The Green Knight 4K HDR | End Scene

I totally believe the Knight let him go.
Gawain's mother, Morgan le Fay, summoned the Green Knight to test her son. To force him to confront his flaws, and earn his knighthood. To get him to do what any mother wants from her son.
Grow up.
I don't believe she would send him all this way just to die. No, by facing death and passing this last crucial test, Gawain's achieved the nobility and *honor* all knights seek. So he will be allowed to go.
To go off, *with his head.*

For anyone confused, it's not "Off with your head". It's "Off, with your head".

The fact that they were able to tell the same story with an absolute reversal of the original character and make it work is a really impressive feat of filmmaking. Gawain in the original is everything this guy isn't, and in the end he's humbled by his own cowardice and vice. In this version, Gawain is a total mess of a person throughout the entire movie and finds it in himself to become something more at the very end, when he has everything to lose for doing so. Crazy fascinating movie.

Loved the slightly mischievous tone in the Green Knight’s voice at the end.

The Green Knight let him go. He says “off with your head” in a friendly way and even smiles. He recognizes that though Gawain has made many mistakes, he was still willing to face his fate instead of run away, and that bravery makes him worthy of living despite his flaws.

So "off with your head" is the final teasing for "GTFO my house"

I absolutely love this ending. One of the most underrated movie this year.

Feels kinda like cheating, but if you've read the poem the Knight lets Gwaine go. The general idea is that trying counts, that even though Gwaine did bad things and maybe wasn't the best knight of the round table, his heart was still good and more than that he was trying to be better, to be brave. So, the Knight lets him go with just the smallest nick to the back of his neck.
Edit: grammar

😳I just caught thr double meaning in "off with your head". He's telling "off, with your head", as in he's free to go now with his head still attached.

I can never get over how amazing this ending is. I know a lot of people see this and think it's stupid or whatever, but it's such a positive and uplifting ending. I remember seeing this film in theaters by myself when I was at a pretty low point in my life having lost my job a few months before, and Gawain's whole journey to figure out what his purpose in life just really resonated with me so much. He was ready to give up, but The Green Knight saw his humility, bravery, and honesty and gave him a chance to better himself. This ending just really caught me off guard and I think about it all the time.

For a moment i thought i saw a coward for 2 hours, but this scene made it worth, also this scene made me feel if he was me, hiding behind my excuses just to stay comfortable giving silly excuses but again you live giving excuses or you live brave you die one day then why not live a brave life, this movie shook me to my core

How they haven’t nominated Dev Patel for any award is beyond me. Best performance of 2021 no doubt

I love the Knight's hearty little smile at the end as well throughout the film he's been an emotionless masculine man and that makes the grin that much sweeter

Does anyone else think the Green Knight's face changes when he kneels down beside Gawain? It softens and looks more like Joel Edgerton's face (the hunting Lord). In the story, the Lord and the Green Knight were the same person. In the film, when Gawain removes the sash, he is keeping his pledge to the Lord to give him whatever he receives in the castle. By giving up the sash he is both keeping his oath and performing an act of bravery.

"Well-done my brave knight. Now... off with your head" he said that with so much kindness

In my opinion, one of the best High fantasy films to be released since the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I love this ending. He just teases him and let's him go. He passed the test and finally grew up and honored his agreement and was truly brave. It's okay to fail as long as you try. That's what I took away from this movie. That flaws don't define us what we do however does.

I have read the poem and know that version. I like how this one is ambiguous. It doesn't matter if he lived or died. He found his honor

This might be the most amazing ending to a movie I’ve ever seen (including the What If sequence)

In this scene the sickly yellow glow from the previous scene, symbolizing fear, rot or putrefaction, is gone.

This was an absolutely well made and symbolic movie also Green Knight literally said Off with your head not Off with the head that part is the total indication of Gawain passed the test and allowed to return to Camelot

I love the way this ends! whether Gawain dies or not is immaterial, what matters is that he has accepted that he *will* die, and whether it’s now in the dilapidated church or a long way off he can face it honourably and not let fear rule his every action!

I just can’t decide whether I love the idea of him living or dying more. What a great ending.

About 16 hours after watching this I ended up in the hospital due to a huge breakdown brought on by a great deal of prior drug abuse. It was one of my every so often 'encounter-with-death' ordeals. But I was clearer during this one. Afterwards, I still felt unsteady, but I also kind of felt like I was at the ending of this movie. The symbolism in these movies is a lot more real in recent years.
It has been a hard road but I will rise a knight.

Just simply in the way he says “wait”, you can see this complete transformation.

