Pretty, summer, no fun

Rating: 4/10 (9 July 2019)

Whoo-ahh! There sure is an awful lot to unpack here, and I mean awful, a lot. Ari Aster is continuing to provide evidence that he is the unholy offspring of Eli Roth and Lars von Trier, but only if they were brothers, because incest can produce people who are "open" to oracular visions.
Is Midsommar a dark comedy about emotionally abusive relationships and how awful dudes can be when they get together on vacation? It's neither dark nor funny enough for that qualification, and about an hour longer than would necessary to develop such credentials. Beyond that, the movie vacillates between gore-shock, pretty visuals, and far-fetched rituals which literally, and figuratively, beat the dead to death like Gallagher smashing watermelons on a beautiful summer day.
I suppose Midsommar might trip your trigger some if you, for example, had never been on the Internet and had never clicked on stuff you wish you hadn't. Or maybe you would find it refreshing if you had never seen the original Wicker Man with Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward. The ultimate parallel could be Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, depicting visitors as they explore a wondrous, yet perilous, new world.
There has to be a better way to break up than Midsommar suggests, but there are also an awful lot of movies to watch instead.