Genre: Drama/ Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 147 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter, Vilhelm Blomgren, William Jackson Harper, Ellora Torchia, Archie Madekwe, Henrik Norlén, Gunnel Fred, Isabelle Grill, Agnes Westerlund Rase, Julia Ragnarsson, Mats Blomgren, Lars Väringer
Description: A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown’s fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.
Review: With “Hereditary” director Ari Aster had a dream debut. The horror genre is a tough genre to rise in, since it lacks originality, but Aster manager to stand out. It also resulted in a fantastic leading performance by Toni Collette, that was totally ignored by the Academy, but that happens often with movies like this. Little more than a year later, Aster brings us “Midsommar” and it shows that his debut wasn’t just a lucky shot. Again a horror film that shows how great he is with visuals. And the first original part is that it’s a horror film in broad daylight. I can’t really explain fully what I just watched, but I am going to try. One thing is sure, it’s a good film that will haunt you for a while.
“Hereditary” was in basis a family drama that eventually turned in to a horror film. “Midsommar” presents itself as a relationship drama that undergoes a similar transformation. Dani and Christian are a young couple and their relationship is a bit lost. Christian has tried to end the relationship, but after Dani loses her parents and sister in a strange suicide pact, Christian decides to stick with her for a while longer. Since it would send Dani into a deeper depression. Christian thinks he can escape from all the misery when he plans a trip to Sweden with his friends. Eventually he asks Dani with him on the trip.
The Americans don’t take the typical eurotrip. One of Christian’s friends is Pelle, a Swedish exchange student, and they travel to his hometown. It’s not your standard village, but a commune that fully surrenders itself to pagan rituals during a 9-day mid-summer festival. It gives you an insight in the different culture, but you also know that this idyllic place has a dark side. Aster takes his time, it’s a so-called ‘slow burn’. There are hints along the way. Fortunately, during that descent into madness (which takes increasingly grotesque forms) the relationship drama is never lost. Even in the somewhat absurd finale, this remains the backbone of the film.
Despite this, “Midsommar is unmistakably a horror film, but in many ways Aster manages to avoid the conventions of the genre. Like the black friend in the company is not the comic relief this time, but and anthropology student with serious interest in the Swedish traditions. And, as I mentioned before, the fact that most of the film is set in broad daylight instead of during night time. And doing this and still manage to make this film creepy as it is and very disturbing, is a talent on its own.
“Hereditary” had all the film press applauding, but the big audience was a bit indifferent about it. And that will not be different for “Midsommar”. It’s dares to be different and doesn’t compare to any modern day horror films. No jump scares, no stereotypical characters or predictable storylines. Aster made some long shots, without cutting away and gives them time. As a viewer you feel discomfort settling in and it stars to feel a bit uneasy. “Midsommar” is not for everyone. but when you open up it, you can expect something you haven’t seen before.
Rating: 4 / 5
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