Rumours ending explained: Do the leaders save the world at the end of the film?

Rumours is a black comedy film written and directed by the experimental director Guy Maddin and his frequent collaborators, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson. It is a Canadian-German co-production, involving Buffalo Gal Pictures, Walking Down Broadway Ltd. and Thin Stuff Productions. Rumours had a limited theatrical release in the United States on October 18, 2024.

It is produced by Lars Knudsen, Liz Jarvis, and Philipp Kreuzer and executive produced by Ari Aster. Rotten Tomatoes described the film's synopsis as:

"Rumours follows the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies at the annual G7 summit, where they attempt to draft a provisional statement regarding a global crisis..... these so-called leaders become spectacles of incompetence, contending with increasingly surreal obstacles in the misty woods as night falls and they realize they are suddenly alone."

Rumours features Cate Blanchett, Charles Dance, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Roy Dupuis, Denis Ménochet, and others as world leaders dealing with a global crisis. In the end, they fail to save the world due to their inability to take charge, instead resorting to superficial acts of leadership that have no real consequences for the world.

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What crisis do the world leaders face in Rumours?

Cate Blanchett is seen as Hilda Ortmann in the movie (Image via Bleecker Street)

The film begins with the leaders of the United States, Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan attending the annual G7 summit. They are convened to discuss an international crisis that has thrown the world into chaos.

After the summit, they head to a gazebo at a woodsy estate to draft a joint statement addressing the global crisis. However, the film does not indicate what is happening in the rest of the world and focuses solely on these seven world leaders.

At night, the leaders wander into the nearby forest and lose their way. With no cell service and support staff, they struggle to find their way back to the chateau. The rest of the movie deals with the group encountering bizarre creatures in the forest. At this point, Rumours goes on a different tangent and features goofy and clownish sequences.

By the end of the film, it is clear that something cataclysmic has taken place in the world, but all the leaders can do is finish a half-hearted speech that has no real effect on the crisis. As the world gets engulfed in flames around them, the leaders do nothing to save it.

Rumours is a commentary on the state of world affairs when it is led by incompetent and self-absorbed leaders, who take an off-handed approach to solving the world's pressing issues.

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What does the brain represent in the movie?

An image of the giant brain in the film Rumours (Image via Bleecker Street)

The most striking moment in Rumours is the discovery of a humongous brain, the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, in the forest. Maxime Laplace, the Canadian Prime Minister, is the first to see it while looking for Celestine, the Secretary-General of the European Commission.

This film does not indicate what the brain represents or how it connects to other events in the story. But, the brain has a strong effect on Celestine and seems to connect with her telepathically.

She suggests to the others that the brain could be a new lifeform on Earth, leading it into the next stage of evolution. Or it could be some form of extraterrestrial entity. In the end, Celestine takes a drastic step and sets fire to herself and the brain. It is possible that by burning the brain, Celestine brought on the same fate in the world as well.

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Who are the mysterious Bog People in Rumours?

While wandering the forest, the leaders come across the unearthed graves of ancient people, known as the Bog people. These zombie-like men come alive in the dead of the night and act in hedonistic ways.

They likely represent failed leaders from the ancient Germanic tribes, whose pleasure-seeking ways are indicative of their behaviors during their lifetimes. Another explanation could be that these zombie creatures are the result of a supernatural element at work, signaling the coming of an apocalyptic end to the world.

The Bog people react to the superficial speech made by the leaders at the end of the movie by yelling and showing disinterest. Their behavior is reminiscent of people's response to the lack of true leadership in modern government.

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Cast and characters

An image taken from the 2024 film Rumours (Image via Bleecker Street)

The film's cast list is given below:

• Cate Blanchett as Hilda Ortmann
• Alicia Vikander as Celestine Sproul
• Charles Dance as Edison Wolcott
• Roy Dupuis as Maxime Laplace
• Denis Ménochet as Sylvain Broulez
• Nikki Amuka-Bird as Cardosa Dewindt
• Rolando Ravello as Antonio Lamorte
• Takehiro Hira as Tatsuro Iwasaki
• Zlatko Burić as as Jonas Glob
• Alexa Kennedy as Hilda's aide
• Ralph Berkin as an Anthropologist
• Tomi Kosynus as middle-aged German man

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