Midsommar keeps getting better with each viewing.
Midsommar is a strange but special film to me. Director Ari Aster blew up the independent horror film scene with Hereditary; a film that, upon release, EVERYONE was talking about. Hereditary was divisive, with some thinking it was a masterpiece, and others thinking it was unintentionally funny/awful. I’m on the side that thought it was a masterpiece. It gave me an emotion that I never wanted to feel ever again, and I was disturbed for the rest of the day. Needless to say, I was looking forward to whatever Ari Aster had coming up next. Then, he graced us with Midsommar, an even more divisive, yet undeniably gorgeous and uneasy film. Like Hereditary, it is a masterpiece. Not quite the masterpiece that Hereditary was, but a masterpiece nonetheless.
What I love the most about Midsommar is that Ari Aster doesn’t just copy the horror style that Hereditary had. For starters, this movie is much slower paced. However, the slow pace of the film successfully creates the tension within. It’s meant to make you feel like there’s no way out of the terror. You think this is where the film would end, but it just keeps going, and I thought Aster handled that beautifully. The other difference this film offers us from Hereditary is its sense of humor.
For example, Mark (Will Pourter) is very clearly meant to be the comic relief. His character has a sole purpose: to have a good time with the boys on vacation, in a “bad time” environment. I think Aster added a lot of humor that some may think is unintentional, but I would instead argue is very intentional. I don’t want to get into spoilers, but it’s too ridiculous to BE unintentional.
Other than that, Aster continues to prove that he is a GREAT up-and-coming director. He directs this film so well, as he makes you feel uneasy in broad daylight virtually anything. Aster also uses a lack of editing and long shots to make you feel like you’re in some sort of deranged nightmare. For example, the music is very waltz-y but it feels like something out of Hell itself. The music ranges from disturbingly fast to peacefully slow. It makes you feel uneasy every single time you hear it. Likewise, every color stands out as the brightest thing you ever seen. It’s unrealistically bright. But what’s most nightmare-ish of all is that it’s made to be as realistic as possible. For example, whenever a character is tripping on drugs, it’s the most accurate portrayal of a bad trip you’ll see in a movie. Whenever a character has a panic attack or a trigger in their mental health, it’s disturbingly accurate to a point where it’s anxiety inducing.
In terms of portrayals, this is the Florence Pugh show, and she is a force in this movie. Her character, Dani, is someone who deals with severe mental trauma…but as the film goes on, you see that her character is much smarter and more self-aware than you think. Florence Pugh is convincing all the way through, even down to when she has to bawl her eyes out, and it’s disturbing to even listen to it because it feels so authentic. She performs the most accurate portrayals of panic attacks and of bipolar disorder I’ve ever seen. It’s amazing to imagine how much she must’ve done to pull it all off. For the most part, the movie is a lot more woke than you may think, with the portrayal of mental health being as disturbingly accurate as it is. Ari Aster held nothing back and it’s more than effective.
Overall, Midsommar is one of 2019's best films, and it’s a film that gets significantly better the more I think about it. It’s a slow descent into insanity, and Aster takes advantage of everything he has whenever he makes movies. I can’t wait to see what he does next.
