Midsommar Suicide Scene Analyzed by Hotline Worker
Decoding the stigma around suicide and Ättestupa.
Content Warning: This post contains upsetting or triggering content related to mental health issues, including suicide, depression, and self-harm.
Since 2020, I have worked part-time as a crisis worker at a suicide hotline.
My job involves receiving calls from people in suicidal crisis, offering hope, and providing support.
Most of the time, I’m a master’s student in epidemiology.
For the last four years, I’ve been deeply interested in the question of suicide.
After seeing Midsommar, I had a lot to think about.
Having been exposed to suicide both academically and practically, I’ve developed a non-stigmatized and rational way of thinking about it.
I don’t and never will have all the answers. Everyone’s views are very interesting and I’m really curious to hear yours in the comments section.
The Scene
This movie is a horror masterpiece.
Despite my overexposure to suicide, multiple scenes made me shiver, particularly the one at the beginning of the film, which I won’t go into.
Today’s scene involves Dani (the main character) witnessing the suicide ritual of two elderly people.
You can see the scene here, but I warn you if you haven’t: it’s very, very graphic and bloody. It may disturb vulnerable viewers.
This scene shows an elderly man and woman voluntarily jumping off a high cliff as a sacrifice.
In the Nordic folklore, this ritual is called Ättestupa.
“Ättestupa, involved the elderly finding themselves to be a burden on their family. From here they would set their affairs in order, and with family most likely, perform Ättestupa. It was not seen as a negative action, but rather a release for them and their family.” (Bloomberg, 2019)
All members of the Hårga community are calm and enjoy this mystical moment.
On the other hand, Dani and her group, who represent the West, are freaking out.
- First, they didn’t know that this was going to happen, which can cause serious trauma.
- Second, the occidental stigma around suicide is very potent and is in part responsible for those reactions.
- Finally, everything is very intense, real, and gory, which would most likely make everyone reading this panic.
My analysis
Why does the Hårga community find this moment so precious?
Part of the answer lies in the cultural norms surrounding Ättestupa. In this community, unlike our contemporary society (that can be characterized as postmodern), the individual is worth far less than the group.
This act is seen as part of a natural life cycle. The elderly seem serene and proud to be part of this ritual.
Also, being part of Ättestupa is being part of something greater than ourselves, which can be comforting.
In the second scene of the first episode of the comedic series Norsemen, the Ättestupa is characterized as the most honorable thing you can do, and a direct path to Valhalla.
I found something profoundly hypocritical about Dani’s group reaction.
They find this ritual grotesque, unnatural, and wrong.
But when we look at the way the West (us) treats its elderly, who rot away in nursing homes, I find this way of ending life much more poetic.
A reference to Western religion is also possible.
It’s a profound irony that Western religions uphold the sanctity of life as an absolute principle, yet their societies often fail to provide quality of life in its final stages.
We are faced with a choice: either accept that life may not hold intrinsic value, thereby justifying our current treatment of the elderly, or truly embrace this virtue of life by focusing on improving the care we provide to them. Nevertheless, pursuing both paths simultaneously is not feasible.
Nevertheless, it is not possible to choose both options.
As for retirement homes, there is a very good scene in Puss in Boots (2022) about being in a retirement community in our society, and it’s certainly not an enchanting time.
I find the Ättestupa ritual way more enviable than retirement homes, preferring to quit life when I’m ready and with my loved ones around me, celebrating my departure.
Because death should be a celebration of life.
That being said, I do not and will never encourage anyone to commit suicide.
But the idea of leaving Earth when I’m ready, on my terms, and not feeling that my existence is a burden to everyone around me, is relaxing.
However, I do think that the best of both worlds would be a society where elders are well cared for and supported until their last breath.
There’s a Québec expression, “Nous avons des croûtes à manger,” which literally translates as “We have bread crusts to eat.” This means that we have a long way to go and a lot of work to do to achieve this.
Let’s be more humble and respectful toward aging because we are all going in this direction, day after day.
A warm thank you to my love for the idea and for editing this story. She also works as a crisis counselor at the same suicide hotline.
About me
Thank you for reading and commenting!
I’m a master’s student in epidemiology at the Université de Montréal and a part-time counselor at a suicide hotline. My research focuses on suicide, mental health, and cannabis.
Here’s another of my writing:
I read part of an interesting master’s thesis by Karl Bloomberg for this story, which I encourage you to visit if you want to dive deeper into Ättestupa.
