Dogville — Ending Explained

The Twist: Throughout the film, we believe the gangsters are coming to kill Grace. In the climax, it is revealed they are her father's men, coming to retrieve her. The "Big Man" is her father.

The Ending: Grace and her father have a conversation about arrogance. Grace realizes that by forgiving the townspeople, she has been treating them with condescension. To be truly moral, she must judge them as she would judge herself. She exits the car and orders the gangsters to burn the town and kill everyone. She personally executes Tom Edison Jr. The only survivor is Moses, the dog, because he was the only one who was honest about his nature (he barked at her).

The Religious Allegory: Grace represents Jesus Christ, descending to earth to offer salvation. However, unlike the New Testament Jesus who forgives, she transforms into the Old Testament God of wrath, judging the wicked. Her father represents the vengeful God the Father, whom she eventually aligns with.

The Political Critique: The film is seen as a critique of US foreign policy (interventionism). Grace tries to impose her "democracy" and "goodness" on a foreign culture (Dogville), but when rejected, she destroys them with overwhelming firepower.

Critique of Liberalism: Tom represents the impotent liberal intellectual who loves humanity in theory but fails in practice, ultimately enabling fascism through his inability to take a hard stance.