Visual masterpiece horror film

Rating: 7/10 (23 April 2020)

I found this film very interesting and very artistic.
I went in cold, not knowing anything except that it was a Swedish horror film. I was surprised that it is actually more "International" than properly Swedish. Although I am not an expert, I have the feeling that the religion portrayed in the film is entirely fictional, and serves as a device for the horror element rather than an exploration of pagan/Norse culture.
The film is brilliant visually. There is a mastery of shot composition and colors that make watching this film (almost) an enjoyable thing. There are a lot of very clever visual tricks that are used to reinforce and convey ideas of the plot that I liked very much. On the same note the costumes are genius because not only the characters stand out in any given scene; it also emphasizes the fact that they are foreign and that they are being watched at all times.
There are multiple great scenes when characters take drugs. The images start slowly, almost unnoticeably, to alter and change, and it gives you a sense of unease at first. And all of a sudden you realize that someone is full-on tripping and the images are completely out of whack. Flowers start moving, the colors change. That was well-done, it parallels the effect of drugs in real life and it was stylistically cool, with flowers/nature coming to life being also thematically linked to the story.
There is nothing much to say negatively about this movie. My only regret is that the movie is straight-up horror. There is no intent to hide it or to put you in a false sense of security. I wished the movie took more time to set up the religious or cultural aspects of the commune. The commune comes across a bit too cartoonish and the foreshadowing is very thick in my opinion. The film is not as subtle narratively as it is visually. I can easily imagine why in Sweden they took it as dark comedy instead of horror because the movie is (too?) open about it. You instantly understand the nefariousness and the evil of the commune; there is little/no mystery.
It also reflects on the characters. The actors and situations are great; the characters not so much. The characters are not very likable or really fleshed out sufficiently for me to emphasize with them. The third act of the movie pits the two main characters against each other? It did not make a lot of sense to me. The main couple did not work for me, they kind of hate each other and are selfish in their own way. They are not "good" people therefore they almost deserve each other. The stakes of the couple being together or falling apart were not strong enough. But it becomes the wedge of the movie, more than the death of the parents which would have been a bit more interesting.
In other words the emotional core of the movie did not touch me as much as it wanted to.
But it hardly matters. The strength of the movie is the visuals. And in that regard it is exceptional.