Analysis of the ending

That makes a lot of sense. I saw it today and thought that she got back in the wheelchair because of the song but couldn't know as I don't understand much French and they didn't put subtitles up for the song. But now that I've read your theory that love was making her stronger I think you are correct.

Interesting reading! I saw the ending in a different, more optimistic light. During the dance, where up till then her health seemed decidedly improved, I think she is tested (by God or by chance or by nature, whichever) when she falls. Just like earlier when she wakes and there is tension because we don't know whether she's retained her ability, her "miracle" is called into question. It's God's (or nature's) way of bringing her back to humility. Her idealised romance with him is put into perspective, and they both escape to the fringes of the group in order to recollect.

At the same time a third player appears; the woman with the wheelchair who has been unremittingly supportive of Christine, instigating and leading all of her blessings and following her like a guardian angel (it is clear she is the true 'best pilgrim'). At this point Christine is presented with two distinct options: to either pursue the man (the object and personification of all her wheelchair-bound fantasies of what a "normal life" should be) or stay with the old woman, who has stuck by her through everything, completely selflessly (if I'm not mistaken, I don't remember any scenes that made her out to be helping out of selfishness?).

Since you've seen the film it's obvious which road she takes, but the fact that she stays signifies that Christine is finally ready to accept the 'Holy' element of her healing. Or if not even that, then accept the kindness and selflessness of the old woman, which the sitting down represents; she is humbled and puts herself back into the care of the woman.

That being said, my interpretation is at odds with what Jessica Hausner herself has said in an interview, whereby she states "she will never understand what is expected from her in order to be a good Christian because she lacks a sense of humility" - but still, I really can't see that in the ending. It seems quite clear to me that she's presented with a dichotomy and she makes the humble choice, but I guess c'est la vie! That's film criticism for you.

More importantly, what does she whispher! That's a more intriguing argument.

It's open to interpretation, but I think I took a less optimistic line, and a more instinctively secular one. I thought the doctor's diagnosis was unambiguous - this was a temporary alleviation of her condition; everyone conveniently ignored the medical assessment and kept on interpreting it as a miracle. The ending was unbearably poignant, as she has had a brief glimpse of how her life would be if she could walk and dance, and this is ultimately snatched away from her. The guard suddenly looks at her differently when he realises that she will soon be an invalid again (he recognises that she's not special, and he needs to make a quick exit), and the looks that play across her face as she watches the other dancers, trying to stay composed as she accepts that her body is going to seize up again, were utterly heartbreaking to me. An amazing bit of acting. If there was supposed to be any optimism or comfort in that scene, it passed me by completely. if there was any divine intervention, e.g. god teaching her a lesson in humility, it succeeded for this viewer at least only in showing god to be a cruel and capricious sociopath. Either that or non-existent.

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I more or less completely agree, although I did not gage any scepticism on her part while they were dancing - for me it was just at the end when she realised that he was not coming back due apparently to her slipping on the floor; and that, to me, made it all the more powerful and one of the saddest endings I have ever seen in film.

I saw it a little differently..

the early parts of the film was heartwrenching..
especially the wide angle shots showing hundreds, thousands of pilgrims.

As we got to know the little group better...
it seemed everyone wanted a miracle..
but no one was ready to accept one.

everyone was envious, and jealous...and wishing the miracle would fail.
the support people were very cynical, with the God in Lourdes joke, and the many talks about keep expectations low, it will not last etc...
Plus,the judgements that she was not good enough..she only wanted to enjoy life.
It was like she gave in to public pressure by sitting in the chair..

and the stare/glare from the mother of the daughter in a wheelchair, with her head bowed forward most of the time, was intense.

I cried during the first half...but was not a fan of the direction the movie took.

well played by Sylvie Testud.

I agree that is one possible interpretation of the ending, albeit the one most will gravitate to. But I also believe it is open to other interpretations. Christine may have actually fallen because, let's face it, her muscles are still weak. It caught Kuno off-guard and just freaked him out a little bit. Christine was still able to walk over to the wall and then sit herself in the wheelchair. This was their last night at Lourdes so they still would most likely run into each other again the next morning when they left. Who knows, when he saw her walking again he may have approached her. One could easily just see this as a scare, no more than a moment of doubt. I think it was left total open to whichever way the audience wanted to take it. Myself, for whatever reason, gravitated to a more optimistic outcome. Having said that, that final scene, with its drawn out pregnant pause, was haunting to be sure.

I saw it like this pretty much, but I'm just wondering why doesn't anybody try to analyse that older woman - room-mate, Madame Hartl, I think it was. She was like her guardian angel, always knew what to do, where to take her and it always seemed like she knew what was going to happen next. Said only a couple of sentences the entire movie, which anyway hasn't got much dialogue. That old lady is the most intriguing character in this movie to me.