I read some threads on here about what people thought of the ending. A lot of people say Gawain dies, some say he doesn’t. The former group claims he faces the inevitability of his death, dying with honor. In the poem, Gawain lives, and I think he does here too. The Green Knight, smirking, says the line, “…We’ll done brave knight. Now…off with your head,” and mimics cutting off Gawain’s head by scratching his neck.
The whole point of Gawain facing his fear of death, choosing to leave his life of nobility and all its riches, shows he let his simple minded, childish self die, figuratively. Instead of living a cowards life, hidden behind the safety and comfort of castle walls, he chooses to “die”. The Green Knight, proud of his self sacrifice (removing the green sash and accepting his fate) sends him back to his home, a man reborn with true value of his own life and others. Gawain is no longer a nepotistic drunkard, but a noble knight.
An overall great movie that makes you question your motives in life as a person. It reminds me of the quote “You have to die a few times before you can really live”.