There's a lot to unpack in Ari Aster's Midsommar, but let me start with its central metaphor. Florence Pugh's character loses her family in the prologue, and in visiting a Swedish friend's commune, is embraced in a way her own "support group" cannot approach. The pagan festival, extreme though it is, offers catharsis, unconditional empathy, apparently magical understanding, and a shedding of a "false family" that is proving toxic to her. In the ashes of the past, she will be reborn. Flowers blooming is a major motif. It's a long film, but it was so absorbing, it didn't feel like it. The boys who begrudgingly drag Pugh on this trip are all anthropology students, so it's perhaps natural that so much of it unfolds as a kind of documentary on this specific cult's rituals and traditions. My friend Isabel wondered if the character types were meant to mirror tourist attitudes - one an "ugly American" who pisses on what's sacred, another seeing cultures as something to be studied rather than experienced, a third traveling so he can bed girls from different countries - and I like that. It leaves Pugh as the traveler who is changed by her experience, not a "tourist". The film is beautiful to look at too, and in the way it presented mysticism reminded me of Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain - the colors, the angles, the symmetry. Disturbing more than it is scary, Midsommar is also plenty funny, and not just in a nervous laughter kind of way. The village's odd practices create a pleasant fish out of water scenario for both the characters and the audience, even after there's been some gory violence (there's not a lot of it, but a couple people did walk out when it started, so it's gruesome). This is the second Florence Pugh movie to come out this year, and I have to end by saying I'm quite taken with her. Would seek out more of her performances based on the last two.
I felt this was more of a psychological horror film, which I prefer, than the shock gore of Hereditary. It plays on feelings of abandonment and isolation among people you are supposed to feel the most safe with. The cinematography was great. Good movie.
It would be unfortunate to live in a world with no diversity of tastes and opinions. On the other hand, I am disappointed to see the erosion of storytelling standards and audience expectations of those standards, to say nothing of originality and artistic vision. Certainly the original Wicker Man is the immediate urtext for this film, modified with a slightly different narrative paradigm, "the heroine's journey." In terms of high concept, one could also see this as "The Wicker Man meets The Rocky Horror Picture Show," that is, with a couple stumbling into a totally unfamiliar environment that eventually corrupts them both. And one could find many other comparisons using secret society premises to explore the frailties of monogamy, as in Eyes Wide Shut (or the 1969 Austrian Traumnovelle TV film) or even as far back as Eye of the Devil (1966). The "American couple stumbling into a European human-sacrificing cult" paradigm goes back even further to 1934's The Black Cat. And if you consider the cultural moment of that film, you may see this recent entry as yet another glaring case of American xenophobia played out, this time, as "Swedexploitation." But, ultimately, none of these things should matter at all in denouncing this film. The only thing that really brings it down are its artificial characters behaving artificially, regardless of any "killer cult" context. Perhaps, if all the central characters could have been seen to consume the cult's mind-altering concoctions even before they arrived to Sweden, then all their contrived and unnatural interactions would have become perfectly plausible.
I had some expectations when they talked about going to Sweden and Hälsingland. How dissapointed I was when I realised they were not even close to Sweden, nor Hälsingland. The environment was all wrong!
Then there is a legend about Hårga, but they had made their own kind of version, nothin close to the real one. Embarassing!
This spoiled the whole movie for me. If they had skipped the part about Sweden and Hårga I could go with it.
This film takes some elements of Hereditary, ways of storytelling and themes, but the development is better.
Now, I can say that I don't quite like Ari Aster's style, I think this film is genuinely good, but I cannot say that I loved it (and I'd have liked to do so).
Finally I've to say I don't think it is a horror film, or at least it wasn't scary for me, for example,
when they jumped of the cliff.
I thought it was pretty well done, but it was predictable.
When Pelle said the people of 72 died, I instantly assumed that it would be a sacrifice.
Because I already knew it, the shock was short and even though I knew what was going to happen, it still is for me the "scariest" moment of the film.
Although I think it isn't scary, it is pretty enjoyable and worth watching over all.
Finally got to see this one, and I was surprised at how much I liked it! There were some great moments, and I liked the visual style.
