A delicious nightmare that leaves you wanting more

Rating: 10/10 (11 July 2019)

A review of Midsommar - I intentionally watched this movie without seeing a trailer.
To say the least, I thought the film was extremely unique. I appreciate the symbolism and artistic licensing being used at every angle. I believe that thrillers in general are a tricky genre to deliver well and authentically - and folk horror is no different. That being said, I could understand some foreshadowing being done and didn't know if it was supposed to be that blatantly obvious for suspense reasons or if I just prepared myself to watch the combination of my imagination and foreshadowed expectations. Nonetheless, it didn't take away from the shock factor that was provided - very frequently. Allow me to elaborate that the R rating was well deserved.
Visually, the film was done very well. I really liked how terrifyingly beautiful it was - from the scenery to the realism of said shocking events. Their art department should win several awards; as a Coroner, everything looks believable.
I can somewhat compare it to M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" meeting Jordan Peele's "Get Out". The movie truly was an experience; it was like a delicious nightmare - you want to wake up but you also are enjoying the ride and somewhat amazed that the human mind could imagine such an abstract narrative. I also enjoyed the little snippets of humor that made me feel comfortable, awaiting the rug to be pulled out from under me. I am very patient when it comes to "building" in a movie, so the length of the film was personally fine for me.
I thought the acting was great; I loved the cringe worthy moments between characters, their relationships, and the relatable aspects of human nature. I enjoyed the trauma of the unnatural aspects of human nature in this film - it poignantly reminded me how impactful tradition, society, and in general learned behavior/desensitization is. Loved the looping effects and symbolism from start to finish. It was a refreshing way to spend 2 hrs and 27 mins although I was a tad antsy towards the end.
To me, a "good" movie hits me in three categories: it affects my body in some way (gotta love the psychology behind that), it makes my mind race between trying to experience/question/predict it at the same time, and it leaves me wanting more/wanting to discuss it. I can say this movie did all of the above for me.
Yes it was bizarre, shocking, and most of the time uncomfortable, but I appreciated it for what it was ...and like most memorable nightmares, a one time viewing is definitely sufficient.