MovieChat Forums > Midsommar (2019) Discussion > Whizzing on the Sacred Tree...

Whizzing on the Sacred Tree...


After the goofy dude made the mistake of taking a piss on the "sacred" dead tree and the whole community threw a fit, I found myself getting really angry at the pagan nut-jobs because a) no-one seemed to have bothered to explain its significance so this wouldn't have happened, and b) if this dead stump is so sacred, then why isn't there something around it, like flowers, or a sign, even a small fence to indicate that it's more than just a dead tree?

Now there had already been other things that happened to take our sympathies away from the cult (like cooking and eating the British dude...even though it looked like he made a damn fine meat-pie!), but this incident really made me angry at them because it really wasn't the goofy dude's fault.

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- a) no-one seemed to have bothered to explain its significance so this wouldn't have happened

Um, the community members demanded of their representative who introduced the Americans to their cult, why didn't he tell them about the sacred tree, if you remember. They were annoyed with him for neglecting to tell the Americans the dos and don'ts of their society.

- b) if this dead stump is so sacred, then why isn't there something around it, like flowers, or a sign, even a small fence to indicate that it's more than just a dead tree?

Dealt with in your first question: the community obviously knows the importance of the site and to respect it, but even anyone with a modicum of common sense will see that if ashes (from the dead jumpers) are placed there, then it's obvious that the tree is important in some way, and the Americans should just respect that. I would. I think the "goofy dude" was asleep during the whole jumping scene and missed their burial anyway, and he even said it: "why did you let me sleep through that?" He then went for a whizz not knowing anything, and was punished for it, with his remains having a jester's hat put on top of them, signifying he was the fool of the visiting Americans.

Where did you get the impression the British guy was cooked and eaten? The pubic hair in the pie? Oh...

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I can't remember if the goofy dude saw the ashes dumped on the tree or not, but even so, since there didn't seem to be much of a ceremony or ritual involved in their dumping, the connection between the old people's cremation and their ash disposal could have easily been missed by an outsider. And yeah, the community knows what the tree is all about, but they seemed to decorate everything else around their commune with those weird runic symbols, it's not too much to expect they'd have at least something near the tree.

As for whether or not the Brits (one or both) were in the meat-pies, just an extrapolation on my part, but having the meal preparation sequence and the dinner scene follow their disappearance (and the pubic hair) gave me a weird vibe that it's at least possible they were eating human flesh.

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Whether or not the meat pies were the British couple, I'm not sure. HOWEVER, the pubic hair was part of the "love" ritual. Remember the scene after they see the bear in a cage...they show this huge banner with the ritual via the pictures. The woman picks a man, then cuts her pubic hair into his food and menstruate into his drink....it's a very messed up love potion.

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That mural went by on screen pretty fast but I do remember that panel...from the brief glimpse shown I thought it was some kind of genital mutilation thing with the scissors and the blood but what you say about a potion makes sense now. I'm really glad we didn't have to see her, ahem, add something to his drink!

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I'm a bit late to the party but during the "pube pie" scene you can also see that Christian's drink is darker than everyone else's.

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How was he 'punished', when they were already slated to be scarified in the first place?

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I had to admit, when the goofy dude pissed on the tree and the aftermath occurred, I just had to shout out, in the theatre, "IGNORANT!" Well, because he was.

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I don’t think the British guy was in the pie. Rotisserie guy was the one hanging from the ceiling when naked guy ran into that building.

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Who goes to piss in the woods but does it in full sight of everyone who is there? Or why didn't he just ask for a bathroom? He was at fault.

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He pissed on their ancestors graves.. of course they'd be pissed off... they're probably not used to having people over to their commune, so it's not a stretch that they'd neglect to tell their guest where and where not to piss when they have huts and are surrounded by woods...

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pissed off, lolz

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The issue wasn't the act. It was the "so what?" Any normal person, when told the significance of the tree, would be completely mortified and apologetic. But the guy didn't care at all. THAT was the most disrespectful part.

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I think that even if they would have told him it was sacred he would still do it.

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