Midsommar (2019) Review

Title: Midsommar 
Year: 2019
Director: Ari Aster
Country: US
Language: English 

In 2018 Ari Aster made waves among the horror community with his impressive debut feature Hereditary. A critical success, it won the hearts of critics and moviegoers alike. In addition, it was a box office success earning $80 million. Impressive, considering the film's budget was only $10 million. With Midsommar (2019) Aster sought to not only repeat his achievement, but surpass it. 

Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) are a young American couple with a relationship on the brink of falling apart. One Summer she goes with his friends to a midsummer festival in a remote village in Sweden. Their carefree holiday slowly becomes incredibly disturbing as time passes. 

Most "horror" movies take place in the shadows and in tight spaces, whereas Midsommar is unique because it is full of colour, most scenes take place in the bright daylight and we are treated to open fields as far as the eye can see. The score consists of chantlike singing, accompanied by gentle violins and animal skin drums. Much of Midsommar's quality is that it subverts expectations by having the visual motif of something out of Sound of Music. 

The terror comes from the fear of pre-Christian practices, as our characters witness customs that are quite foreign and they are unsure of what comes next. One could point to Wicker Man as a source of inspiration, but that film was not as complex in its character study. The crumbling relationship between Dani and Christian only add to the isolated and distressful feeling of the film, the inevitable "break-up" ensures for a memorable climax. 

Midsommar is quite an impressive film that has reinvigorated my interest in horror. Aster, along with Jordan Peele (Get Out), seem to have rebuilt the genre to once again be more phychological than pure gore. Once again a critical and commercial success, I look forward to Asters' films in the future.