Several friends travel to Sweden to study as anthropologists a summer festival that is held every ninety years in the remote hometown of one of them. What begins as a dream vacation in a place wher...
Unsettling, mind-numbing and sometimes funny but understandably subjective in its use of terror and horror, Ari Aster shows his genius and craftsmanship with “Midsommar”, a film that delves into the unraveling of human suffering, trauma, agitation, isolation, grief, anxiety, depression, loss, despair, abandonment and still manages to depict it in the most unsettling yet frighteningly realistic position possible. Once again, Ari Aster’s personal demons and struggles help him pave the way to creating not so much a culturally enriching story as opposed to one where the setting, creepy imagery and the entitled folklore weaves deeply into said story to where once again, it feels way too real. The events in this film display the destruction of true innocence combating the lunacy and of human nature at its absolute worst.
Other factors outside of the themes work equaling as well with the dark comedy actually advancing the story as well as dialed up tension and suspense, creepy imagery and phenomenal performances with Florence Pugh being the standout to an outstanding degree. Reminded me a lot of Hereditary and even more of films like Annihilation, because to me, this is art. You ease your way forward, take a slow burn through the content and then the twist comes your way making you question everything you just saw. Once again though, Aster understands how subjective horror can be and doesn’t hold the audiences hand for them to make up their own minds.
This is how you make a horror movie, Hollywood. So take notes from Ari Aster cause he’s apparently no one trick pony.
