Another Hauntingly Disturbing Film From Ari Aster

Rating: 8/10 (5 October 2019)

I believe Aster's competence as a filmmaker showed once again with this film. The motivations for the protagonists seem real and allows them to explore their new environment in a way that seems meaningful. I also really enjoyed the pacing of the film. It builds tension nicely throughout, leaving the viewer suspicious of the tribe more and more as events unfold. There are only a few points in which that tension truly explodes, but they all have merit and I felt were appropriate for the progression of the story. All the actors did a fine job in their roles, and I really should commend the cinematography, as it did great work in capturing the beautiful scenery and building a mood; especially in those climactic moments, the cinematography focuses on images which stay with you throughout the film. I cannot help but compare this movie to "Hereditary," and for that comparison I can only say I like the former more personally. I believe "Hereditary" has a better establishment of tone and hauntingness, but after all it is a psychological horror movie; "Midsommar does not fit in line so much with that categorization. Ultimately I believe my expectation that "Midsommar" would be more like "Hereditary" dampened my perception of it after it was over. With that said, do not expect "Midsommar" to be a horror movie, because it is not. "Midsommar" is by no means a perfect movie, but it is a great one worth seeing for the reasons I provided.