an alluring piece of cinema

Rating: 10/10 (25 September 2019)

Midsommar gets everything right! It's a horrific, stunning, alluring piece of cinema that easily draws you in with the pleasing aesthetics, amazing acting and hidden motives. Florence Pugh was the obvious stand out performance with Vilhelm Blomgren is a brilliant second.
You often find yourself rooting for kind, understanding and handsome Pelle who seems to know exactly what Dani needs and the two are able to connect in ways that she never could with her pigheaded, egotistical boyfriend, Christian. But, don't be fooled by the Swedish mans good looks and charms, it becomes quite apparent that Dani has been chosen by Pelle for a reason and everyone else is simply collateral damage, whether you think it's justified or not.
Whereas everyone else is welcomed to the Swedish commune with a standard "hello! Nice to have ya!", Dani is greeted with kisses on her cheeks and people proclaiming "welcome home!" a subtle hint that no one is in control except Pelle and the Hargas. This is only further confirmed by the constant lovebombing, affection and attention that is showered upon Dani as she's eagerly welcomed within the right-knit community while the boys are being led on, with a smile to their face and a terrifying looming death. Dani is eventually crowned MayDay Queen, the other girls having obviously thrown the competition either at the request of Pelle(?) or perhaps the Elders(?) or simply because they're eager to welcome a new 'sister' aka new-blood.
There nothing bad to say about the film, you get to watch these characters be lured into a false sense of peace and serenity, to the point where you're rooting for the Hargas and the downfall of the outsiders. It's only once the movies over that you realize how well the Hargas are at manipulation and how well the director was able to hide the obvious signs! I would recommend to any and everyone, it's a must see film! I can't wait to watch more and more!