Millie Bobby Brown’s latest dark fantasy movie, Damsel, has just been released on Netflix, and it’s far from your typical fairytale. Curious about how it all ends for Elodie and the dragon? Keep reading to uncover the thrilling conclusion of the film.
By the end of the fantasy film, “Damsel,” Elodie (played by Millie Bobby Brown) and the mother dragon (voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo) conclude their intense battle with an unexpected twist: they embark on a journey together, sailing off into the sunset. This heartwarming conclusion comes after their prolonged confrontation in the dragon’s cave.
Screenwriter Dan Mazeau has unpacked the ending of “Damsel,” urging viewers to embrace the uncertainty surrounding the fate of the duo as the credits roll.
“The story of their lives has not been written yet as they’re flying away. [We wanted] to leave you with this idea that we’ve been through our inverted version of the fairy tale. It’s our inverted version of happily ever after,” Mazeau said. “As opposed to the idea that nothing’s going to happen, the idea is anything could happen.”
“Elodie wants to travel the world, the dragon has been effectively locked in this emotional prison for hundreds and hundreds of years,” he explained. “It ends with, as opposed to the confines of the cave, as open as it could possibly be.”
Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, “Damsel” follows Brown’s character as she makes a significant sacrifice for her famine-stricken village, Inophe. To improve their situation, she agrees to marry into the affluent ruling family of Aurea. However, the sacrifice doesn’t end with the town leader’s eldest daughter marrying a prince, portrayed by Nick Robinson.
In a surprising twist, it’s revealed that for each generation of royal descendants, three young women must be offered as sacrifices to the dragon dwelling in the mountain caves above the kingdom. Elodie finds herself next in line for this grim fate—yet she defies expectations by becoming the first young woman to enter the dragon’s intricate lair and survive the encounter with the creature.
Armed with just a knife and a handful of trinkets, Elodie must quickly adapt to survive and escape from the dragon’s lair before it becomes too dangerous.
“The scary part is playing a princess that turns into a warrior,” Millie Bobby Brown said about her character in the movie. “It was really, really, something I’ve never done before and (it’s) very cinematic.”
Does Elodie Survive The Dragon in ‘Damsel’?
The brief answer to this question? Yes … but also no.
After being tossed into the dragon’s den, Elodie discovers a map of the cave drawn by another princess on the walls. With this unexpected aid, she learns to navigate the caverns and avoid the monster. However, despite the map’s guidance, it fails to provide an escape route.
In a dramatic turn of events, Elodie’s father ventures into the lair to rescue her. Tragically, he doesn’t survive the encounter, but Elodie cleverly utilizes his rope to climb out of the cave to safety. Upon emerging from the depths, she takes shelter from the searching dragon, which desperately hunts for her whereabouts.
As the dragon’s lair erupts into chaos, Queen Isabelle, portrayed by Robin Wright, observes from her castle. She understands that the only way to pacify the creature is by offering royal blood. Consequently, she compels Elodie’s younger sister, Floria, played by Brooke Carter, to wed the prince.
Upon discovering Queen Isabelle’s actions, Elodie rushes back to the cave to rescue her sister from the grip of the dragon.
Does Elodie kill The Dragon?
No, Elodie doesn’t kill the dragon. Instead, she employs cunning tactics to protect her sister. Elodie cleverly injures the dragon by turning its own fire against it and utilizing her father’s sword that he had left behind.
In a surprising turn of events, the injured dragon communicates with Elodie telepathically, urging her to deliver the fatal blow. However, Elodie chooses not to do that because, at this point of the movie, she already knows the truth about the dragon and the centuries-long deception orchestrated by Queen Isabelle and her ancestors.
Why Does The Dragon Target Princesses?
In the opening scenes of the film, audiences discover that the dragon only wants to kill princesses of Queen Isabelle’s royal lineage. This enmity stems from a dark past where Isabelle’s ancestors trespassed into the female dragon’s lair, ruthlessly murdering her three offspring.
To repent for their past sins, the king of that era proposed a solution. He pledged to provide the dragon with three princesses from his own royal lineage in every generation. This arrangement aimed to appease the dragon and prevent further chaos in the newly established kingdom.
Following the agreement, the king’s descendants devised a plan to deceive the dragon. They manipulated the situation by offering young princesses who were not biologically related to them. To achieve this, they enticed young women into marrying into their family and subjected them to a blood ritual. This ritual created the illusion that these individuals were blood relatives of Queen Isabelle, despite the lack of any actual familial connection.
Once Elodie discovers this secret, she exposes the deceitful actions of Queen Isabelle’s family to the dragon. Armed with this newfound knowledge, Elodie accompanies the formidable creature back to the kingdom, seeking retribution against the royal family.
What Happens to Queen Isabelle And Prince Henry ?
In the film’s climax, Elodie confronts both Queen Isabelle and Prince Henry, who is in the midst of marrying his next intended victim.
In a dramatic turn of events, the dragon sets ablaze the entire castle, resulting in the demise of Queen Isabelle and Prince Henry. With the royal family vanquished, Elodie seizes the opportunity to gather their resources. She, along with her sister Floria, stepmother Lady Bayford (portrayed by Angela Bassett), and their newfound ally, the dragon, embark on a journey to create a brighter future as they return home.
“It’s about taking these traditional knight-in-shining-armor stories and exploring them from a different perspective, and part of that is not just saving yourself but also becoming the savior for somebody else,” Mazeau said. We wanted Elodie to go through the entire arc of a hero, starting from somebody scared to becoming somebody strong.”
“The concept of her triumphing over the dragon, and then in some ways of harnessing the dragon’s power and leaving the cave with that power, was baked into the story from the beginning. There was an earlier version where the dragon did not survive the story,” Mazeau said. “We felt, in sort of exploring and developing the story, that we all really became attached to the character of the dragon. It felt like, in some ways, they were both victims of this situation, and so it felt right for both of them to come out changed, both of them to survive.”
What does this mean for their relationship? In a tale rich with themes of motherhood and female empowerment, how has their dynamic evolved after all the twists and turns? Mazeau remains uncertain.
“They have a new relationship. I don’t think they’re necessarily partners in any way shape or form, but they’re no longer dragon and damsel,” he said. “It’s an open question what their relationship is going to be. They’ve surpassed what their relationship was, this antagonistic situation that they were both thrust into, essentially. And now, for the first time Elodie is free in a way that she never has been before, and the dragon is free in a way that it never has been before. They both have an opportunity to chart their own course.”