The kind of horror that gives your mind a workout

Rating: 7/10 (1 February 2020)

On the heels of the deeply disturbing 'Hereditary,' Ari Aster returns with the equally unsettling Nordic nightmare that is 2019's 'Midsommar.'
Graphic. Gruesome. Trippy. Twisted. All adjectives that can be used to describe this film. The events that unfold throughout can be interpreted in many different ways, but at the center of everything is a fractured relationship between the two young American twentysomethings - Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor). Unfortunately, the fragile bond that ties them together is not much of a match for the centuries-old barbaric rituals that take place during their summer adventure in a remote village in northern Sweden.
Seeing how the relationship between Dani and Christian weathers the storm during their stay on this compound is something that doesn't really register until after the credits roll. 'Midsommar' messes with your mind and makes you question how things got to the way they end up. How much of the storyline is impacted by outside factors, and how much of it originates from within? This is a question that is up for much debate.
But among the drug-fueled highs and the depressing lows of 'Midsommar' is the frighteningly beautiful fantasyland in which the film is set. The natural wonder of the Swedish (or Utahan) landscape sets an incredibly stark contrast from the horrors carried out by those who inhabit the area, and the incredible cinematography warps things even further. Maybe it's the midnight sun, maybe it's the use of color. Perhaps it's the use of sound (or lack thereof). Whatever it is, it reaches out and grabs you, and doesn't let go.
Before you are finally able to move on from the final 15 minutes of 'Midsommar,' you wonder why you just sat through it. But the more you think about it, the more you recognize the metaphors and themes woven into the script, the use of foreshadowing and visual cues. The film is heavy, yes, but in a weird way it's like abstract art. Some love it, many hate it, and others are still trying to figure it out.