Aahana Swrup
The 2015 horror film, ‘June,’ follows the story of a child possessed by great evil who must keep her emotions in check to ensure a safe and happy life. In the foster system since birth, June has had a difficult childhood, made worse by the eerie accidents that happen whenever her feelings get the better of her. As such, the girl resolves to put her best foot forward when her DCF Agent, Victor Emmanuel, assigns her a promising new set of parents, Lily and Dave. Nevertheless, June’s predicament robs the girl of a regular life as her demonic side begins to threaten her new family. Consequently, it’s up to the adults in June’s life to unravel her perplexing, unknown past revolving around cults and otherworldly summonings to save the girl and themselves from a brutal end. SPOILERS AHEAD!
June Plot Synopsis
A cult dwells in the remote woods, dedicated to bringing about a new age. As such, they employ a believer couple’s newborn baby to perform a crucial ritual one moonlit night. Although the mother is sad to watch her baby go— and fastens her own locket around her neck in affection, she has no choice but to surrender the kid to the cult’s leader. During the ceremony, the red-cloaked leader settles the baby on the altar, where a young girl brings her a knife to nick the leader’s hand and spill her blood on the baby.
The action results in a supernatural energy showering upon the baby in an effort at possession. However, the mother simultaneously attacks the leader, interrupting the possession before it can be finished. In the aftermath, the interrupted demonic possession kills everyone on ritualistic grounds, except for one girl who managed to escape the explosion’s radius. Thus, the girl takes the baby and runs to the highway, where the authorities find her.
Nine years later, the baby, June, has lived in the orphanage. June grew up to be a quiet kid with an imaginary friend, Aer. Unbeknownst to everyone else, Aer is the demon that possessed her when she was a baby and continues to torment June’s life. Whenever the girl’s negative emotions overflow, Aer gains the power to take control and wreak havoc on the outside world in varying degrees. Nonetheless, Emmanuel, a DCF Agent who seems to know more about June’s cultish past than he lets on, situates the girl under a pair of seasoned foster parents, Candy & her husband.
Yet, it’s evident that the couple isn’t a right fit since the negligent parents are already doing a poor job at managing their several other foster kids. Consequently, it’s only a matter of time before June explodes in such an environment, leading to a big accident at Candy’s party at her trailer park. Thus, Emmanuel takes June to a new home, Lily and Dave, who prove to be a significant improvement.
The couple have a big house with a room picked out specially for June and her interests. Furthermore, the mother, Lily, seems to care for the little girl from their first meeting. Although Emmanuel informs the new parents about June’s tendency to talk to her imaginary friend, Aer, the girl’s scrabbled drawings still remain disturbing. Moreover, on her first day of school, June ends up passed out and covered in much more blood than a first premature period entails.
Therefore, Lily and Dave decide to homeschool June. Nevertheless, one week in, the issues continue to pile up. The common outbursts of inexplicable incidents around June continue to freak Dave out since he often gets injured from them. Still, Lily insists on overlooking them in favor of loving June. Eventually, June’s emotions go haywire after she finds an identical pendant in Lily’s room to the one her mother gave her. The resulting chaos becomes too much for Dave to handle after June, with black eyes, threatens him. As a result, Dave leaves upon Lily’s request, who chooses June’s safety over her husband. While the mother-daughter manages to spend a few days of bliss together, trouble soon knocks on their door when Emmanuel demands Lily bring June to fulfill the old ritual.
June Ending: What Does The Cult Want From June?
Even though the film opens with the nameless cult’s ritualistic endeavors, which infuses June with her supernatural powers, the narrative never really delves into specifics about the cult. Nonetheless, their vast network comes to the limelight once Emmanuel, the DCF officer, turns out to be a high-ranking member of the cult despite its previous decimation. As it would turn out, the incident that occurred nine years ago only killed a portion of the cult. Therefore, even though the leader and many of her close comrades died in their pursuit to infuse June with Aer, the cult itself persists.
The cult is built around the supernatural entity Aer, who is fabled to bring about the destruction of humanity in favor of allowing nature to prosper over Earth. However, since June’s mother interrupted the ritual, Aer fails to take over the little girl completely. Instead, she’s trapped inside June’s mind and can only slip through the cracks when the girl becomes overwhelmed enough.