Is everyone just gunna ignore the Knight pointing at the exit when he says “off with your head”?
At 1:00

The Knight returned the blow, but not like Gawain expected. The Knight uses his finger to just "risk" Gawain´s neck, after he succeed the trial. And thats all, the Knight "returned" the blow, and with his finger still pointing the exit, says : "off with your head".

"Now off WITH your head." He's telling him to leave with his head. He chose not to take the easy way out, to accept whatever comes. And for that he haas earned The Green Knights respect.

The ending gives me an odd feeling tbh I can’t explain what

One of the best endings to a film I’ve ever seen.

I was already really liking the movie but this ending floored me. Incredible.

The way I see it, the Green Knight was presenting a challenge to Gawain; to see if he could face his death with courage and honor.
By removing the protective sash 'round his waist, Gawain was virually surrendering himself to his face. Only a TRUE knight would look into the eyes of Death and hold their ground

He found himself.

He realized at that moment; that no matter what choice he made, his fate was sealed.

Still cant go beyond me how good this movie was. My favourite of 2021 for sure and in my general top 10 of all time

I don't even see this as ambiguous? He very obviously let him go by any reading.

After spending the length of the film being such a miserable knight that he even makes Sir Robin look heroic, he finally acts with courage. It's not honor, chivalry, or any other myth that kings sucker their subjects into believing so that they'll willingly give up their lives - just simple courage in the face of mortality.

Besides the surreal imagery and half non sensical scenes, I like the ending, for it's about letting go of safeguards that only safeguard weakness and doesn't let progress continue, yet at the same time accepting life has risks to it, makes you ready to continue adulthood and let go of adolescent under parenthood.

The first time I saw this movie I didn't like it that much. Visually brilliant, but storywise I was unsatisfied and left wanting more concrete/less vauge. But I did chuckle at the ending and had a positive feeling overall.
I just watched the Blu-ray at home and I fucking loved it all for the same reasons. The open-ess of the story keeps you guessing and allows your mind to play. But whether Gawain dies or not, at least he leaves the Green Chapel with honor, as a true Knight.

The "strike" given by the Green Knight was equivalent in effect to the strike Gawain gave him.

My Boy Dev should be in MaNy More films. Hes too damn good

One of my favorite movie theater experiences of my life was watching this with two friends, and all three of us just sitting there mouth agape in stunned silence at this point.

For those who don't get it (yes, there are people who may not get it):
The phrase "Off with your head" is implied to mean "Go *off* with _your head"_ (as in, _go off, you may keep your head on your shoulders)._

Everyone trying to decipher whether the Green Knight let Gawain go is missing the point. Here, Gawain realizes it doesn’t matter. That’s the moral. So it doesn’t matter to the end-or us.

I know people have had issues with the Oscars in the past, but this movie being completely shut out has made me completely give up on them

masterpiece

After-credits scene shows Gawain lives.

such a brilliant film

I love the way the Green Knight does in a way “cut” Gwaines head via running his finger across Gwaines neck before delivering the final line.

Great final scene!

can you upload the contemplative scene of Gawain waiting the green knight at the chapel? I would love to see it in 4k HDR

The knight embodies the force that tests us. On Earth, that force is nature, a cloak of green. Those amongst us most deserving of life are ready to die if needed.

awesome scene

In the original poem The Green Knight leaves only a scratch upon Gwain’s neck to basically teach him a lesson in being humble.

The Green Knight is Time, and Time always wins. It takes decades for the blow to go all the way home, but in the end, off came Gawain’s head.

Having “A Head” or “a big head” is usually a way of describing someone with too much pride or ego. Gawain, throughout the film seeks reverence, popularity and honor for the sake of status as a legendary knight. The Green Knight forces him to confront his ego when he threatens to kill him, a true warrior cares not for his own life or status. A true warrior keeps his word and moral code. In my opinion, the Green knight doesn’t kill Gawain, but simply sends him off, “without his head.”

Chills

A quote from Laughing Bull in Cowboy Bebop comes to mind:
"Do not fear death. Death is always at our side. When we show fear, it jumps at us faster than light, but if we do not show fear, it casts its eye upon us gently and then guides us into infinity..."

"Off with your head"
"Off, with your head"

I think this movies ultimate message is what more young men everywhere need to hear...
Deep down I think they yearn for deep purpose & meaning. They want to accomplish something grand in order to attain high status and to feel more important than they currently are. And I think it is natural and perfectly normal for boys growing up to initially feel that way! But I think toxic forms of social media are undermining their growth. Not to mention a lack of spirituality; or at least, a lack of appreciation for adhering to philosophies and concepts that are more important than they are as individuals...
Many of them don't want to do the right thing while expecting no reward in return. Even fewer want to take on evil forces that are more powerful than them if no glory comes with it. They don't want to accept that becoming a Knight is a RESPONSIBILITY and is NOT accomplished through the shallow pursuit of power. It is about being able to provide, help and care for others who you are responsible for. And facing your enemies when you need to even if the consequence is Death itself. If you can do that with Honor & Bravery you will truly be a Good Man. And maybe if you spend a lifetime at it, who knows... you could become worthy of being named a Good King.

