Genre defying or just lost and unclassiffiable?

Rating: 6/10 (3 July 2019)

In spoiler free short summary, a woman grieving for the loss of her entire family accompanies her boyfriend and his anthropology studies group to Sweden, invited by a member of the group, to partake in his village's solstice ritual. They first witness, then become unwilling participants in, some DEEPLY disturbing rituals. Oh...and there's a bear. Sadly there's not much more to it than that. People will try to explain the film as metaphors of grief, relationships and entitlement etc. but if that was what the story intended, the metaphors were too deeply buried in the subtext for me to process them during my viewing. I will spend some time trying to figure out how a film so well acted, so beautifully filmed and so atmospheric failed to deliver a fulfilling experience.
Being a fan of Hereditary, I was looking forward to this for some time. I saw it in a packed theater on a Tuesday night opening, and I assume it was packed on the strength of Hereditary, which I consider the best horror film of the last 10 years. Midsommar is daring and ambitious but unfortunately this film did not deliver the same satisfaction and I could spend hours/days trying to analyze why.
This is definitely not a film for the masses, although the grotesque scenes alone may garner enough word of mouth to draw in the curious. It may even become obligatory viewing for anyone who enjoys cult movies. Some scenes were so hard to process that the audience I was with often laughed innapropriatly to clear the air. There were other times that scenes of horror were presented so comically I could not help but chuckle under my breath. I find it hard to believe that is what the director intended. Despite my disappointment, Ari Astor has such complete control of his films, I cannot wait for the next one. The studio,A24, was bold to back this film and I hope they continue to put their faith in Mr. Astor.
I would definitely not allow anyone under 16 to see it.
6 out of 10