Written by: Tori Grooms
This is the second Ari Aster film I’ve watched, and part of me wonders why I opted to watch Midsommar in the first place. Hereditary left me mentally disturbed by repulsive imagery, and I spent the last twenty minutes of the film watching with my eyes closed. Maybe that’s the reason I had the strength to sit through another one of his films. Hereditary contained several terrifying visuals and graphic depictions of death, which holds true for Midsommar. The film features Dani, a woman grieving over her sister’s death, and her emotionally distant boyfriend, Christian, who travel with Christian’s friends to attend a midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village. The film features the vibrant natural beauty of the Swedish countryside as well as the disturbing customs of the Hårga locals.
However, this more recent film does not include traditional jump scares or pace itself with the same “urgency” as a traditional horror film. There are no supernatural figures hunting the main cast, but there are similarly intense visuals, such as a character’s organs being configured in the shape of an eagle and a cult member wearing another character’s skinned face. I would argue that the film would be better classified as a thriller rather than part of the horror genre.
So, what were my thoughts on the film?
Well, firstly, the casting lineup is STACKED. One of the most noteworthy mentions is obviously Florence Pugh, who plays the leading character, Dani. I was also thrilled to see lots of other recognizable actors: Will Poulter from Maze Runner, William Jackson Harper from The Good Place, and Archie Madekwe from…definitely not Saltburn.
Aside from its casting, the film is structurally very well done, and it really feeds into its cultural themes of rural Swedish paganism and village folklore. One of my favorite aspects of Ari Aster’s films is his frequent inclusion of Easter eggs that allow them to be rewatched multiple times to catch all the hidden details.
Here are some of the most intriguing from this movie:
- While everyone else is drinking yellow juice at the dinner table, Christian’s drink is tinted slightly red. This is because his drink contains Maja’s menstrual blood. This follows a tradition of “partner selection” that was alluded to through the village’s tapestries.
- While Dani is being carried to the dinner table after the May Queen dance, you can see her deceased sister’s face in the trees, as well as the exhaust tube held to her mouth.
- The large bear painting above Dani’s bed at the beginning of the film depicts a blonde girl wearing a crown nuzzling a bear. The painting, titled Stackars lilla Basse!, was by a Swedish painter inspired by Swedish folklore, and this illustration shown at the beginning of the movie ironically depicts the film’s end. “Stackars lilla basse!” even means “poor little bear!”
I like movies that contain symbolism and complex characters that require breaking down, and Midsommar is exactly that. This eerie film depicts white purity culture, enactments of rituals, and the process by which a person succumbs to a cult. The film’s dedication to its setting — the vibrant Swedish countryside masking the horrors of a dark religious sect — as well as its strong depiction of hallucinogenic drug effects, are especially notable. When characters consume psychedelic mushrooms and the Hårga’s “mushroom tea” the scenes capture trees and the surrounding environment swaying and moving unnaturally. Flowers and objects pulsate and almost appear alive, adding a disorienting and unsettling tone. I recommend giving the film a watch…if you can stomach some of the more intense scenes. While there aren’t jump scares, the graphic depictions of killing and death caused me to blink really slowly at certain points in the film. (Hint: If you see two people standing at the edge of a cliff, take some time to observe the craftsmanship of your ceiling.)
Featured Image Caption: Stackars lilla Basse!
