Let Go Plot Summary
Let Go is Netflix’s latest drama that revolves around a mother’s struggle to bring her family together as it teeters on the brink of collapse, driven by her husband’s demand for a divorce.
What ensues is a two-week trip for their daughter’s pole-dancing competition that begins to bridge the gaps in their wounded family dynamics.
What was the real problem in Gustav and Stella’s relationship?
The film opens with Gustav and Stella’s strained relationship, highlighted by Gustav’s nearly invisible presence in the opening scene, where he talks to his clients in a therapy session.
Meanwhile, Stella’s exhaustion from bearing the brunt of familial responsibilities is starkly evident. Gustav is also involved in a relationship with his co-worker, who is also a therapist. Amidst the chaos of their family life, he brings up the topic of divorce, which Stella initially refuses. She later decides that the family should go on a trip for their daughter’s pole-dancing competition.
It’s a tense trip, and tempers flare more than once, but over time, Gustav and Stella begin to recognize their own shortcomings. Their major issues stem from Stella feeling invisible and unappreciated due to taking on a larger share of the familial responsibilities, while Gustav feels unloved and neglected, as Stella’s attention is solely focused on their children.
As the film progresses, Stella works on letting go of her controlling behavior, which had stemmed from her care for the family, while Gustav begins to get genuinely involved with his children and approaches their problems with empathy. By talking to each other with sensitivity, the two are able to reclaim their relationship, with Gustav supporting Stella through her illness and ultimately deciding to stay with his family.
Why didn’t Stella disclose her secret to the family?
Stella had been suffering from cancer, taking morphine pills daily while juggling household chores and the many responsibilities that fell upon her due to Gustav’s emotional distance. It’s not until after the trip, when Gustav realizes that he cannot leave his family—understanding that their distance was also his fault—that Stella reveals her illness.
She explains, “As a mother, your job is to say that everything will be alright, even if you know it won’t.” This sentiment echoes a profound understanding of the responsibilities of motherhood.
At the same time, she admits that revealing her illness to her family felt like finally accepting her pain, her fate, and the idea of leaving her loved ones behind, a prospect that terrified her. This is why she hadn’t let anyone know about her illness—not only for her family’s sake but also due to her own fear of acceptance.
Is Gustav able to reclaim his relationship with his family?
By the end of the film, Gustav, the once-absent father, has become a changed man. He not only supports Stella through the most difficult time of her life, helping her finally let go in peace, but he also takes on the responsibilities of parenthood with genuine commitment.
He even mends his difficult relationship with his own parents, and as the film ends, the family sets off for another trip, with Gustav’s mother taking the wheel for a 10-hour car ride.