Gertrud ending explained

What happens

Gertrud refuses every compromise on offer from Gustav, Erland and Gabriel, and goes her own way. Years later, older and living alone, she receives a visit, still faithful to her belief that love is the only thing that matters.

The last image

Gertrud, older and alone, receives a quiet visitor, and the film leaves her at peace with the life her conviction has given her.

What it says

The epilogue judges Gertrud without melodrama. Her uncompromising ideal has become something settled and lived. The film refuses to call her story a tragedy or a triumph, because her strength and her isolation are the same thing.