Midsommar

Graham Craycraft

Midsommar is the second film from writer and director Ari Aster. Hereditary is Aster’s first movie which I have reviewed on this site. I said at the end of the review that I was excited to follow Aster’s career and he has not disappointed in this latest endeavor. Midsommar is the story of four friends going to visit a small community in Sweden with their friend from said community for their midsummer festival. Pelle (the man from the community) has informed his friends that this is an extra special midsummer festival that only happens every 90 years and so it is truly once in a lifetime. 

Certain events lead Dani (the lead female protagonist) to join her boyfriend and his three friends in attending to the midsummer festival. Once there the audience discovers a cult-like community that is self sustaining and a bit eccentric. Pagan runes and paintings on walls litter the community and provide foreshadows, some obvious and others intricate. The four outsiders quickly realize they were promised quite a different type of experience than they thought they would receive. Without giving too much away I will wrap up my discussion of the story by saying it is bloody, highly sexual, violent, drug filled and disturbing. Aster’s horror movies are not typical for the modern horror genre. He refrains from jump scares, uses light just as much as dark, focuses on story more than scare factor, and doesn’t shy away from a high level of symbolism. 

Aster’s Midsommar uses close ups, extreme close ups, top angles, bottom angles, pans, tracks, etc. He really tries to experiment with every scene to create something special. He uses extreme close ups in order to block out all other images on the screen, top angles almost as a replacement for Dutch (tilted) angle which imparts a sense of confusion and, in this film, dread. Aster also plays with the focus and in some scenes doesn’t let the audience know what they’re looking at for an extended period which builds suspense in a unique way. The color schemes and settings are vibrant and distinct that play well with the copious amount of psychedelics the characters take. The community’s religion is integral with nature and so the summer sunlight and drug use help tie everything together. Grass grows through Dani’s feet, flowers breathe, and tree bark flows. 

Dani, played by Florence Pugh, gives a wonderful performance in a challenging role. She must fully commit or else her panic, grief, and terror, would come off inauthentic. It also helps that she is surrounded by a multitude of talented actors and actresses that give themselves to the movie in a similar way. I thought the pacing at times was a bit off and I would have like to see the movie about five-ten minutes shorter. I enjoyed every minute, but I think the film would benefit overall from a few cuts.

The ending. Oh the ending. I wish I could say so much more about it, but I won’t spoil anything. All I will say is this ending is superb. Overall, I like Hereditary better (for now), but the ending of Midsommar is perfect. It delivers a rush of emotion and closes out the film without any sloppiness. 

I give this movie a 95/100. Let me know what you thought or if you have any questions. Happy watching.