My only issue, which I am sure was also intentional, was how little personality the swedish characters had, they seemed more like ants in a colony, without personal thoughts. It is an understandable move, but I would have liked it better if I had been invited into their way of thinking, or even to siding with them. Instead they become caricatures who act funny.
I've been thinking for a while, trying to pinpoint what is it that made me dislike this film (despite its creative visuals, interesting idea and good central performance) and not see what so many commenters around the internet seem to see (i.e. Dani's arc), and I think I've found it: it's all the drugs.
If the drugs weren't there, this would actually be a film about the choices and actions of its protagonists: Dani
finds a new sense of meaning and family out of her grief and away from an emotionally distant boyfriend
, Christian
is condemned by his infidelity and selfishness
, the cult would be an extreme but weirdly warm and welcoming alternative to the loneliness and hedonism of the main characters' American way of life, etc.
Instead, since the characters are constantly given mind-alterning drugs and even "love spells", they end up being nothing but powerless puppets getting thrown about by forces way beyond their control or knowledge,and the cult feels like a group of expert manipulators and predators whose facade of warmth and kindness gets faker and faker with every passing minute (the "group cry" scene being the most egregious example:
I know it's supposed to mean that here in the cult Dani's grief is mirrored and shared by the extended family around her, but considering how she was made to drink mind-altering drugs and how the very cause of her grief had been engineered by the cult itself without even her boyfriend's consent, it cannot but feel like yet another act of abuse and manipulation!
)
The go-to film to compare Midsommar to is The Wicker Man, and for good reason, but in The Wicker Man it is the protagonist's actions and colonial arrogance (predictable though they may have been for Christopher Lee's character) that led him in deeper and deeper trouble, and by this fact alone Midsommar comes out of the comparison as the vastly inferior film.
But then again, take away the drugs, the psychedelic visuals they provide, and the exploration of the characters' relationship are the only things setting this film apart from The Wicker Man, so without them it'd just be a re-tread of the same story with two leads instead of one.
Unfortunately, though, this aspect alone makes it so that so many of the themes and qualities that are highlighted by many reviewers and commenters are simply... not there at all.
That final smile isn't that of a woman who's found happiness and support in a newfound family: it's the smile of a woman having been manipulated and brainwashed out of her very soul.
Add your comment
Comments 1 - 15 of 26
Cynicus Rex
Great movie about anthropologists; I wonder if their thesis got published.satisfythecrave
and people claim white people don’t have CULTURE...Siskoid
There's a lot to unpack in Ari Aster's Midsommar, but let me start with its central metaphor. Florence Pugh's character loses her family in the prologue, and in visiting a Swedish friend's commune, is embraced in a way her own "support group" cannot approach. The pagan festival, extreme though it is, offers catharsis, unconditional empathy, apparently magical understanding, and a shedding of a "false family" that is proving toxic to her. In the ashes of the past, she will be reborn. Flowers blooming is a major motif. It's a long film, but it was so absorbing, it didn't feel like it. The boys who begrudgingly drag Pugh on this trip are all anthropology students, so it's perhaps natural that so much of it unfolds as a kind of documentary on this specific cult's rituals and traditions. My friend Isabel wondered if the character types were meant to mirror tourist attitudes - one an "ugly American" who pisses on what's sacred, another seeing cultures as something to be studied rather than experienced, a third traveling so he can bed girls from different countries - and I like that. It leaves Pugh as the traveler who is changed by her experience, not a "tourist". The film is beautiful to look at too, and in the way it presented mysticism reminded me of Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain - the colors, the angles, the symmetry. Disturbing more than it is scary, Midsommar is also plenty funny, and not just in a nervous laughter kind of way. The village's odd practices create a pleasant fish out of water scenario for both the characters and the audience, even after there's been some gory violence (there's not a lot of it, but a couple people did walk out when it started, so it's gruesome). This is the second Florence Pugh movie to come out this year, and I have to end by saying I'm quite taken with her. Would seek out more of her performances based on the last two.Jazzy
I felt this was more of a psychological horror film, which I prefer, than the shock gore of Hereditary. It plays on feelings of abandonment and isolation among people you are supposed to feel the most safe with. The cinematography was great. Good movie.badge
