Netflix’s latest slasher-horror film, The Conference or Konferensen, tries to cover a lot but fails to fully reach its potential. Nonetheless, this Swedish horror film serves as a satirical commentary on corporate culture, capitalism, and gentrification. It portrays the disruptive and, in some instances, devastating impact on the lives of those in the rural area caused by the proposed construction of a massive shopping mall. But what leads to the numerous killings? Let’s jump into the plot to know better. Spoilers Ahead!
The Conference (2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The film starts with a group of people traveling to a place called Kolarangen. There, they have planned to organize a conference to discuss a big project. Later, we came to know that the big project was about establishing a shopping mall in this area. The project already sounds like a huge deal, as there is no shopping mall in the locality. So, there is a prize at stake for the group as well. Although Lina is part of the group, she has a different standpoint from the rest of the lot. As they go to the place, they decide to make a quick stop at the place where they are planning to build the shopping mall.
We meet the group leader, Jonas, who doesn’t seem like a good person; instead, he is an attention-seeker who portrays himself as a big gun, which he is not. His friend, Kaj, has nothing to do apart from buttering Jonas and mocking everyone else in the group. Anyway, the whole group reaches a small village where they have booked separate cabins for themselves. The area is a resort type of establishment headed by Jenny, along with Cleo, the guide, Roger, the caretaker, and Karl, the chef. We come to know that Lina is going through some stress, and she avoids any situation that may bring distress.
What happens to Karl?
Later that day, when Karl is preparing lunch for the guests, he learns that there is not enough gas to cook the food. Karl then goes out to arrange a new cylinder. While passing through the forest, his car gets punctured. He sees that someone deliberately has put nails in the middle of the road. Moreover, he becomes very suspicious about what is happening when he hears some noise from the forest. He goes into the forest to look for the source of the noise. He stops at a point and sees wires placed inside the forest. These wires are not supposed to be there, so his mind is filled with curiosity. Soon, someone attacks him from the back and hits him with something. Later, we see that Karl is brutally killed.
Why does Lina get suspicious about the whole Project?
The whole group organizes the conference in the resort, and Ingela starts with an advertisement. At the beginning, there are some arguments over the statement and purpose of the advertisement. Soon, the discussion gets heated, and people start insulting each other. Lina talks with Amir amidst this, one of the good guys in this whole group of nincompoops. Later, Lina goes through the paperwork of the shopping mall and finds out a typical clause that makes her suspicious.
She sees that this shopping mall will affect many farmers because their lands are taken away, and they aren’t even offered anything in return. The most intriguing point Lina brings up is that she doesn’t remember signing these documents. In simpler terms, she thinks that someone forged her signature on these. If she had known about the farmers, she would have never signed these papers in the first place.
Jonas then tries to manipulate her by saying that she must have forgotten about signing those documents since she has been through a lot of stress lately. He also suggests that her condition is forcing her to fabricate stories in her mind. Lina knows that is not the case, but she needs to prove to everyone that she is right.
What does Lina find out about Jonas?
Cleo puts together the whole group and starts showing them around. Together, they participate in some adventurous stuff until the time for the zipline comes. In this case, Cleo asks Lina to come up and go for it. Since Lina has been suffering from stress, she fails to participate in that. But she has some other agendas to cover. When everyone is busy with their adventure sport, Lina goes to Jonas’ cabin to find proof of the forgery in the documents. She successfully bypasses Jonas’ data and stores every original document on her flash drive.
Later that night, she calls Nadja and Amir, two of her most trusted colleagues, and shows them the reality of Jonas. Jonas has signed a contract with a company named Backmann-Kroon. Now, the thing is, Jonas has promised everyone that the mall will have a chain of stores opening up. So, everyone thinks this is an excellent opportunity for them to prosper. But, Lina learns from the documents that no one has shown any interest in opening their shops in the mall. So, once the mall opens, everyone will be blamed for the colossal loss. But Jonas, on the other hand, will work for Backmann-Kroon since he has already signed a contract with them.
What is the real identity of the Killer?
Jenny is preparing dinner for everyone as she doesn’t know the whereabouts of Karl. Meanwhile, a stranger enters the perimeter. He wears a giant mask brought to the resort by Jonas for fun purposes only. But who would have known that some group members would see the happy big mask as their last traumatic experience ever? He has already killed Roger after killing Karl. Now, he kills Jenny and Cleo as well. Only the group remains, and he starts killing each of them, beginning with Kaj. Everyone gathers and plans to find a way to get rid of the mess. Meanwhile, Annette thinks it must be their previous colleague, Frans. Frans once put a pen on Ingela’s shoulder over some disagreement about the mall idea.
Frans takes the environment very seriously. He knows that the idea of the shopping mall will harm the locality. Frans also knows that since the village is pretty much farm-based, the farmers will suffer the most once the shopping mall opens. But soon, Amir finds a newspaper that says a farmer named Palsson has died by suicide due to the opening of the shopping mall. The newspaper also headlines the quote by Palsson’s son that they will not give up without a fight. The group is now clear on one thing: Palsson’s son is taking revenge for his father’s death. Also, in a scene where Annette approaches the killer and removes his mask, thinking that he is Frans, she finds out that the man under the mask is not Frans.
The Conference (2023) Movie Ending Explained:
Who kills the Masked Killer?
When everything seems impossible, the remaining group members, Lina, Amir, Torbjorn, and Eva, try to fight with whatever they find in front of their eyes. They plan to escape from the resort using the zipline. Lina and Amir reach the spot while Eva tries to hide inside a cabin. Torbjorn comes to save his friend and interacts with Palsson’s son. However, Torbjorn and Eva somehow manage to inflict serious injuries upon the masked killer. Meanwhile, Amir helps Lina get to the zipline. Together, they start from one end, and when they are in the middle, Amir sees that the other side of the zipline is covered with sharp branches. He sacrifices himself to save Lina’s life.
Later, Lina finds out that their phones are kept in a nearby place. She calls 911 and waits for their arrival. As the help approaches, Jonas suddenly attacks her. Jonas already suffers from an injured scalp from the sharp wires the masked killer has put in the forest. Lina successfully kills him by ripping his scalp and goes back to the resort. She finds out that the masked killer’s head is separated from his body. While Lina calls for help, Torbjorn and Eva fight for their lives. Suddenly, they see the golden shovel they brought to inaugurate the ground for the shopping mall. It cuts the masked killer’s head from behind. They see that Nadja finally kills the killer and rescues Eva and Torbjorn.
Palsson’s son may have failed to avenge his father’s death, but he indeed has found a way for the people of Kolarangen to live happily without a shopping mall. Because after such a massacre, the construction work for the mall will surely be on hold for quite a long time.
