In Shaman (2025), Candice and Joel arrive in a remote Embera village armed with their Christian faith and the zeal to serve the local people. But their mission quickly—and tragically—spirals into chaos when their son, Elliot, becomes the vessel for Supay, the God of Death. What begins as service and devotion unravels into a desperate struggle of faith, fear, and survival. As failed exorcisms, racist hostility, and the collapse of their community erode their beliefs, Candice’s hope disintegrates. In her desperation, she makes devastating moral compromises, sacrificing her principles to save her child. By the end, the family escapes the village with their bodies intact but their spirits broken—leaving behind a community still in Supay’s violent grasp.
Spoilers Ahead
Shaman (2025) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
What Happens to Candice and Joel?
Candice and Joel dedicate themselves to serving locals, leaving Elliot feeling excluded. His isolation drives him to seek validation, especially from local kids Raul and Tomas. When they warn him about the cave, Elliot’s desire to disprove their superstition pushes him to ignore them. Inside, he senses danger but retrieves his toy plane – his smile showing triumph over fear – until a mysterious figure grabs him. Fear drives him to escape without telling his mother, knowing she would scold him for disobedience. Candice expects Elliot to wear his grandfather’s watch for his confirmation. Having lost it in the cave, Elliot returns at night, motivated by duty and guilt. His discovery of ritual-like items and hallucinations of scorpions indicates an emerging supernatural influence. His injury worsens his vulnerability.
When Elliot disappears, Candice’s maternal instinct compels her to search. Raul’s revelation about the cave sends her there, but the shaman intercepts her, claiming Elliot is safe. Candice mistrusts him due to his strange surroundings, and despite his advice, she insists on taking Elliot to church. The old woman, Inti, reacts in fear to Elliot’s eyes, hinting at possession. Candice begins suspecting something is wrong, but misattributes it to the shaman’s supposed black magic.
What Happens When the Exorcism Fails?
After Inti’s death, Candice sees the demon as responsible and seeks exorcism. Joel resists, holding firm to his Christian faith and dismissing pagan influence. Father Meyer initially doubts Candice but changes his mind upon meeting Elliot. The exorcism fails because the pagan entity feeds on doubt and rejects the Christian God. The spirit’s hostility stems from resentment toward Western religious imposition. It later kills the pastor without Elliot’s memory of the event. Candice’s paranoia grows, interpreting the shaman’s actions, such as taking Elliot’s socks, as sinister.
The shaman insists he can help, but Candice and Joel refuse his involvement. Joel urges Candice to abandon her obsession, but she attacks his past, wounding him emotionally. Candice’s hallucinations peak inside the church, causing her to drop a candle. The resulting fire destroys the building. Both parents watch their symbol of faith crumble, powerless to stop it. This final event mirrors their personal collapse. Candice is consumed by fear. Joel is unable to reconcile faith with reality, and the spirit’s shadow still looms over their family.
Who Possessed Elliot?
The entity that takes hold of Elliot is Supay, the God of Death, according to the local belief. Supay’s motive is rooted in protecting indigenous traditions and punishing outsiders who impose foreign faith. He refuses to rest until Candice and Joel abandon their mission of spreading Christianity. His possession of Elliot becomes both a warning and a weapon. When Candice questions Elliot about his whereabouts, he insists he has been home all day. This is Supay’s deception, aiming to erode Candice’s trust in her son and destabilize the family. By sowing doubt, Supay weakens their unity and leaves them more vulnerable.
At night, Supay approaches Joel through Elliot’s body. He deliberately challenges Joel’s belief in Christ, aiming to prove that prayer is powerless in this land. This confrontation is more than physical – it is spiritual warfare designed to plant uncertainty. The attack leaves Joel physically injured and mentally shaken. For the first time, Joel questions whether God is protecting them, showing that Supay’s power feeds on spiritual doubt.
Desperate, Candice turns to the shaman she once mistrusted. Her accusation of a curse reflects her misunderstanding of local customs. The shaman clarifies that the possession is not his doing but Supay’s. Supay, as the God of Death, always claims what he desires, and in this case, he has chosen Elliot. The shaman’s words confirm that this is not random malice but a calculated act of spiritual dominance.
Why Does the Shaman Kill Himself?
After the failed exorcism, Candice loses faith in her religion. Her desperation to save Elliot makes her accept the shaman’s help, even if it means engaging in pagan rituals. The shaman warns her that Supay, the God of Death, cannot be defeated – only bargained with. This acceptance of negotiation reflects his awareness of Supay’s unstoppable nature. During the ritual, Supay openly admits to killing the pastor and mocks Candice’s God. Candice’s drinking of the ritual liquid shows her willingness to immerse herself in the shaman’s world. The shaman attempts to free Elliot, but this act exposes him to direct spiritual danger. Supay seizes the opportunity to possess the shaman’s body.
Once possessed, the shaman becomes violent, killing his own followers. This action is not his will – it is Supay using his body as a vessel of destruction. The shaman resists internally, but he is unable to expel the god’s presence. His knowledge of Supay’s hunger for dominance and chaos convinces him that as long as Supay controls him, more lives will be lost. Realising that possession is irreversible, the shaman makes the ultimate choice – self-sacrifice. By killing himself, he hopes to end Supay’s control and protect others.
This decision reflects both his moral responsibility and his acceptance that death is the only escape from Supay’s grasp. However, the shaman’s death does not destroy Supay. Freed from one host, the god simply reclaims Elliot, proving that sacrifice cannot stop him. Supay’s preference for a young vessel ensures his continued power and growth. The shaman’s death becomes a futile but courageous act, rooted in the belief that his own life is a worthy price to pay for the safety of others.
Shaman (2025) Movie Ending Explained:
Does Candice Become a Non-Believer?
Candice’s faith undergoes a steady erosion throughout her confrontation with Supay. The failure of the Christian exorcism plants the first deep seeds of doubt. Every attempt to invoke her God fails, while Supay repeatedly proves his power. By the time Elliot threatens her life with a rock, Candice is operating from raw survival instinct, not spiritual conviction. In a desperate attempt to save her son, Candice proposes a barter – offering Supay a new vessel. She lures Tomas, an innocent indigenous girl, into the cave, knowing Supay will take her. This decision marks a moral collapse. It directly contradicts the Christian principle of protecting the innocent, especially those she had come to serve as a missionary. Her choice is driven by maternal instinct, but it reveals a willingness to sacrifice another life for her family’s safety.
After Elliot is freed and Supay possesses Tomas, Candice removes her crucifix pendant. This act is highly symbolic – it is a physical renunciation of her faith. She no longer sees the cross as a source of protection or hope. It signals that her belief in the Christian God has been replaced by disillusionment and guilt. Candice, Joel, and Elliot leave the village, their mission a complete failure. Their faith, once the foundation of their identity and purpose, is gone. Candice carries the weight of her actions, likely haunted by the knowledge that she condemned Tomas to possession. Her decision reflects not only a loss of religious faith but also a loss of faith in herself as a moral person.
Joel, who had previously suffered from substance abuse disorder, may relapse under the weight of doubt and trauma. Elliot, although freed, will likely carry deep guilt for the destruction their presence caused. The family survives physically but is spiritually and emotionally shattered. With the shaman dead and Supay in a new host, the locals face renewed danger. Rosa, a strong Christian believer, may take leadership, but she could also become Supay’s next target. It’s possible that, after witnessing repeated failures of Christian intervention, the villagers will return to pagan traditions. For them, the survival of their community may matter more than adhering to an imported faith.