I saw this on TV 30 years ago when it got to the point an hour faster and was called 'The Wicker Man'.dmelbye
It would be unfortunate to live in a world with no diversity of tastes and opinions. On the other hand, I am disappointed to see the erosion of storytelling standards and audience expectations of those standards, to say nothing of originality and artistic vision. Certainly the original Wicker Man is the immediate urtext for this film, modified with a slightly different narrative paradigm, "the heroine's journey." In terms of high concept, one could also see this as "The Wicker Man meets The Rocky Horror Picture Show," that is, with a couple stumbling into a totally unfamiliar environment that eventually corrupts them both. And one could find many other comparisons using secret society premises to explore the frailties of monogamy, as in Eyes Wide Shut (or the 1969 Austrian Traumnovelle TV film) or even as far back as Eye of the Devil (1966). The "American couple stumbling into a European human-sacrificing cult" paradigm goes back even further to 1934's The Black Cat. And if you consider the cultural moment of that film, you may see this recent entry as yet another glaring case of American xenophobia played out, this time, as "Swedexploitation." But, ultimately, none of these things should matter at all in denouncing this film. The only thing that really brings it down are its artificial characters behaving artificially, regardless of any "killer cult" context. Perhaps, if all the central characters could have been seen to consume the cult's mind-altering concoctions even before they arrived to Sweden, then all their contrived and unnatural interactions would have become perfectly plausible.tyrion68
I liked this one much better than Hereditary.Olander
I had some expectations when they talked about going to Sweden and Hälsingland. How dissapointed I was when I realised they were not even close to Sweden, nor Hälsingland. The environment was all wrong!Then there is a legend about Hårga, but they had made their own kind of version, nothin close to the real one. Embarassing!
This spoiled the whole movie for me. If they had skipped the part about Sweden and Hårga I could go with it.
Shidan
This film takes some elements of Hereditary, ways of storytelling and themes, but the development is better.Now, I can say that I don't quite like Ari Aster's style, I think this film is genuinely good, but I cannot say that I loved it (and I'd have liked to do so).
Finally I've to say I don't think it is a horror film, or at least it wasn't scary for me, for example,
Although I think it isn't scary, it is pretty enjoyable and worth watching over all.
Carota
I really liked the first actSukkermaur
Finally got to see this one, and I was surprised at how much I liked it! There were some great moments, and I liked the visual style.My only issue, which I am sure was also intentional, was how little personality the swedish characters had, they seemed more like ants in a colony, without personal thoughts. It is an understandable move, but I would have liked it better if I had been invited into their way of thinking, or even to siding with them. Instead they become caricatures who act funny.
sillysausage
Shit's weird yo.nowhereman136
From the poster, i thought there would be more crying Leonardo DiCaprioMordredMS
I've been thinking for a while, trying to pinpoint what is it that made me dislike this film (despite its creative visuals, interesting idea and good central performance) and not see what so many commenters around the internet seem to see (i.e. Dani's arc), and I think I've found it: it's all the drugs.If the drugs weren't there, this would actually be a film about the choices and actions of its protagonists: Dani
Instead, since the characters are constantly given mind-alterning drugs and even "love spells", they end up being nothing but powerless puppets getting thrown about by forces way beyond their control or knowledge,and the cult feels like a group of expert manipulators and predators whose facade of warmth and kindness gets faker and faker with every passing minute (the "group cry" scene being the most egregious example:
The go-to film to compare Midsommar to is The Wicker Man, and for good reason, but in The Wicker Man it is the protagonist's actions and colonial arrogance (predictable though they may have been for Christopher Lee's character) that led him in deeper and deeper trouble, and by this fact alone Midsommar comes out of the comparison as the vastly inferior film.
But then again, take away the drugs, the psychedelic visuals they provide, and the exploration of the characters' relationship are the only things setting this film apart from The Wicker Man, so without them it'd just be a re-tread of the same story with two leads instead of one.
Unfortunately, though, this aspect alone makes it so that so many of the themes and qualities that are highlighted by many reviewers and commenters are simply... not there at all.
Shijo88
Projection is strong in this one.Showing items 1 – 15 of 26