'Midsommar' A Review

Midsommar is a horror film about a group of college kids who unwittingly visit a Swedish cult. Writer/director Ari Aster follows up 2018's Hereditary with this equally ambitious if equally unsatisfying story. Dani(Florence Pugh) is a volatile young woman(per a hamfisted family tragedy) and travels with her gaslighting cowardly boyfriend Christian(Jack Reynor) on a trip that he and his dude friends(who are all categorically immature and undeveloped not to mention talk about writing their "thesis" but act like teens) have planned. They arrive in the perpetual summer commune in rural Sweden, and, gasp things are not what they seem. Presumably cults don't exist in whatever version of reality this is set or this group of collegiate hopefuls are inconceivably naive.

Pugh and Reynor and all the cast really are all fine, the acting isn't the problem, its the words they say and the way they deliver them that is. Almost categorically the cast don't act like real people, there is no sense of reality, the various interpersonal issues or eruptions of emotions are so immature and transparent it is hard to accept any adult would actually do these things. Dani's multiple scenes of over the top grief bring to mind centuries old rending of hair and gnashing of teeth rather than actual real human emotion as recognized today. There's also the groups unquestioning acceptance of what is clearly a murderous cult. Suspension of disbelief is one thing but buying that these 20-30 year olds would blandly go off the grid into a isolated community where everyone wears costumes is virtually impossible to swallow. If the core relationship between Dani and Christian was at all interesting or compelling or actually real in any way the believability of the situation might not be a question but their relationship, one of the focal points of the film, is tired and obvious and fake. The two of them and Christian's friends are so sparsely drawn and irritating there is no investment or care associated with the gruesome deaths we all know are coming from the beginning which the film takes two hours plus at a sleepily sedate pace to get to. And because the characters aren't interesting you have time to question the situation they've put themselves in which reflects the same problem, then you question what this cult even is because it seems a mish-mash of christian, heathen, wicca, and astrological ideas without any actual coherence so the whole house of cards falls down. No aspect really makes sense.

As with Hereditary the cinematography, score, and set design(particularly) are impeccable and inspired however Aster has an odd amalgam of tone with characters that act so far outside the realm of reality there is no actual interest in the bizarre incidents occurring. Not to mention using mental illness and suicide as a borderline offensive plot device to start things off.

As a piece of art to look at it's pretty impressive, as a narrative film its a pretty disappointing failure and a long one at that.

Don't See It.