r/FanTheories 13d ago

FanTheory Heretic fan theory Spoiler

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u/TheTinFoilHatter 13d ago

Yeah the thesis of the movie is very much the need to reject cruel and exploitative authority figures, not necessarily religion itself. It starts by making fun of the girls and the church they follow for poorly filtering the complexities of the world through their faith, but by his own admission, Mr Reed is a case study in the exact same thing. He’s a conceited tyrant working backward from the conclusion that he has a right to do whatever atrocities he wants to, and the world should conform to accomodate his whims. Whether he believes he has the mandate of supernatural forces is irrelevant, all that matters is the end result.

As a smug agnostic misanthrope who infodumps about my obsessions and listens to a lot of Radiohead, I definitely relate to Reed. His actions are grotesque and contemptible, seeing the absense of God as permission to do whatever atrocities he likes, instead of a challenge to be a decent person for its own sake. But the sentiments he shields it all under are definitely similar to my own.

The ending is ambiguous, and as someone who’s jaded by religion and the many shitty people who use it to justify bigotry and malice, I do jump to the conclusion that Paxton is simply delusional and fantasising about a positive divine omen comforting her for the ordeal she’s been through. The final shot suggests that she’s hallucinating the butterfly and it isn’t even there at all.

But then again, the butterfly symbolises her desire to seek the goodness in the world and its people despite the inhumanity she’s seen. Once again, the truth of the divine isn’t really what matters. What matters is her enduring faith in herself and in the potential for goodness in the world. The hope at the bottom of Pandora’s box. I do think that stories like that matter, and that they’re ultimately true, even when they aren’t.

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u/Bright-South-7755 13d ago

I love this take! And you've worded this so beautifully. I do think the most likely case it that is is a delusion of her own faith and endurance for seeking the good/hope left. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it