A Powerful and Bizarre Ride

Rating: 7/10 (14 January 2020)

After the powerhouse that was Hereditary, I was eager to see how writer-director, Ari Aster, would follow up his amazing debut. Midsommar is an ambitious second film that carries over some of what worked with his initial film while having a different feel overall.
Like Hereditary, this film is carried by a wonderful lead actress who goes through an entire cavalcade of emotion. Florence Pugh was an actress I was unaware of, but following this film I am definitely going to keep my eye out for her. She was jaw-dropping. She conveyed grief and sadness so vigorously it almost became hard to watch.
One thing that was interesting about this film is that unlike Hereditary, which was unpredictable the entire way through, in this film the outcome is fairly apparent. It is a horror movie about a bunch of people visiting a strange place; you kinda know what is going to happen to them. But what kept my interest, aside from the great presentation, is how Aster presents his characters.
They are believable. Especially the boyfriend character. They aren't over-the-top; they are real people. And that makes what happens to them all the more heartbreaking. Aster really likes to put his characters through the ringer emotionally. There are moments in this film where his characters are so emotionally-devastated part of you just wants to reach into the screen and put your hand on their shoulder.
The presentation of the film is notable as well. What stuck out to me is the amazing cinematography, score, and lighting. Having a horror movie set during the day is a unique decision and it benefited the film greatly. There are so many breathtaking shots in this film that it almost becomes more mesmerizing than scary. Midsommar lures you in slowly and looks innocent at first, much like the cult of this film.
If I had any complaints it would be about the last 20 minutes or so. As mentioned previously, the plot is somewhat predictable, and that is fine for a movie like this because if anything, this just increases the dread the audience feels for the characters. The problem I had with the last little chunk of the film is that the two remaining characters left were both rendered mute. This was a good way to get the audience to focus on the creepy visuals, but with completely silent protagonists it becomes kind of hard to relate to what is happening on screen.
The characters are written so well that when they no longer speak I feel left in the dark. And since the plot is kind of predictable, the ending feels a little too slow for me. I think Aster could have achieved the same feeling in the end if the pacing was a bit quicker. This is another complaint I have: the movie may be a little too long for its own good. Hereditary had such a breakneck pace that this may be jarring to some.
Still, what makes this film compelling is its characters and the journey they go on. Aster is a king at mixing relationship drama with disturbing ideas and images. His films really stick with you more than most horror films because of this, and I am very eager to see what messed up thing he cooks up next.
Midsommar is a unique experience and very much worth watching. Although it is a bit uneven in some places, like pacing and the occasional cheesy moment, it is so crazy and strange that it can become impossible to look away.