What Marianne’s murder has to do with the mountain, Alma and the wolves

The Snow series has been available in the ARD media library since the end of November, and the remaining three episodes will be shown on TV today on Friday evening. The mystery thriller is primarily about the murder of an environmental activist. However, supernatural phenomena also dominate the story: ghosts, wolves and an angry mountain work together to form one Climate change metaphor.

Snow ends suddenly and openly: What does the end mean? We explain clearly in this article the five most important questions – and bring together the sometimes confusing mystery elements as sensibly as possible. Following spoiler to the entire plot.

Very briefly: What is snow about?

The family of four, consisting of mother Lucia (Brigitte Hobmeier), father Matti (Robert Stadlober), daughter Alma (Laeni Geiseler) and son Jonas (Paolo di Sapia), moves to the mountains because Alma suffers from severe asthma. Matti’s parents live in the village of Rotten. On the first night, Alma is haunted by the ghost of Marianne – a local environmental activist who has been missing since the 80s. Alma leads her mother to Marianne’s body, triggering a chain of events.

Question 1: Who murdered Marianne?

The question is quickly answered: A group of five residents of the Austrian village of Rotten shot Marianne (Matilda Cunietti) in the mountains. Among the perpetrators is also Matti’s father Bruno (Karl Fischer). The motive: The environmental activist campaigned for a nature reserve around Mount Muttstein. This would have deprived Rotten of their economic livelihood. It depends on winter sports operations and tourist income.

A community member also admits that the entire village knew about the murder and secretly approved of the crime. Ultimately, the entire population was guilty. Hence this too evocative name of the village: Rotten, which means “rotten”. With the arrival of Lucia and Alma, sin comes to the surface again. What’s more: the village community now wants to once again sacrifice nature for economic prosperity.

Question 2: Why does Alma have a connection to Marianne?

Alma is led by Marianne’s spirit to her body in the mountains. Marianne also gives her a ring and Alma learns that the young woman was pregnant at the time of her death. There is no earthly explanation for this connection, although the series suggests that through various clues Alma Marianne’s granddaughter is – and Lucia Marianne’s daughter.

The spiritual connection between Alma and the dead Marianne can only be explain with supernatural elements. This brings us to the role of Mount Muttstein.

Question 3: What does the mountain have to do with the murder case?

Schnee is about the tension between climate and environmental protection and tourism. The village community wants to blow up part of the Muttstein mountain in order to build the Muttstein 3000 glacier express. This is intended to bring tourism back to Rotten, which is suffering from climate change: at the village’s altitude, snow has become a rarity even in winter.

In the series, the mountain literally turns against the village that lies beneath it. It takes on a life of its own. In this picture, the environmentalist Marianne is the “guardian of the mountains” – a name that Alma and Lucia find in a book of legends. But you can also ignore the mythical overtones and simply read the connection as a metaphor. Guardian of the mountains = climate protector.

Question 4: What do the wolves have to do with the murder case?

Marianne campaigned to protect the wolves in the area, who are viewed as a nuisance by the rest of the village. They represent the animals whose habitat is restricted by tourism measures. The wolves protect the good guys (Lucia, Alma, Valentina) and kill the bad guys (Bruno).

Question 5: Why is the village destroyed in the end?

The series hints several times that Alma will replace Marianne as “Guardian of the Mountains.” Alma disappears into the mountains and survives more or less unscathed for several days in a cave, i.e. in the protection of the mountains: the mountain took her, they say. When Lucia saves her daughter from the cave, she seems to be turning the mountain against her.

Also interesting:

The sky turns red, a catastrophe is obviously on the horizon. It is feared that the mountain will bury the village beneath itself. This news triggers two reactions in the village: part of the population flees in panic. Another vehemently denies the impending disaster, even though the signs are unmistakable. Here too Snow illustrates the current debate about climate change.

The destruction of the village by the mountain can be read as revenge or self-protection. If the village is gone, the mountain, nature and animals can exist unmolested. However, the series ends before the catastrophe unfolds on Rotten.

All 6 episodes of Schnee are available in the ARD media library. Episodes 4, 5 and 6 will be broadcast on ARD from Friday at 10:20 p.m.