“Now off, with [keep] your head.”
I laughed.

Such a great movie.

the hunter wanted something from gawain, but it wasn't his head...

You see the green knight pointing toward the exit at 1:02 when he says "off with your head", which I take to mean "Good job, now get the f*^ck out of here".

I like how his finger points to the exit of the woods. Lol.

Best film I've seen in 11 years

Amazing movie!!

The first half was a masterpiece, but the second half doesn't seem to fulfill the promise of the first, which is that Gawain will find be part of his own tales, and find his courage. In the beginning, he tells Arthur "I have no tales" and that he isn't a knight, but Guinevere tells him he will find his courage. I was expecting to see him actually learn a few lessons in the tales that followed -- the Highwayman, the Saint, etc -- but instead he appears to wander without agency, ultimately stumbling upon the Green Knight in a manner that feels like less a culmination of experiences but more a random realization that he won't amount to anything if he goes home. It had a lot of potential and a lot of beauty, but it feels flawed.

guys will watch this scene and think its some sort of ambiguous ending because the green knight didn't outright say "just kidding man im not cutting your head off". it is insanely clear that the neck slice was the "blow" that the knight would be giving back to gawain. the gentle way he says "off with your head" and the sweet smile he gives him is even more of an indication that he was proud of gawain and knew he would make for a good knight, thus allowing him to return to camelot with his journey complete. everyone just wants movies to end like inception now.

Lttp, but of course he let him go. Gaiwan is a privileged man who's never had to risk losing anything, and lives his life for himself. His hero's journey is about how 'being a man' is less about being a hero, and living your life with honesty, integrity and doing the right thing. He finally gets it, and is ready to make a sacrifice in order to make something right. He grows up, and they part ways in friendship.

Great film, I think I’d potentially call it a masterpiece but that’s always hard to say.

I like how it wasnt reviled that the Green Knight wasn’t the Lord of the Castle, like in the book, but rather implied.

I've only recently come to realize how well this ending, and indeed this version if the story, works.
In the original poem, Gawain faces similar tests, but he is ultimately successful in proving his devotion to chivalry. It's emblematic of the lofty ideals of the time and it's written with a great deal of cleverness while simultaneously being a bit of an inditement of the hippocracy of chivalry. In the end, Gawain nearly succumbs to his cowardice, and although he ultimately succeeds the final test as well, he's haunted by how close he came.
This story, I see now, is a very similar story, but it's modernized in a very real way. In the Pearl Poet's time, the hero couldn't fail, it wasn't expected for them to fail. But our modern heroes are more human. Gawain spends this entire movie failing, and just when it seems like he'll cheat by this final test, he does the honest move, even when he believes it will cost him his life. In this moment, he truly earns his knighthood.

I interpret it like this: Gawain was considering running away, which is obviously the "future" we saw...a man without any honor becoming a false King that dies alone on his throne. A powerful shot during that sequence is when everyone leaves his side as he sits on the throne...good stuff. That's not the future he wants. He accepts his fate, which the Green Knight acknowledges. The little "sliced throat" gesture the Knight does with his finger is "returning the blow" that Gawain gave him, followed by the Knight saying "off with your head", meaning that little "slice" was his retaliation. I would assume the Knight lets him go, but the fact it's open to interpretation makes it so much more interesting. An incredible film.

I saw this movie in theaters and didn't like it that much. But the ending still make me smile.
I watched it a second time when it came out on 4K, and liked it alot more (i think I expected a middle ages action movie from the trailers and it's not. It's an artsy character study.)
In short, great movie and great ending.

H chops his head off. In German he says "Dann soll er also rollen" what means something like "So he should roll" so clearly he says he will cut his head off

One of my favorite movie endings ever.

I wept openly when the credits rolled

This ws a good movie..eerie

He didn't say "off with your head." He said "off. with your head."

Fun fact: the green knight is played by Cid’s VA from FFXVI

Well, reading the original novel, the Green Knight let Gawain to return to Camelot, so I believe he IS parted away from the Knight.

