My take on the ending of “Martyrs” (2008)
Lots of discussions on the Internet.
The ending though has been confirmed to be open on purpose, therefore any discussion is just for the fun of it. Let’s however understand in detail what are the elements that actually makes it impossible to say anything conclusive:
Mademoiselle’s assistant Etienne asks her if there is something, and she replies: «Of course.» She then however says «Keep doubting» before killing herself. The possibilities to the big question are obviously:
- There is nothing
- There is something good
- There is something bad
Not revealing the findings to the sect seems to suggest that we should discard the “something good” option. However, both “nothing” and “something bad” are consistent with the ending, leaving it open to interpretation. Deciding that she might as well end up in Hell already, to prevent a life of fear and angst, is compatible with the suicide. The “nothing” option is also compatible: the «of course» can simply mean that she doesn’t want to reveal to Etienne that there is nothing, and it reinforces the «Keep doubting».
Most takes seem to ignore Anna’s vision after the flaying (with a background music that is anything but positive, by the way). And the very last seconds of the movie too, after a text over a black screen that explains that martyr means witness, where Anna’s face is shown, zooming in, staring at the void with a mystical music in the background. This would suggest that Anna saw something. However, this is irrelevant, because she could have just hallucinated, like the co-protagonist Lucie in the first part of the movie imagining the monster, and the real prisoner hallucinating insects.