MIDSOMMAR

Genre: Horror

Director: Ari Aster

Cast: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter, William Jackson Harper, and Vilhelm Blomgren

Studio: A24

Runtime: 147 minutes

Release Date: In theaters now

Rated: R

Reviewer Rating ★★★★★

It was the dead of night when I began writing this review. Unable to sleep; my mind was a whirlwind of uneasiness and strange relief. The event that kept popping up in my head was how my last relationship ended. I won’t bore you with all the details but to summarize, neither of us were happy yet we kept trying to keep it going. Instead of being honest with ourselves, we choose to stay together which caused us to slowly resent each other. In turn, that resentment began to fester, rotting inside us. Thankfully, we managed to break it off peacefully and be on good terms however; I can’t help to wonder — what if it didn’t? What if we had let that anger and bitterness consume us? Perhaps this experience is why Midsommar was so startlingly effective.

“Midsommar is a truly and deeply unsettling ride that’ll shock you to your core.”

Directed by Ari Aster, Midsommar introduces us to a couple, Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor), whose relationship is at its tipping point. Christian wants to desperately end things with Dani due to excessive emotional baggage, her family has a history of mental illness. However, before he is able to break it off, a tragic incident, in a sequence that perfectly sets the tone for the events to come, occurs leaving Dani in a state of trauma and grief postponing said break-up. It’s in this grief that Dani decides to accompany Christian and his friends on a trip to Sweden. One of Christian’s classmates Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren), an exchange student, invited them to join his family’s celebration of the summer solstice. A week-long festival that includes feasts, dancing, and ancient pagan rituals that grow increasingly sinister. Thus, we have our horror film. 

I’m a huge fan of Aster’s debut film Hereditary which released last year. It is an absolute gut-churning viewing experience showcasing the brutal meditation on the devastating effects of burying your demons, figuratively and literally, can have on yourself and those closest to you. The impact that film still haunts me today, so to say I was excited for his follow-up, Midsommar, would be an understatement. While it doesn’t reach the fright levels of Hereditary, which is not necessarily what this film is trying to attempt, Midsommar is a truly and deeply unsettling ride that’ll shock you to your core.

It’s no secret from the get-go that Pelle’s family have more planned out than simple feasting and dancing. The foreshadowing to the evil that will be bestowed upon the characters is made purposefully aware to the audience, ultimately driving the tension to uncomfortable levels. It’s not a matter of when the axe is going to drop but more so which direction the axe is going to fly toward you. The film runs at a bulky 147 minutes, and Aster deliberately paces this time, never wasting a sequence. The film builds and builds, and the payoff results in plenty of visceral moments and imagery that will haunt you well after you leave the theater. It culminates in a completely bonkers final act that feels like a complete out-of-body experience.

What makes Midsommar the most effective is how all the cultists and their creepy pagan rituals are not the main focus. Much like Aster’s first effort, Midsommar explores existential themes of loss, trauma, sex and love and brings them to the forefront. The film explores what happens when you’re emotionally distant and dishonest with those close to you, and the ripple effect that occurs the longer you deny your feelings. These internal revelations end up being the most shocking moments of Midsommar punctuated by the equally unnerving moments of violence and gore. 

Though Midsommar shares many similarities thematically to Hereditary, visually the two films could not be more opposite. While in his debut film, Aster opted for a more muted color palette with dimly lit scenes and claustrophobic close-ups on characters, Midsommar instead embraces the bright and colorful. Saturated tones seep through every frame as sequences take place in wide open spaces outside utilizing daylight and sweeping one-takes. Aster’s direction will leave you scared of the light and wishing to be embraced by the security of the dark.

Pugh’s performance as Dani is what anchors this film, giving it a heart underneath all the eeriness. She plays her character with such fragility but also a quiet strength that you find yourself gutted by what she goes through. Reynor is equally impressive giving a superb performance of a character that should be one-note with a surprising amount of depth. Both actors portrayal and physicality when it comes to some of the more insane bits in the final act deserve the highest of praise.

Perhaps what’s most alarming of all, and what will unnerve you most, is how funny Aster’s script is. Not just ‘haha’ funny, it’s downright hysterical; and yes, it is intentional. It never contradicts the horror, instead, it compliments it since the humor comes from a place of anxiety over the dark turn of events. Christian’s friend Mark (Will Poulter) is a scene-stealer as his character’s arrogance to the events, and his persistent drug-taking and wanting to hook up with Swedish women, leads to some of the biggest guffaws.

Despite my heaping amount of praise, be forewarned —this film is not for everyone. It pushes its ‘R’ rating to its absolute limits, and Aster’s brand of terror is wickedly cruel which can be off-putting for some viewers. If that sounds like it’s right up your alley, I highly recommend watching Midsommar on the big screen as soon as you can.

For more on this film visit:

Website: https://a24films.com/films/midsommar 

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MidsommarMovie Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MidsommarMovie

All Photos: ©2019 A24. All Rights Reserved.