'New Group' Movie Ending Explained & Summary: What Does The Final Scene Suggest?

Shudder’s latest addition, New Group, a Japanese horror that comments on society’s tendency to submit to power, is centered around Ai, a high school student, who always struggles to take a stand. Ai is terrified of disappointing the people around her; although she has a strong moral compass, she often hesitates to speak out against wrongdoing, because she knows she might become the next target. She has realized that it’s always safer not to speak up, to hide behind her friends, and to choose whatever the majority agrees with. But something strange starts happening around her that helps her realize what she really stands for. And although the whole experience is terrifying for her, it also helps her realize how strong she really is. 

Spoiler Alert

What is the reason behind the gymnastic formations?

The reason behind the strange phenomenon isn’t explicitly stated in the film. It starts with one student who stays fixed in one particular position in the field, and every day, more and more students start joining him, and eventually, the teachers and the principal of the school encourage the students to make gymnastic formations. Students, afraid of facing repercussions, abide by their teachers’ instructions, other than a few daring ones who refuse to join the herd. The formation keeps getting bigger and stronger, and they seem to only follow the principal’s instructions, along with the sound of the P.E. teacher’s whistle. This suggests that the groups were completely devoted to the school authorities. They stopped using their own minds and operated like a herd, assuming that they would be protected and loved if they stayed together. Even though the formations are challenging, and some students even end up getting severely injured, they refuse to break free from the herd, and they listen only to the authoritative figures. 

Schools essentially teach children to be obedient, compliant, and even submissive, and New Group comments on how the lack of a space for adolescents to express themselves freely can result in them losing their individuality. For people like the principal, who don’t see the point in individuality (since ultimately, humans tend to always form a group, be it at home or in the workplace), believe that it is simply a recipe for trouble. Schools must manufacture a compliant workforce who won’t question the corporations, the state machinery, or any authoritative figure for that matter. The fact that the brains of the individuals who joined the gymnastic formations had completely shut off further underlines that the moment a group is formed, an individual’s thought process or identity is completely lost. Gradually, the film reveals that it’s not just the school where this problem exists; it’s widespread in our society. While there are a few individuals like Ai and her friend, Yu, most experience this impossible urge to just submit to power and join the group. Ai had dreamt of this very particular situation, maybe ultimately the whole film is a vivid nightmare or perhaps it’s a contagious disease that spreads fast and it’s almost impossible to protect oneself from it, both literally and figuratively. 

What is the theme of the film?

New Group is more theme-driven than plot-driven; it emphasizes how, in modern times, humans are losing their individuality. Mostly because it’s not easy to stand up for one’s beliefs, and also because it’s just so much easier to surrender to a power/authority. To express one’s opinion in a room full of people with a completely different point of view has become impossibly challenging these days. Instead of civilised debates and conversations, humans are becoming increasingly violent and impatient, just to establish that their opinion is the right one. The film also underlines how fake news and social media propaganda have only worsened the problem; they tend to instigate groups to keep spreading violence and hate. Politicians mostly thrive because of this herd mentality, and their supporters tend to cheer for them even when they are on the wrong side of history. The supporters blindly trust the political party and its leader, and it doesn’t matter whether the policies they introduce benefit them or not. Even if someone tries to wake them up and show them how they’ve been fooled for years, they prefer to look away and keep cheering for their beloved leader. The politician in the film, who goes around asking the downtrodden to vote for him, admits that the reason they are in a position of power is because the people are stupid, and as long as they remain foolish enough to keep trusting them, they have no fear of being voted out of power. 

How did Ai convince her loved ones to let go?

