Midsommar Review

Ari Aster is quickly emerging to be more of the most acclaimed if divisive filmmakers in the horror genre. His first film was loved by critics but received a mix reception from fans and his follow-up film is going down the same route.

Midsommar follows a group of American university students who have been invited by a Swedish friend, Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) to his home village. They are invited to observe the Midsummer celebrations, a nine-day long event that happens once every 90 years. The Americans witness many ancient rituals which are more dangerous than they first realise.

Aster is a man who knows his horror history. His previous film, Hereditary bore a lot of similarities to Rosemary’s Baby, especially the final act. Midsommar is basically an American/Swedish version of The Wicker Man. They share a similar premise where an outsider (or in Midsommar‘s case outsiders) are invited to a remote location for ulterior motives. Both cultures were based on Paganism and their is a sexual undercurrent to why their guests were invited.

Even though Midsommar is Aster’s second film he seems to be developing his own set of tropes. He loves to develop his own mythology, Hereditary focused on Satanism; Midsommar was already established about Paganism. Both his films have a familial tragedy that drives the plot and have a gory bit of cranial trauma. His best feature as a filmmaker is his technical prowess. He favours long takes and steady cam shots which I enjoy and greatly appreciated. It allows the actors to give unbroken performances and led to some terrific sequences like the Maypole dance.

Aster has also developed some negative traits as a filmmaker. Some of the reasons why Hereditary was disliked by certain audience members was the pacing and arty approach. These problems are even bigger in Midsommar.

Midsommar has a running time of 147 minutes which leads to a slow pace. It is made even worst because Midsommar has a looser plot than Hereditary – simply survive the festival. The Wicker Man had a mystery plot where the main character has to find a missing girl, Midsommar was a looser mystery about what the cult was planning with their visitors. The pacing isn’t helped by Aster’s indulgent nature regarding the cult’s customs and history and having ideas like having a mentally disabled person as an oracle. Aster loved his foreshadowing which would make any rewatch more rewarding.

Aster’s indulgent also come through some of his visuals. Scenes where the image flips upside down and bad drug trips led me to think of the film critic Mathew Buck and his ‘symbolism’ joke. Film studies students can write essays about the meaning of these moments but really it is just a director showing off.

As well as being a big story about a cult Midsommar was a personal drama. The film centred around Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor), a young couple who were rocky ground. They are trapped in a toxic relationship – Dani knows she’s dependent on her boyfriend and Christian believes he can’t break up because of the tragedy in her life. On the surface Christian seems like a decent guy because how could anyone break up straight after their parents and sister die, but as the film progresses he is shown to be a bit of a scumbag. Some of Dani’s justification for Christian’s behaviour is similar to how someone might defend an abusive partner.

Midsommar had an incredible cast. Pugh is one of the most acclaimed and prolific actresses in recent years and she shows off her talent once again as a damaged young woman. Her grief was raw. And Reynor was able to show off both sides of his character with ease – plus if you ever wanted to see his schlong then this is the film. The other key members of the cast were Will Poulter and The Good Place‘s William Jackson Harper. They play to their strengths – Poulter is playing another unlikeable prick and Harper is an academic once again. They were fine with their performances.

The basic premise to Midsommar is like a slasher film – it was even originally intended to be a slasher. Midsommar when beyond the usual trope because the characters are not going abroad to party, have sex, and be dicks. They are post-graduate students who are going because a friend invited and they were written to have deeper issues.

Midsommar is a beautiful looking film that had a haunting atmosphere and fantastic acting. But it is easy to see why some audiences members would struggle to connect with Midsommar.