Ambiguous Ending?

FWIW, here's how I took it. Isaak died because of Fotke leaving and knowing he would have to kill the horse. The horse was simply removed by the vet or local authorities.

Here's what I don't understand. It seems odd the Fotke and Grant would become close friends though Grant had tried to kill him. Did Fotke know about this? Did Isaak never tell him?

FWIW, here's how I took it. Isaak died because of Fotke leaving and knowing he would have to kill the horse. The horse was simply removed by the vet or local authorities.

Here's what I don't understand. It seems odd the Fotke and Grant would become close friends though Grant had tried to kill him. Did Fotke know about this? Did Isaak never tell him?

I agree with your optimistic ending. First of all, remember that Isak says that our deaths are preordained. If he believes this, he wouldn't kill himself because what he is saying is that God decides when we die.

At first, I thought the car outside the house was a hearse but then I think it would have been black. If it was an ambulance, that means that Isak may have been alive when they found him in the house and they're getting ready to take him to the hospital.

Why would Folke stay behind to live with Grant? After all, Grant tried to kill him on the railroad tracks, and there was never any indication that they had developed a friendship. Folke came from Stockholm, a big city, to do this research. The only reason he decided to turn around and return to the Norwegian countryside was to be with Isak. So it doesn't make much sense that he'd stay with Grant. If Isak died, the logical thing for Folke to do would be to turn around and go back to Sweden.

So I think he was preparing tea for Isak and himself....

Not an ambiguous ending, but filmed perfectly to fit in with the rest of the story.

1. Isak is overcome with grief. He loses his new friend, he loses his horse. He even makes the rare exception of using his phone to find out about his horse's condition. He does not, however, commit suicide. After quoting his father a number of times, saying "Our deaths are predetermined," I cannot see him ending things by his own hand. In many ways, he may have died of a broken heart. Add to that the couple of times the local doctor keeps saying he wants to see Isak because he's concerned about him... I just think it was all too much and his body called it quits.

2. The horse is taken away to be killed. I don't think it's more complicated than that.

3. How Folke gets the house is debatable (I don't have a good answer to that), but it is clear to me that GRANT is the one he's having coffee with. The visual of the coffee table set for two PLUS the tractor noise in the background (Grant's character's sound, basically; one hears this in many scenes before Grant is in them) is a solid indication that the two of them are meeting. Their friendship may be surprising, but I can see it developing as a result of the theme of the story. Folke is viewed somewhat askance by Grant whenever he visits Isak at home. This "neutral observer" is odd to him (overtones of the whole Norway/Sweden WWII relationship echo here). That his brother ends up chumming his birthday away with this 'stranger' and not with him (kin by blood and by country) probably makes him jealous and angry (it was, by movie standards, a wonderful twist on the traditional love triangle). After observing them through a window (much like the 'neutral observation' by Folke upon Isak), he attempts to eliminate Folke after assessing him in this neutrality. Isak finds him and takes him back, most likely w/out Folke knowing what happened. It probably isn't until Isak dies that Grant would get to know Folke (that is, beyond 'neutral observation') and the idea that they would become friends only further drives home the point of the movie that the silly neutral observation will not let you get to KNOW someone... that it isn't until you interact with them that you can appreciate them. Grant has not done this with Folke until the very end. The tragic part of this, of course, is that it took the death of
Grant's brother, Isak, for him to 'get to know' this stranger. The redeeming part is that it DID happen, probably to the benefit of both characters.

And that's my $.02. :-)

I don't know, why you're all saying that Isak died because Folke left. I thought he probably had been ill before, but never knew because he never went to see the doctor. Him getting ill was basically being built up from the first scene. Methinks.

The doctor makes several references about being concerned for Isaak's health and wants to examine him. That's the set-up to let us, the viewers, know that all is NOT well with Isaak.

IF you ask me, I don't think it was a suicide, he just died of grief at losing both his friend and his horse at the same time (similar to the phenomenon in real life with very old married couples; when one dies, the other sometimes follows very soon afterwards, regardless of his/her health.)

Indeed, a perplexing ending. I agree with the person who posted that the horse was symbolic of his life, and they were both in poor health. He didn't seek medical help for the horse until it was too late, which leads us to believe this was also the case with his health (clues laid in doctor's inquiries).

Depression can certainly herald death. Did you notice when Grant entered the kitchen after Folke had left, that Isak was seated in a chair in the same corner where Folke's perch had been? My interpretation was this was a symbol of missing his new friend.

I felt he had died, but then when springtime came and Folke was waiting for his coffee guest (I agree it must have been Grant) why was Folke so HAPPY? His elation made me think Isak was still alive, yet the two cups stumped me.

Also, at the beginning of the film Grant stopped his tractor on the tracks and tried to warn Folke that the last person who lived out here died on these tracks. (Folke could not hear this over the noise of th tractor, which could be symbolic of warnings not heeded?) It was later mentioned that Grant had been in imprisoned. Did anyone else suppose Grant may have been responsible for the earlier death, hence Isak knew to follow with his horse to save Folke?

Great movie.