Over the course of the film, we discover that the reason why Ai is so terrified of speaking out is because of a past incident. Ai used to be slightly embarrassed by her young sister, Kokoro, who used to follow her everywhere. Her friends thought her sister was creepy, and they didn’t want Ai to bring her along. Like most youngsters, Ai was desperate to fit in, and one day, when her sister followed her as she stepped out of her house to meet her friend, she got furious. She rudely asked Kokoro to leave, and she didn’t defend her when her friends called the little one a weirdo. Her sister was clueless and didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t have walked back home alone, so she simply made funny poses just to entertain herself. She figured Ai didn’t want her around, and as she moved away from her, she ended up on the main road and a car ran over her. Kokoro died on the spot, and Ai carried the guilt of being responsible for her sister’s death. Her parents couldn’t cope with the loss; they pretended as if Kokoro was still around and they made plans to buy her a phone and treated her with utmost love. It was a lot for Ai to take in, and though she wanted to remind them that her sister was gone, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. As a result, her parents were mostly absent from her life. Her sister’s untimely demise is probably the reason why Ai always felt the need to stand up against bullies, but she lacked the confidence to do so. She’d seen the bullies in her school tease a student every day, and while she always wanted to stop them, she just couldn’t do it. Meeting Yu changes Ai’s perception. He has spent quite a few years abroad because of his parents, and now he has returned to his roots and is quite surprised by how compliant everyone around him is. He refuses to be like them, and he even tells Ai that she must think about herself as an individual instead of doing whatever her friends decide. He confidently stands up to the bullies and chooses not to be a part of any group, even though he’s aware that it would’ve been easier for him to blend in. Yu’s self-assurance inspires Ai to take a stand, even when it seems difficult to do so. Together, they try to fight the groups who repeatedly attempt to lure them. Maybe Ai’s defiance is also rooted in her past; she perhaps regrets not taking a stand for her sister, only to please a group, and she refuses to be that person anymore. Ai ultimately gathers the courage to remind her parents that her sister is no more, and they must try to accept the reality. Her parents attempt to choke her, they are no longer in their right minds, and they desperately want to live in the happy bubble that they’ve created for themselves. 

Yu had witnessed the confrontation between Ai and her parents, and he sensed that Ai would end up in trouble. He arrives at her house and saves her from her parents. The next day, Ai is devastated to see that her parents have joined one of the groups as well; their sadness and inability to cope with their reality are used against them. They figure joining the cult-like movement is an easier and more convenient choice than dealing with their loss. As time passes, the group keeps getting stronger, and they manage to separate Ai and Yu. In the process, Yu is also brainwashed, and he joins the gymnastic formation. Ai is now completely alone, standing against this united powerful force, but she isn’t ready to accept defeat yet. She gets emotional and tries to connect with Yu, her family, and her friends who’ve joined the group, and she reminds them of the relationship they shared, and how deeply she loves them. She tells her parents that she hopes they can be a family again, and she confesses the love she has for Yu. One by one, her loved ones leave the group and join her. It’s almost as if they’ve woken up from a trance and are reminded of their individuality. The principal isn’t happy to see that Ai has gained the support of her friends and family, and he fears that these individuals will now stand up to his creation. Ai explains that she had never really liked the shape triangle and that’s also one of the reasons why she stayed away from the group. To fight the triangle formation, Ai and her support system create a circle formation, and they try to dismantle the gymnastic form built by the obedient group. 

What does the final scene suggest?

New Group’s ending suggests that Ai’s plan was a success; after the triangle and the circle collided, the world returned to normal. Ai chose the circle because whenever her sister made a “weird pose,” she created a circle with her arms, and that probably stuck with her. The film arrives at the conclusion that it only takes a few independent, clever, logical individuals to stand up against tyranny and stop the masses from submitting to the easier choice. Ai’s parents have made peace with reality, they have breakfast together as a family, and instead of pretending that Kokoro is still around, they offer food in front of her framed photograph and allow her soul to rest peacefully. 

At the very end of the film, when Ai is seated in her classroom, a few of her classmates creepily stand behind her in formations, and to resist them, Ai strikes the same pose as her sister did. It’s suggested that although it might appear that things have gone back to normal, and most people don’t ever remember what had happened in the last couple of days, the tendency to obey authority will forever exist, and these loyalists will try to subdue Ai’s voice and take control of her. Her fight will continue, and in every step of her life, she will have to make tough choices to ensure that she doesn’t lose her individuality to please those around her. 

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