A24's Midsommar Film Review - Ari Aster Directs Florence Pugh Through The Circle Of Grief To Trippy Rebirth With Jazz Hands

Rating: 10/10 (14 July 2019)

With A24 and Ari Aster as director, Midsommar was always going to be filled with gore and horror after his first film Hereditary. And the 140 minutes runtime sped by with another unsettling story..
After a family tragedy Florence Pugh's grieving Dani is grudgingly invited by boyfriend Christian to join him and his friends at a pagan Midsommar festival in Sweden. Jack Reynor was going to dump clingy Dani but how can he do that now? To the disappointment of his college grad friends. One of them Pelle, played by Vilhelm Blomgren, invited the group to his commune's festival and it only happens once every 90 years so it's a special event. He's thrilled Dani is coming along. He among them understands her grief as he also lost his parents. I'm sure there's a story there...we'll figure it out.
And when they get to the commune the scenery is stunning, with blue skies, wild flowers and friendly locals in folky white embroidered clothes. How can horror be hiding in the midnight sun? With some choice hallucinogenic drugs to ease you into the vibe. The bear was a surprise, but Dani's room had naive style paintings including a bear and a child, so it all fitted into the pagan setting so remotely separated from society.
Will Poulter's Mark eased the tension with his comic lust for the comely Swedish maidens in their frocks, and the commune members do seem very easy loving. While one of the anthropologist's, William Jackson Harper's Josh, is writing his thesis on pagan rituals, so his mind is blown with the thought of the nine day festival. Pelle's brother Ingmar played by Hampus Hallberg also brought guests from London to take part. Archie Madekwe's Simon and Ellora Torchia's Connie are as excited as our Americans to be there.
The Hårga community believe in a circle of life, from birth to 72, when you then fall off a cliff. I was reminded of Logan's Run, but here age is just a time to begin the renewal of life. But shocking to those outside the commune. Simon and Connie are like us, and abruptly leave the next day. Without saying goodbye.
But Josh explores deeper into the rituals for his thesis, while Dani joins in and helps bake pies with the women. And Mark is finally going to get some Swedish loving, although he's off his face. And when Christian is bizarrely told he has been chosen to be the lover of one of the girls, he is served one of the pies, and discovers the young girl's secret ingredient. You want to avoid the food and drink at this festival.
But the accommodation is stunning, with a beautifully folky decorated communal building for each of the four stages of the Hårga to live in. That will sell it to the tourists. Our friends are all to live in the 'youth' hostel.
Meanwhile Dani is becoming enchanted with the commune, and when she's made the May Queen she even starts speaking Swedish like some fairy magic is at work. And she's taken off to bless the fertile earth as Christian discovers that sex is a spectator sport here. And it all takes place with the scenery shimmering in the background like bad photoshop. But here it's just a very bad trip, and Christian is going to live to regret it when Dani gets back from her day's blessings.
Initially with the buzz of the movie I was expecting a Wicker Man, and some of the filming hinted at a chosen maid, a secret building and a massive unveil. But nothing quite prepares you for the truth as Ari gathers his players for the finale, with stuffed puppet skins, still live action, excited jazz hands, and maybe a touch of John Updike's Hotel New Hampshire. Nastassja Kinski was the one in the bear suit then. This time though not so much fun.
The performances all round were spellbinding, Florence Pugh howling with pain and anguish is exceptional, while gore is mostly kept well off screen, but we get to see the after effects such as when Simon is beautifully dressed in flowers. And Dani is sensationally clothed in a meadow cape of flowers as May Queen. The glorious costumes are by Andrea Flesch who also did the costumes for Colette. Worth the price of admission for them alone if you like fashion.
But it's Ari's horror story that will stay with you. The realisation that it was all as it was meant to be. And horror and dread can indeed live in the most beautiful of places. I thought the ending was much better than Hereditary. And way more shocking. Not a scare by jump horror, and not for everyone, but you'll know if it's your type of festival.