Wild Strawberries ending explained

What happens

After the ceremony, Isak is gentler with Marianne and Evald and speaks kindly to the young hitchhikers. Alone in bed, he drifts into a last memory of his parents by the water. He has begun to change, late but really.

The last image

Isak, lying in bed, drifts into a memory of his parents sitting peacefully by the water.

What it says

The ending offers no cure, only a start. Isak cannot undo his coldness, but looking at it honestly lets him reach toward others. The calm memory by the water suggests that facing the past, even late, can bring a little peace.