Midsommar

Midsommar

Starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter

Directed by Ari Aster

The Story:
Dani (Florence Pugh) suffers from depression and concern as she deals with a bipolar sister who's left some cryptic messages for her.  Her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) doesn't seem interested - because he wants to break up with her due to her insufferable clingy nature, but after a family tragedy occurs, he chooses to stay with Dani to help her through her grief.  This includes inviting her to Sweden with his friends Josh (William Jackson Harper), Mark (Will Pulter), and Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) to attend a midsummer celebration hosted by Pelle's commune.  Upon arriving, they partake in some drugs, and suffer bad trips - especially Dani.

Upon arriving at the commune, they meet another young couple invited by Pelle's brother, and at first it seems that the celebrations are innocent and fun.  The midnight sun turns night to day, and everyone is dressed in beautiful white linens and partake in singing and dancing.  Then things begin to go south, and the fou friends are tested in their relationships as they try to decide whether to leave or not - or even if they'd be allowed to.

The Synopsis:
Ari Aster is emerging as the next big thing in horror films, thanks in large part to his debut film "Hereditary" that came out in 2018.  The film was an unflinching look at a trapped family, as they deal with an outside evil force as well as the inner demons within them, and gave Toni Collette one of her finest performances ever - as well as leaving indelible images in my mind that I've never been able to shake, even though I've only seen the film once.  That's the trademark of a phenomenal horror film, and his follow-up "Midsommar" makes "Hereditary" look like a mere warmup to the big opening night show.

The film is simply an unnerving look at a pagan cult's practices, and Aster pulls out all the stops to make it as memorable - and downright disgusting - as "Hereditary," and he fully succeeds.  Much like there's several scenes in "Hereditary" that I can't get out of my mind, there's now several more scenes from "Midsommar" that has also found a home in my mind - which again proves Aster is more than a one-trick pony.

The film follows four friends who are invited by another friend to his original Swedish homeland to attend a festival that takes place once every ninety years.  What begins as innocent fun and flirtations soon spirals to sheer terror and unrelenting horror, shot in such a unique and passioned way you feel claustrophobic as you watch it, even though the film is shot almost entirely outdoors.  We witness this society's warped way of celebrations, but it's much more than just shock for the sake of shock value, but rather Aster tells a deeper story woven into the tapestry, a story that many people can relate to.

Much like Toni Collette gave a tour-de-force performance, Florence Pugh carries on the mantle of female empowerment as Dani, a young woman who's endured one of the most terrifying events any person could ever face in the film's shocking first moments before the opening credits roll.  Those moments themselves were immediately seared into my memory, but they were nothing compared to the horrors that were to follow.  Dani relies on her emotionally distant boyfriend Christian now more than ever, and clings to him for dear life.  Pugh (who also dominated the screen in "Fighting With My Family") is the standout star here, as she showcases every type of emotion you could think of - fear, despair, loneliness, confusion, abandonment, joy, peace, contentment - and you ride the roller coaster of emotions with her.

Jack Reynor plays Dani's boyfriend Christian, and does a stellar job at playing the douchebag boyfriend who remains emotionally distant from his girlfriend because he's been wanting to break up with her for awhile, but never gets the chutzpah to do it.  He half-heartedly invites Dani to the trip (after keeping it from her), forgets her birthday, never holds her hand, and always stays a few steps to the side of her.  Even though the film serves as a gory, terrorizing tale, the heart of the matter is surprisingly a romantic drama that's much more dangerous than any song Taylor Swift could write.

While "Hereditary" is shot almost entirely in the confines of a darkened house, "Midsommar" flips the script and provides absolutely no darkness to its dark tale, but rather reveals all the horror and gore as brightly as ever, during the midnight sun of Sweden (meaning the sun never sets, even at night).  The entire locale is misleading, as the commune exists far from any civilization, surrounded by beautiful mountains and lush green grass, which looks like a utopia on earth - but of course it's anything but.  Production designer Henrik Svensson and art director Nille Svensson provide the most unique setting with carefully elaborated buildings with intricate artwork that also serves as foreshadowing of future events in the film, and makes for a completely unnerving experience.

The music is oddly beautiful and eerily captivating, moving from sublime peace to sheer insanity, and the use of practical sound effects really show off the terror occurring - even something as simple as forks and knives being picked up and set down.  The cinematography is off the charts, as we get a birds' eye view of a long dinner table with the commune all partaking in dinners in a waving line that's so surreal and stunning.  The random noises made by characters also add to the tension, and Florence Pugh gives some spine-chilling screams and wails throughout on her own.

The film's daylight setting allows us to fully see the darkness unfolding, and Aster's camerawork is a slice of pure genius.  He keeps the camera going when other directors would cut to allow the imagination to run wild, which often works, but here what we see is even more disconcerting.  The camera also lingers during strange times, as we expect something wild to happen, but sometimes nothing does, which adds to the savage beauty of the tale being told.

Even though the film offers several shocking moments, none are more potent than the final moments, which is such an odd diatribe of macabre and meaning, offering an odd balance of humor, horror, and moments that you can't look away no matter how much your brain is screaming at you to do so.  Audiences have been clamoring for unique visions, and Aster gives us just that - it just so happens it's so unique that we'll never forget it, no matter how hard we try.

The Summary:
Offering a fresh, unique, and absolutely insane tale of your worst nightmares come to life, "Midsommar" makes use of all its talents to give us a once-in-a-lifetime tale that heightens it to the greatness of other horror greats like "The Shining" and "The Wicker Man."

The Score: A+