REVIEW: Midsommar (2019)

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Directorial debuts, especially in the horror realm, tend to be the definition of hit or miss. The knockout entries in the former category (classics like George Romero’s, “Night of the Living Dead,” David Cronenberg’s “Eraserhead,” Tom Holland’s “Fright Night” and newer fare like Drew Goddard’s “The Cabin In The Woods,” and Jordan Peele’s “Get Out.”) Very few films have wielded the effect that Ari Aster’s 2018 powerhouse progeny, “Hereditary” is not simply a sterling example of “beginners luck” but a hallmark of the genre and cinematic perfection. A psychological horror powerhouse, a slow burn into a powder keg with the final act being a punch to the gut that dwelled for days on end, alternating between witnessing for such a prophetic film and quietly questioning the very nature of all things.

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On it’s one-year anniversary, Aster invites audiences to a spiritual sequel and yet altogether different experience in the Swedish mountains of merriment & madness with a festival celebrating “Midsommar.” It’s a simple and classic premise of a group of friends (Dani, Christian, Josh and Mark) who accept an offer from a native son (Pelle, played by Vilhelm Blomgren) in their circle to celebrate an event that happens once every 90 years in the community of Hårga. Mark (Will Poulter) is ready to party, Josh (William Jackson Harper) cannot wait to complete his anthropology thesis on the occasion while Christian (Jack Reynor) is conflicted; he wants respite from his strained relationship with girlfriend Dani (Florence Pugh) who is trying to escape far more trying times (which are revealed in one of the most heart wrenching and heavy openings ever set to celluloid; the anxiety and anguish is claustrophobic.) Once they arrive, increasingly bizarre and baffling events unravel, and the companions are soon filled with cosmic dread and childlike wonder in an experience best described as “Willy Wonka meets The Wicker Man.”

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Like his previous outing, Aster’s “Midsommar” waxes philosophical and primal on themes of tradition, sacrifice, rebirth, fertility and family. How these elements are enacted on screen would spoil the surprise but much like its explosive opening and landmark predecessor, “Midsommar” galivants from scenes of psychedelic merriment fueled by psilocybin and genuine communal warmth to ghastly rituals of purification and grisly methods of execution. Unlike the American guests, the viewer is much more easily unnerved by the increasingly unsettling behavior of “the family” but both brands of participants are lulled into a state of docility and easement by the practitioners; one can understand why everything is happening and find some peace in it while also being endlessly disgusted and defiant. However, it is the nature of inevitability, the lack of strength to ever really fight back, much less yield even a pyrrhic victory that enshrouds every moment. The shades of Lovecraftian horror that creeped into the underbelly of “Hereditary” are much brighter and widely seen in “Midsommar” sharing much of the spirit that cast “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.” Through the entire cast interaction but the characters of Christian and Jack especially, we are eager academics seeking to complete a dissertation on the origins and innerworkings of Hårga and it is both fascinating and frightening. The Westerners cannot fathom the logic of the community; they have ample opportunities to learn and understand but ultimately must accept the unmasking of the white/skyclad women and men here and the fate that must be embraced. It is monstrous and inhuman in many respects but also essential and natural. Hårga is far from civilization and instead of forests filled with howling winds and unseen forces, the midnight sun is high and alight, the darkness is respite instead of ravaging. Everyone is kind and generous, they freely offer food, drink and dancing; they have no shame, no self-interest and no one is ever alone. A sense of belonging permeates like “The Shining” (Aster thus far is showing signs that he may very well be the next Kubrick), “The Stepford Wives,” and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” but it comes with a terrible toll.

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Part of what differentiates “Midsommar” from “Hereditary” is not only the order and effect of events but the heavy doses of humor that offset and, in some spots, increase the uncomfortable moments, causing both bellyful and nervous laughter. This is especially true with Will Poulter’s performance, harkening back to fish out of water ways in “We’re the Millers.” Cultural gaffes, major misunderstandings and language barriers volley back and forth between outright hilarity; there’s also the relationship issues the cast that go from a near canned sitcom response to full on public fights that make one wince. With a 140-minute running time “Midsommar” is given ample space to allow for moments like these to breathe before suffocating audiences with vignettes of unbridled fear culminating in a denouement that is nowhere near as seat gripping & sweat dripping as its beginning but gives release and relief worthy of praise, sacrifice and celebration.

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Florence Pugh doesn’t quite deliver the turn that should have furnished the Academy Award to Toni Collette but she gives her all and it shows; she is broken but not beaten, isolated but at home, overwhelmed with anguish but awash with plentiful smiles. Her companions are all up to par in their roles but she is the centerpiece here, without doubt of reservation – this is her journey and that’s the way “Midsommar” should be viewed, especially in relation to “Hereditary;” the former is about finding the truth while the latter is uncovering the lies; they may sound alike but are not the same – one edifies, grants deliverance; the other is damnation defined. “Midsommar” is not superior to “Hereditary” because of opinion but due to it being the essence of a companion piece, a perfect parallel. Aster’s writing and direction combined with Pugh’s performance, the stunning setting captured by cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski and a gorgeous score from The Haxan Cloak that pulsates throughout make this the one festival (literally) film you don’t want to miss.

A24 has a triple crown rating with the successive perfection of “The Witch,” “It Comes At Night,” and “Hereditary” and they are ranking for a fourth win in the dark magic of “Midsommar,” including the top spot for the 2019 season. Let the festivities begin, indeed…

Midsommar

Directed by Ari Aster

https://a24films.com/films/midsommar

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