MovieChat Forums > Midsommar (2019) Discussion > Their fates were sealed

Their fates were sealed

posted 4 years ago by [deleted]
18 replies | jump to latest

Pelle described the farm as a “four hour drive north of Stockholm.” That’s way out there in northern Sweden. Especially after witnessing the two elderly people commit suicide...there’s no way they could make it out of there. Look at what happened to Connie and her boyfriend; arguably the two people who freaked out the most after that incident. They were quickly taken care of. And everyone else didn’t bat an eyelid. That skin the fool guy heard Connie scream for her life but didn’t make much of it.

One would assume the rest would be under close surveillance after that. Even if you somehow managed to slip out...it’d be a trek to try and find the main road(they clearly weren’t paying attention coming in) Who knows how far the nearest town was. And slipping away at night would make navigation even harder....plus considering the black guy was killed at night as he snuck in to their “church” to photograph their sacred book...means they were being watched....even at night. Slipping away during the day may have been even harder...even if navigation would be easier. But say you do managed to do so. You’d be on foot and not knowing where to go...unless you just head towards a general southern direction. They’d notice you’re gone in maybe less than an hour and find you. They had transportation and you’d be on foot.

And none of those guys knew how to hot wire a car. But even if they could...they still wouldn’t be able to find the main road with ease. They’d still get chased down. And the villagers would notice the car gone or hear it start if you did it at night.

Pretty scary and hopeless situation to be in. The best option for an escape would have been to first not freak out like Connie and her bf did. Then a good approach would be doing a bit of recon in terms of seeing any viable escape routes. If one is plotted/charted that can take you to the main road. Your best option is probably mid day when everyone is busy with something and leaving your bags behind. To give the impression you’re still there. And take your chances. Because sticking around meant a horrible death.

[–] chilone (18316) 4 years ago

Yep. I'd be planning our escape (safety in numbers), on the down low.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

And time would be an issue...in just a couple of days they had to sacrifice everyone.

Even if you somehow managed to slip away unnoticed and got onto the main road...again they’d notice you gone after a 4-6 hours tops. They’d send out search parties and catch up to you eventually. Unless you got lucky and hitchhiked a ride or found a town/train station...you’d be found eventually.

You’d have to try and cover as much ground as possible, maybe steal a bike. Run, bike....hitchhike to civilization.

[–] chilone (18316) 4 years ago

I wouldn't rule out walking (stealthy) for a couple of days.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Yeah they’d notice you being gone in a few hours. So once you get out you better run...or see if you can steal a bike of theirs.

[–] chilone (18316) 4 years ago

Oh I know it'd be risky and probably very difficult but better than the alternative. Even on foot, you'd have a big time advantage if you went in a direction that would be difficult or impossible for them to follow in a vehicle, assuming they could figure out which direction you went. Stealth and surprise would also be assets. I doubt that any of them were master trackers and Pelle said this festival(?) happens once in 90 years so I don't think they were set up for tracking and pursuit. People have escaped much more difficult situations by being calm and smart.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Yeah I agree, staying calm is key. But having a bike would be immense help...you’d cover a lot of ground.

And you’re right about them not expecting it...so cover as much ground as possible...get to the nearest town or bus/train station.

[–] chilone (18316) 4 years ago

Yep. A bike would sure come in handy!

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Remember it was a 4 Hour drive north of Stockholm....that’s like 600 miles at least. Sure there’s probably towns and small cities along that route...but the nearest one was probably 50-100 miles out. Even if you jogged/walked it...you wouldn’t have reached those places by the time they realized you were gone and sent out a search party.

But with a bike you could make 30 miles an hour, enough distance covered so that you could reach civilization or other means of transport.

[–] xergan (1084) 4 years ago

Sure, a bike would help, but where to go? Of course, you would first follow the street you came to the village and this can be already quite far. Additionally, Sweden is not such a perfect place for people who does not know the area, as it has many forests and lakes. So you might get away from them first, but in the long run, you might get catch by them, as they know the area far better.

[–] ManToTrust (1663) 4 years ago

I would like to see a sequel where it focuses on somebody escaping. I’m a long distance runner and know for a fact I could run 50 miles in 1 day easily if required, 20-30 miles if off-road. That’s being conservative, probably a lot more if I was literally running for my life.

