Last year, rising horror auteur Ari Aster delivered one of the most terrifying films I have ever seen with Hereditary and made tongue clicking scary. The sound of it randomly going off in the office, at the grocery store, anywhere really would perk my ears up and give me goosebumps. Now Aster is back with his sophomore film, Midsommar to make even sunlight chilling.
More disturbing and unsettling than terrifying in the traditional sense, and certainly not shy of delivering its fair share of laughs, the film begins with a gut punch of an intro and sends you careening down a psychedelic river boat ride with a fiery finale that will leave you with your jaw on the floor and with more questions than answers.
Midsommar is the story of Dani (Florence Pugh), who after great personal tragedy finds herself relying more than ever on her emotionally-never-present boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor). After Christian and his friends, Josh (William Jackson Harper) and Mark (Will Poulter) decide to accompany their friend Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren)to his family’s commune in northern Sweden, Dani decides to tag along desperate to not be left alone. Upon arrival in Pelle’s commune, the group is greeted with psychedelic drugs, 22-hour days, open arms, and smiling faces. Josh is focused on his anthropology thesis paper on the Midsommar Festival and Mark is focused on getting high, ripping his vape pen and having sex with as many Swedish girls as possible, leaving Dani and Christian on their own to navigate the village as well as their crippling codependency.
Things quickly take a turn as traditions of Pelle’s group take a dive into the macabre, unsettling and downright perverse. The film takes so many queues from other folk horror films like The Wicker Man that the audience pretty much knows what is going to happen, but Midsommar is far more interested in the journey rather than the destination. So rather than trying to flip the script too much, Aster plays on those expectations, subverting some and leaning into others. He hints at potential rituals and sacrifices with sights and sounds, letting the audience’s imagination of what horrible pain could be inflicted be a part of the film’s tension. The way in which Aster gives us what we expect while also juking us here and there leaves the audience never quite able to know what ritual will be next, what it will entail and what it will mean for our characters.
What is intriguing about Midsommar is that much of the horror of the film takes place in the background and in the foreground we find our two main characters Dani and Christian dealing with their relationship. The tension of the film is largely felt in the emotional strain between these two characters that feel like they have been in a relationship for about a year too long but both are too codependent to do anything about it. That strain is only heightened and accentuated by the happenings within the commune and the horrors that unravel.
While the technical aspects of the film are obviously impressive, the performances in the film are excellent. Jack Reynor’s portrayal of Christian is excellent as the lame boyfriend whose inability to fully commit is only topped by his ability to uncommit. The supporting cast of Harper and Poulter are also great and the Swedish actors are perfect in their portrayal of villagers who are creepy yet also very open and welcoming. But the stand-out in this film, far and away, is Florence Pugh, who is quickly ascending as an acting powerhouse and Midsommar is no exception. Her portrayal of Dani feels like a real character dealing with real grief and her range is stunning.
What is interesting is the similarities and differences between Midsommar and Hereditary. Both films are recognized as “horror films”, but they are something deeper than that. Aster has called Hereditary a “family drama” and while Midsommar could be considered a dark romantic comedy. While Hereditary is suffocating in its dimly-lit rooms and claustrophobic proximity, and Midsommar allows Aster to breathe, providing opportunities for wide angle shots of daylit wonder, both films are, at their core, about grief, how we process it, and how those near to us process that same grief. Hereditary is about a family dealing with the grief of losing one, while Midsommar is a movie about the grief of one who lost a family.
The film has some moments that don’t work as well, with certain storyline and subplots running into dead ends, but overall, Midsommar is a shocking dive and a treat for the eyes. Audiences going in expecting to be “scared” in the traditional sense may find themselves disappointed in that regard. The film tries to set the right expectations with its humor and bright lights, but Midsommar has enough disturbing and shocking moments to make viewers cringe, close their eyes and realize that sometimes the most horrifying things imaginable can take place in broad daylight, for all to see.
Rating: B+