For the same reason, Emmanuel situates June in obviously negligible and unfit foster parents to test her abilities and ensure she is the true vessel of Aer. Once he gets the confirmation, he relocates the little girl to a new household under the guidance of a woman whom the cult trusts: Lily, the same girl who managed to survive the explosion during Aer’s summoning ritual. As such, after allowing Lily to parent the kid for a while and form a bond with her, the cult intends to coax the girl back into the alter and finish the ritual.
By doing so, they can allow Aer complete control over June’s body and bring a reckoning for humankind. In the end, the cult’s goal is to sacrifice June for Aer so that the elemental deity can help nature retake the Earth.
Does Dave Die?
After June’s relocation with Lily and Dave, the girl seamlessly takes a liking to the woman. However, the same can’t be said for Dave. Even though the man is happy to finally have the opportunity to become a parent, June’s unique set of requirements becomes too taxing for him. Furthermore, unlike Lily, he isn’t aware of June’s possession. Therefore, once he realizes that June is causing the unnatural things around the family, he tries to convince Lily to return the girl to the DCF.
As such, tension persists between Dave and June. Moreover, Aer seems to be particularly hostile toward the man. Thus, June’s periodic demonic activity freaks Dave out since Aer has a vendetta against him and often seeks to hurt him. For instance, on one occasion, she tricks the man into putting his hand inside the sink drain and turns the garbage disposal on to injure his hand.
However, things take an even worse turn after June’s outburst shakes up the entire house once she comes in contact with Lily’s necklace. The incident triggers Aer’s possession, who announces Dave’s looming death. The startled father demands an explanation from June and follows her to her room when she storms out. Yet, the girl only shut them inside her room, refusing to open it despite Lily’s cries.
When the door finally opens, June’s room is a mess, with the girl curled up on the floor and Dave standing above her. Lily demands to know if the man hit the little girl and remains suspicious even after his vehement refusal. As a result, she kicks Dave out of the house. Although Lily uses the dispute as an excuse, she’s really cutting Dave from her life to ensure the other man is safe.
Nonetheless, Dave refuses to give up and continues to search for clues about June’s reality by going through the extensive family photos the man likes to take. In one such photo, Dave realizes that Emmanuel has been stalking his family. Thus, regardless of their dispute, Dave rushes back to help Lily and June.
Still, by the time Dave returns to the house, Emmanuel has already abducted the little girl. As a result, Dave helps Lily chase down the men with his car as the woman finally reveals the entire truth to him. Since Lily is a part of the cult, she knows their next move is to take June to the altar. Nonetheless, once the couple arrives, they are held back by Emmanuel’s boss, Dr. Wynstrom’s goons, as the man carries out the ritual.
In the end, Dave manages to overpower his assailant and attacks Wynstrom, mirroring the sacrifice June’s mother made all those years ago. As the ritual gets interrupted again, it sends a blast, killing everyone nearby, including Dave. Consequently, Dave dies in an effort to save June’s life.
Does June Die? Does Aer Take Over Her Body?
In the end, Dave’s interruption prevents Wynstrom from completing the ritual. As a result, Aer fails to take over June’s body in full. Nevertheless, the ritual took effect much more significantly in its second attempt than the first. At one point, June’s body begins floating into the supernatural beam of light, signifying Aer’s increasing influence.
As such, Dave simply dismantling Wynstrom’s chants and prayers isn’t enough to pull the girl out of her trance, even as it sends out electric shocks to everyone nearby, killing them in an instant. Still, June’s powers spare Lily. The mother, who has had a unique connection to June since the start, attempts to talk her out of her destructive state.
By appealing to June’s humanity and compelling her to hold on to the good and innocence inside her heart, Lily manages to pull June out of Aer’s control. Although Aer still resides inside June, she isn’t in control and won’t be able to harm others without excruciating circumstances. For the same reason, once June and Lily evade the ritual, they begin a new life on the run beside each other.
Even though Wynstrom, the latest in a line of the cult’s leaders, is dead, it’s only a matter of time before someone else comes looking for June to exploit her powers and hurt humankind. Worse yet, June’s power and juvenile control over her emotions pose a different threat to the masses around her. Thus, June and Lily will continue to live on the run, hoping to escape the cult and spare others from the pain June can inflict on them.
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