The Advent Calendar Explained: What’s Up With the Ending?

The meaning of the ending of the thriller The Advent Calendar: Did Eve eat the last candy?. The Advent Calendar (Le Calendrier) 2020 the explanation of the plot, similar films

Country: Belgium, France

Genre: horror

Year of production: 2020

Director: Patrick Readermon

Cast: Eugenie Deroin, Honorine Magnier, Clement Oliveri, Janis Abrich, Cyril Garnier

In 2020, director Patrick Riedermont began work on the film The Advent Calendar (originally titled Le calendrier). The premiere took place in August 2021, and despite the relatively low rating, the picture definitely went to the audience. In terms of content, the film can hardly be attributed to classic horror films that make the viewer shudder. At the same time, the concept turned out to be quite interesting and spectacular. The finale remained open, so let’s try to figure out what the meaning of the film The Advent Calendar is, and how this story actually ended.

What is the movie about

Analysis of the film The Advent Calendar should begin with a description. Without this, it is simply impossible to understand the meaning.

So, the heroine of this story, Eva, is a girl chained to a wheelchair. Once upon a time, her life was just great. She was a professional dancer, but an accident left her paralyzed from the waist down. The girl lives in solitude, her father is seriously ill, does not recognize anyone and is under the supervision of a nurse. Therefore, the only truly close being for our heroine is the dog Marvin.

Yuzheny DerouanEugenie Derouan played the role of Eve. Frame from the film.

Eva works for an insurance company, but has recently fallen out of favor with her superiors. Her boss believes that the company should make money, and no matter who will make a profit. As a result, some of Eva’s clients are transferred to Miriam, and the girl herself is transferred to a part-time job.

The denouement of the story begins with the arrival of our heroine’s friend, Sophie. This is a carefree and always positive creature that constantly starts light flings with guys and never lose heart. It is noteworthy, but it is Sophie who is to blame for Eve’s problems. She was driving a car when that fatal accident happened. So Sophie tries her best to make amends.

That is what happened this time as well. Sophie returned from Germany and brought her friend a Christmas advent calendar. The gift is old and interesting, but there is nothing surprising in the fact that Sophie simply stole it from the previous owner. Christmas is coming, and on the eve of this holiday, Eva will open one of the compartments of the calendar every day and receive a sweet surprise behind the door.

Girlfriends immediately decide to check the calendar, but it turns out to be a double bottom. In particular, on the wrapper of the first candy, the rules of the game so far unknown to the girls are indicated. They sound like this:

  • Having eaten one candy, you have to eat everything, otherwise you will die;
  • You try to throw away the calendar and I’ll kill you;
  • Follow all the rules until you open the last door or I’ll kill you.

Honorine MagnierHonorine Magnier played the role of Sophie’s friend. Frame from the series.

It sounds pretty gloomy, but the girls take it as a joke. Eva eats the first candy, and immediately the next, which turns out to be her father’s favorite treat. She tries to open the next door, but nothing happens. The door opens exactly at midnight, and the inscription on the wrapper reads “Get up and go.” Sounds cynical about a paralyzed girl, so an embarrassed Sophie leaves. Eva is alone. Suddenly, a faulty phone rings and her father wishes her a happy birthday.

The next candy shows Eve how The Advent Calendar actually works. Sophie invites her friend to a club where she introduces Eva to two guys. At the end of the evening, Sophie leaves with one of them, and the second undertakes to take Eva home. On the way, the guy harasses the paralyzed girl, and having received a rebuff, he simply throws her out of the car, leaving her on the road. She screams after the departing car, “May you die,” and the next day she learns about the death of the failed gentleman.

Candies from the calendar fulfill wishes. So, Eva’s dog bites the boss who fired her. After eating a candy with a heart, the girl falls in love with an unfamiliar guy who turns out to be a nurse. However, for the fulfillment of desires, one has to pay with someone’s life.

dog marvinFrame from the film.

Each candy has its own shape and color. In this case, the girl does not have to eat them herself. She treats her father to one, and the mind returns to him. However, the man understands the meaning of this devilish game. He tells his daughter that he has long wanted to meet his long-dead wife and asks Eva to kill him when the time is right.

Meanwhile, events in the The Advent Calendar are developing rapidly. A real demon lives in the souvenir, which does not allow Eva to leave the game. Her boyfriend William tries to throw away the calendar, but the demon kills him by drowning him in a river. After one of the candies, Eve has to kill her dog. In order not to leave her alone, Sophie takes the girl to her boyfriend’s hunting lodge. However, at the end of the evening, Sophie turns out to be dead – her boyfriend kills her.

