: Does this mean Dani joins the commune? Well, the film doesn't say anything conclusive. It remains ambiguous. However, it shows the commune offering her a sense of family that she does not receive back home.

Christian doesn't make her feel held or at home, unlike Pelle. On the surface, Pelle is also nonchalant toward death or the cruelties of his commune. Yet, they offer Dani a space to be vulnerable and emotionally naked. They value her emotions, no matter how intense, and stay by her side as she processes her turmoil.

Some alternate interpretations also point out the unfulfilling nature of religions (with Christian being at the center of the story) where pagan beliefs offer a comforting respite. Regardless, the film is still about a woman finding a place or people that feel like home.