Ari Aster's folk horror film Midsommar tells the story of the Harga cult's mid-summer festival as well as the underlying origins, age, and role of Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) in the cult. While he appears to play a significantly smaller role than the rest of the cast, his character actually sets the events of the film in motion. Pelle may appear as just another member of the Swedish cult but he is far more important to the story of Midsommar than the film leads on.
The film stars Florence Pugh as Dani who becomes the May Queen by the story's end. While her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) dismisses her grief after the traumatic and unexpected loss of her family, Pelle embraces and assures her that she is cared for. His behavior can be deduced to the ways in which the Harga raised him but it is also the only way he can successfully play his part in the mid-summer festivities. Aster's folk horror movie does not reveal a lot about his origins. He tells the group that he was orphaned after his parents died in a fire. Some fan theorists speculate that they were involved in the ninth and final day of the festival, in which they were burned as apart of the mid-summer ritual.
This theory is somewhat plausible, but it would mean that they died 90 years ago, the last time the festival took place. The Harga cult believes that, when an individual sacrifices themselves, their life force is granted to its young members. If this is the case, Pelle could have received an additional 72 years of life due to their sacrifice. It may seem far-fetched, but even the cult leaders exclaim that he has always had a keen sense for picking people to join the mid-summer activities. Meaning, he has done this several times throughout his life. For now, his age remains a mystery that could allude to his lifespan reaching centuries. Regardless, his role in the Harga cult is no mystery when considering specific instances throughout the film.
Pelle's Role In The Harga Cult Explained
Pelle is one of three men who were sent to various locations to bring back a group of people that would be used as sacrifices with one lucky individual destined to become the May Queen. The other two are Ingemar and Ulf, who volunteered to be sacrificed alongside their companions. Each of the three men were sent on a journey to find one woman who could become the perfect May Queen and Pelle found Dani, who was always destined to wear the crown. The Harga leader exclaims that he will be graciously rewarded for accomplishing what the others did not. His role in the cult is to find the next May Queen, which he has presumably done countless times.
Midsommar does not shy away from bizarre scenarios, which makes it entirely possible that Pelle is much older than he claims to be as well as a masterful May Queen detector. It is alluded that Pelle and Dani are destined to be together based on the fact that they are an astrological match. Not only is she the ideal person to become the Harga's queen, she is also the ideal mate for Pelle. This further expands his role in the cult, as it is presumed that they will play a hand in producing another individual who will go find a new group to bring to the next festival. Ultimately, Pelle's primary role is to bring a group of people who have potential and are also meant to be sacrificed. If he successfully brings the next May Queen, he is rewarded with a new mate and perhaps a longer lifespan.
His character falls under the larger mythos of the Harga cult that is constantly debated as well as complicated when new theories are introduced. While Pelle is not the main character of interest, Midsommar could not take place without him, which means that he has a much larger purpose than Ari Aster leads on.