I was expecting more

Rating: 5/10 (26 September 2019)

I had really high hopes for this movie. Maybe this was caused by the raving reviews it received or maybe because I was expecting something different.
I'll start from what I liked and continue with what I didn't.
The cast was really superb, Florence Pugh in particular plays the main character Dani with an incredible intensity. I also really appreciated Vilhelm Blomgren in the part of the Swedish Pelle which from the start of the movie showed an ambiguous behaviour toward the protagonist.
I also really liked the setting, cinematography and music. The fact that the majority of the scenes set in Sweden creates something really different from similar plotted movies (for example The Wicker Man and the recent Apostle). It also makes a huge contrast between the first part of the movie which is set in the US and consists of a lot of scenes shot at night or indoor with little illumination. Also a lot of scenes are shot from quite a distance, a technique which adds realism and creates a strong juxtaposition with the close-ups of the actors.
Another good point was the decision to not insert subtitles for the dialogues in Swedish, which creates confusion in the viewer.
What I didn't like are some of the supporting characters. Starting from Mark, he showed very little empathy for Dani, knowing well her personal story. I doubt that someone would be so insensitive in the real life. More generally the characters, with the exception for Dani, don't show such a strong response to what happens in the village. After thinking about that I can state that's probably caused by the drugs that they are constantly obliged to swallow. But is still a bit upsetting that after witnessing people jumping from a cliff and die Christian (Dani's boyfriend) not only doesn't want to leave but is more eager to stay and write his thesis about the traditions of the village. Also Josh, one of the students visiting, is highly fascinated about the strange tradition of the suicide. Maybe I don't get it since I'm not an anthropologist, who knows.
But the real problem for me is the plot. It is not particularly bad or "filled" with holes, simply is not so surprising. The direction in which it is going is pretty clear from the beginning and is also hinted by some dialogues and other small details (like the figures painted inside the houses or the explanation given on how the can continue to keep a certain number of inhabitants ). Even if it is admirable inserting self references in movies when they are not subtle and hint major plot's point they became a mere exercise and can ruin the twists that would happen later.
In conclusion the movie has a great setting, a great cast and a stylish direction but lacks in plot and doesn't present many surprises.