The days go by, the game with the demon comes to an end. Eva was able to fulfill her main desire – she began to walk. However, when she eats the last candy, this segment of life will disappear. She will again be in a wheelchair, but everyone will be alive, as if this devilish game never happened. She spends her last evening in a luxurious hotel, along with a casual acquaintance from the pool – Antoine. Shortly before midnight, she goes to the roof, where she records a video message on her smartphone in which she tells her story. As proof, she performs several dance steps.

At midnight, the last locked calendar door opens. She is ready to eat the last candy, but Antoine appears on the roof. The guy says that eating candy is not necessary at all. After all, the rules state that they are valid only until the last door is opened. Nothing is said about eating treats. Eva realizes that if she eats the candy, then everything will be as before. If not, she will be able to walk, but all her loved ones will remain dead. She looks at the candy and screams, obviously not knowing what to do.

At the end of the film The Advent Calendar a man appears with a child in his arms. It’s another victim of the advent calendar. He found Eva’s clue, and now he wants advice. A man knocks on the door of her house, but no one answers. After another blow, the door opens and the man enters the house. End.

Ending explanation

Despite some ambiguity, the meaning of The Advent Calendar ending is quite understandable and logical. As is clear from the essence of the film, at the end the main character faces a difficult choice. If she eats the candy, she finds herself back on December 1st. Everything will be the same. She will be left without a job, her father will never get up from his chair and will soon go to a shelter for the disabled so that her stepmother can sell the house.

However, there is a second option. Eva refuses candy. The door is open, the rules no longer apply. This is clearly demonstrated by Antoine, who throws the calendar off the roof and escapes punishment from the demon. In this case, Eve’s life will change dramatically. Thanks to the application that the would-be rapist installed for her, a decent amount has accumulated on the girl’s trading account – more than 300,000 euros. She can walk again, hence return to dancing.

It’s up to her to decide. However, making such a choice is not easy. On one side of the scale is your own well-being, and on the other is the life of loved ones. That is why the heroine screams, and does not know what to do. Whether she ate the candy or not remains behind the scenes.

However, this can be understood even without a detailed analysis of the plot. In the finale, another “lucky one” knocks on Eve’s door. No one answers him, but the door opens by itself. This is where the clue lies. If Eve ate the candy, then everything would return to normal. In particular, she would remain disabled, live with a dog, sometimes see Sophie.

devil calendarFrame from the film.

The door is not locked, which indicates that no one lives in the house. Even if the girl went on business and forgot to lock the door, the stranger would certainly be met by a dog. However, the house is clearly uninhabited, there is no dog. This indicates that Eve decided to move on with her life, becoming rich and walking. That’s why she didn’t eat the candy. This is a very clear explanation of the ending.

Meaning movie

The hidden meaning of The Advent Calendar is that in fact the girl has no choice. The demon immediately designated the main prize for her – she would be able to walk. It was written on a candy wrapper, albeit in a somewhat veiled form. Moreover, Eve could interrupt the devil’s game by trying to throw away the calendar. This moment was also stipulated in the rules. Only this choice would be the best way out of the situation. It would cease to exist, but it would save the lives of everyone else.

However, feeling that she could return the mobility of her legs, Eva decided to go all the way. With the help of the calendar, she was even able to get rid of her stepmother. By accepting the demon’s terms, she revealed her true self. Therefore, having returned the ability to walk, she still lost, because Eve committed several murders, and the devil will take her soul.

heroine and devilFrame from the film.

Similar films

  • Wish Maker (USA, 1997). An ancient genie who finds himself in our world can fulfill any wish, taking his soul in exchange. However, one must be very careful in formulating one’s thoughts.
  • Vertigo (France, 2009). A group of rock climbers goes to the mountains, not suspecting that something worse than death awaits them on the cherished peak.
  • Truth or Dare (USA, 2018). A college student, along with her friends, is drawn into the devil’s game. Here you need to tell the truth or perform deadly actions.
  • Muse of Death (Spain, 2017). A literature professor suffers from recurring nightmares. To solve this mystery, he will have to go to the terrible world of true muses.
  • Camera Obscura (USA, 2017). Trying to get rid of post-traumatic syndrome, a young photographer takes pictures of the surroundings with a camera given to him. The next day, it turns out that where he was filming, a child died.
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