Beautiful and bizarre

Rating: 8/10 (25 September 2019)

Ari Aster, director and writer of critically acclaimed Hereditary, has constructed another gorgeous piece of psychedelic horror, centered once more by weighted and captivating drama.
The script is smart and sufficient, one that not only creates realistic drama but makes sense of each character and moving them along in a natural way. Exposition is carefully delivered through the story and not the other way around - it's just a very well written script.
Aside from being a brilliant writer he knows how to make a movie. He manages to keep us hooked and unceratin while doing something very different with the genre. Most of the movie is shot in daylight yet it still manages to be uneasy and mysterious. Midsommar could easily have been something ridiculous that felt like a joke, but Ari keeps the movie on track with a strong vision, the balancing act here is impressive. The actors do a fine job as well, as it wouldn't have worked without them and the director being in sync.
Technically the movie is splendid, the cinematography and lighting is fantastic. The framing is really nice, especially the centerpiece pictures. There's subtle and interesting psychedelic effects happening at times. The set and art design is interesting and nicely woven into the sublime camerawork.
All of the costumes are accurate to something you'd wear during a Swedish Midsommar, especially for traditionalists. The native Swedish spoken in the movie is accurate and so is the geographical distances delivered during dialogue, a nice detail that adds authenticity.
The prosthetic work and violence is just like in Hereditary - blunt and unapologetic. It's not over the top and busy, it just is. And that's the most uncomfortable type of violence there is, perfectly suited for a film like this.