It doesn’t look too mountainous around there. So all you’d have to worry about is navigation, and remaining stealthy ready to jump into the forest when you hear a car.

[–] AckbarsRevenge (3800) 4 years ago

No chance. They'll probably have hunting dogs to chase you down.

[–] ManToTrust (1663) 4 years ago

Hunting dogs lmao. There were no sign of these on the site. Have you ever owned a dog? You can’t just hide them in silence.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

The main issue would be the constant surveillance. Trying to slip out in the first place. And like I said you’d at most have 4-6 hours tops(if you escape at night) and maybe 2-3 hours tops if you slip out at mid day.

And these guys would be crazy motivated to track you down...because you successfully escaping would mean them getting raided by police. So they can’t allow that.

So finding the main road and getting to civilization are your primary goals. But the constant surveillance is the biggest hinderance...that and they kept drugging them.

[–] Seperatrix (1349) 4 years ago

Stealth would be great, but there is also the alternative of a more aggressive approach.

If the group could all meet (sans Pelle), and agree that life saving urgency was called for, they could plan an attack to grab one of the vehicles. It would be an all-or-nothing gambit to be sure, but possibly their best hope.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Yeah maybe that could work...but they were too high and disoriented to do that successfully.

Connie and her bf had the best opportunity to escape...but they showed their emotions at the cliff jumping ceremony. Had they maintained their cool...they could have talked to each other in private and hatched a plan.

Everyone else was too lost to respond. Christian and the black guy were more concerned with their dissertation rivalry to notice they were in mortal danger, Dannie was too traumatized and that skin the fool guy didn’t even see the ceremony because he overslept and was too horny to think straight.

[–] jekporkins (1985) 3 years ago

Two problems -

1. It was barely night ever at this time so it would be hard to sneak out in broad daylight. It is possible for a couple hours a day but....

2. They were drugged the entire time they were there. Before they reached the commune they took shrooms out in that random field. Who knows what else they took. Every meal, every drink was laced. If they started to act up or look at things suspiciously they were given more powerful drugs. Christian was slipped things constantly through this movie.

That being said, if you were coherent enough and could run, I think you could get away if you didn't stop. Someone earlier mentioned 600 miles which is crazy. It was a 4-hour drive from Stockholm. Assuming the roads aren't straight and long, you're 240 miles away tops. Certainly, there would be lots of towns around. It's not like they are in BFE Alaska wilderness.

The script seemed to dictate these guys thinking they were never in danger. The commune was so passive and tranquil that the suicides didn't even phase them that much. That was the only part I didn't like. I felt it should have been a 'nope we're all out of here' from the group but they got slipped more drugs before leaving. It never happened - probably because it would have ended the mystery that they were in danger and gonna die 1/3 through the film.

[–] Seperatrix (1349) 3 years ago

I don't necessarily disagree with anything you've pointed out, but just to play devil's advocate . . .

1) If night was the decided upon time to aggressively commandeer a vehicle for escape, there was certainly a nighttime shown in the film, so even with short days, a nighttime plot is not out of the question.

2) I think you're right on the cult keeping an eye on them and making sure they were drugged up. But my suggestion that they "meet" and made the decision discretely is factored into the equation. Perhaps one wakes the others up in the middle of the night for a quick huddle to sound the alarm, get everyone in agreement, make a plan, etc. Then the next night perform the actual escape. Long shot to be sure. I suspect someone in the cult kept an eye on them, even at night.

Yes, the script dictated that they never felt threatened. Perhaps a combination of drugs and the "reasonable" explanation given as to why the oldsters jumped was enough to calm them down. But when you add to the mix the one couple disappearing, only Dani reacted. That the others were too busy fighting over their thesis, or chasing after skirts, says to me that their blind and self absorbed pursuits were more damaging than the drugs.

[–] Batty67 (358) 3 years ago

It is mid-summer in Sweden. If one of the "guests" got creeped out and left super-early, they might have let them go.

Otherwise, the cult members are not super human and did not have night vision. A person quickly and quietly leaving in the middle of the night could go very far before being notices. I did not get the sense that they would be set upon by skilled trackers. And with some water and food, I suspect they'd find a semi-major road within 6 hours of walking. So, escape was very possible, but they are strangers in an increasingly strange land, don't speak the language, and are very isolated.