I feel like some are close to the point here but its not about him proving his bravery. The whole film shows a boy unworthy, his mother is a magician and magick is used to expedite ascension of consciousness... to speed up the enlightenment process. This is what this was. He was not ready or worthy until he had his life flash before his eyes, and saw for the first time a life of his current ways was not worth living anyway. By being able to confront death he can truly begin to live nobly and fight with honor. In some sense by losing his metaphorical head he can now be a knight, "off with your head" and he is finally referred to as a knight by a character I think we all agree would be worthy to dub.

I really don’t get how this can be interpreted in multiple ways I always saw it clear. He literally points at the exit and says “off with your head” while smiling, it’s a dad joke lol he clearly let him go. Having not read the poem or knowing backstory, strictly going off the movie, I was surprised that people were of the opinion that he literally cuts his head off after the final line. Doesn’t fit the vibe at all.

If you're kneeing before death, your life will flash before you eyes. So yes Gawain lived, and never got his head cut.

"Off" can mean "leave."
In other words, Gawain can leave with his head.

So ‘Off with your head’ is equivalent of Medieval’s ‘F*ck off’

‘Tis better to face the unknown with no regrets than live forever in fear.

"Then it all crashes down
And you break your crown
And you point your finger
But there's no one around
Just want one thing
Just to play the king
But the castle's crumbled
And you're left with just a name
Where's your crown, King Nothing?
Where's your crown"?
This song would be perfect in this scene!

I interpret the ambiguity of the ending being the threshold of life and death. Gawain acted in a way that was self-serving and short-sighted, often only acting to seek immediate rewards. Of course, because of how short-sighted he is, he struggles to grapple with the concept of mortality, something that cursed his conscience ever since he cut off the head of the Green Knight.
The sash is an object that supposedly protects him from harm, but it ultimately symbolizes the fear of death instilled in him, which he abandons in the end. When he discards it, he discards his fear of the future and death, now that he sees the bigger picture.
In my opinion, the ending is ambiguous, to represent that beyond the final moments of the movie, nothing is set, because his ego was killed which set him in an inevitable future if had not changed, but beyond that, he was ready to confront the unknown effect of his future, that just as might mean he would immediately die.
His character arc wouldn't be complete if he had died or was rewarded, instead, he was rewarded by being able to face the ambiguity of his future, now that he has his mind set to follow the code of knighthood.

I went a whole year thinking he got killed at the end till I read the comments 🥹

Plz answer my question. I'm not a native English speaker, so I don't really grasp the subtle nuance of "now, off with your head."
I know there are two opinions about the ending of this movie. One side is that the Green Knight sent Gawain without cutting his head. This is because the Green Knight was summoned by Morgan Le Fay, and all the things that Gawain had encountered through the journey were rigorous training sessions designed by Morgan’s spell to make her son a true honorable knight and heir to the king. It also matches the original story. So “Go off, with your head”?
On the other hand, there is another saying that the Green Knight chopped off Gawain's head. The film borrowed the legend, but it is a newly recreated with the director's auteuristic interpretation. No matter how the Green Knight was summoned, he is a symbol of "nature" or "irresistible fate", and Gawain eventually accepted death even after learning what true "honor" meant to be. Moreover, the director said in an AMA session that he originally wrote the story of Gawain being beheaded.
Which interpretation is more supported?

This ending doesn't necessarily imply he let him go. It could also suggest its chopping time. But I think it makes more sense that he let him live obviously

The Knight let Gwaine go because he faced his challenge with bravery

The green knight did let him go with a slash to his neck. It's in the story.

I'm going to differ with most people here saying that the Green Knight lets him go. The movie is about living honourably. The rules of the game were simple and put out plainly, that the Green Knight would return the blow in the exact manner that he got it. Gawain beheaded him, despite knowing the rules. In the scene where the Green Knight is about to land his strike, Gawain stops and asks him if "this is all there is" and the Green Knight responds "What else will there be?". Letting him go would break the rules and hence the honourable course of action.

The green knight definitely 'beheaded' Sir Gawain....of his pig-headed ego anyway. All of this was a test to make Gawain recognize his flaws and change into a better person.

For me this story is about a man accepting mortality. Therefore I think this last scene clearly represents Gawain's death. If the knight doesn't chop his head off there, it's only suspending the impending, inevitable death.
In an interview with Vanity Fair David Lowery says “I wanted to write an ending where his head gets chopped off, and that’s a positive thing. That’s a happy ending. He faces his fate bravely, and there’s honor and integrity in that." and personally, I would also prefer to see him actually getting beheaded than to see the knight letting him go if the ending was to be explicit.

It doesn’t matter if he loses his head or not, the point is the same. I, for one, think it’s a better story if he truly faces his own death in this scene

Who knew that "...off with your head." could have a double meaning?