Fear the Long Day of Midsommer
What are you really afraid of? Heights? Spiders? The monster under your bed? What about a romantic relationship doomed to fail…
Midsommar (2019) is second film from Ari Aster after his monumental debut Hereditary (2018), and once again delves into the complexities of the ever-evolving horror genre. And whereas Hereditary was much more mysterious and constantly playing our expectations, Midsommar establishes itself as a fantastical fairy tale in the very first shot.
However, Aster continues his trend of keeping a foot cemented into the real world with the story’s setup, as our leading characters, Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) are forced into devolving situations due to an unstable romantic relationship. Aster’s writing combined with immaculate performances from both Pugh and Reynor sets up a relationship that is not abusive, but rather destructive for both parties.
After Dani suffers a tragedy, Christian forces himself to stay with Dani rather than breaking up and causing more trauma. This leads Dani to guilt Christian into bringing her on a trip to Northern Sweden with Christian’s classmates as he struggles to find a topic for his thesis.
As soon as our cast leaves the populated world, things immediately begin to change. Drug use, and bizarre, uncanny rituals fuel the roller coaster ride. Although it takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes for any horror elements to appear, not a single minute is wasted, as Aster’s direction gives us a constant flow of character development and mystery, all combined with some of the best visuals you may see this year.
Midsommar is simply gorgeous. The abandonment of a darker aesthetic prevalent in Hereditary in favor of a brighter setting gives Aster and cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski the chance to utilize distinct colors, costuming, and environmental storytelling to an extent unheard of. This is one of the most beautiful horror movies ever made without a doubt, and the cinematography and set design will go down in history as one of the best period.
Aster doesn’t pull punches. He gores you and displays your entrails to a crowd. As soon as the festival begins, we get a multitude of rituals that you will want to unsee. Aster rejects major horror tropes, and even some of his own in favor of a more “to disturb” school of horror rather than “to scare”. There is not a single jumpscare to be found, instead lending audiences front-row seating to the brutality.
These bizarre happenings continue to poison the relationship between Dani and Christian, and conflicting feelings continue to develop. Dani is haunted by her trauma which in turn negatively affects everyone around her, while Christian struggles both in an academic light as well as with isolation, as he is studying for a PhD in anthropology, which is a brutally isolating process, and even draws battlelines between his friends.
Across the board, the acting is fantastic. Pugh shows off some of her best work yet, and may be a frontrunner in the Oscar race, and Jack Reynor isn’t too far behind. The remainder of the main cast, consisting of William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren, and Will Poulter all give genuine, varied portrayals of a wide array of characters. Overall the acting blows every other horror film out of the water.
Bobby Krlic headed the music this time around. And it would be quite the task to follow the masterful work of saxophonist Colin Stetson on Hereditary’s soundtrack. Krlic, however, greatly surpasses expectations. His unique blend of cultic vocals, violent strings, and traditional Nordic music blend to create a score that is truly special.
Midsommar is bound to be a decisive film due to its disturbing content and unconventional storytelling. But arguments aside, it is one hell of a breakup movie.
Midsommar (2019) ★★★★½
