Midsommar (2019) Review

"Tomorrow's a big day."
-Pelle



After experience a tragedy in her family, Dani (Florence Pugh) is invited on a trip to Sweden by her emotionally distant boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor), and his friends.  They visit the home of their friend, Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren), a commune that is having a nine-day festival.  Though Pelle's community is welcoming, there is something sinister in their motives and it might already be too late for Dani and the others to leave.



What Works:

Like in his previous film, Hereditary, director Ari Aster manages to cultivate a complete sense of dread throughout the entirety of the film.  From the get go, you know something terrible is going to happen and this movie is not going to end well.  It's impressive that the dread, fear, and anxiety remain present throughout the entire run-time.  

The cinematography is truly spectacular.  Midsommar is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen and if it doesn't get nominated for Best Cinematography, it'll be crime.   

This is a 2 and a half hour movie, but it doesn't feel like it.  The film flies by with a totally engrossing and horrifying story.  It never lets you go until the credits roll and even afterwards it will still stay with you.

The gore is absolutely insane and utterly brutal.  It will be too much for some people to handle.  This movie is not for the weak of stomach, that's for sure.  Some of those images will haunt me, but it was worth it.

The acting is really spectacular all around.  The characters are not likable in the slightest, which I will get to, but that's no fault of the actors.  Pugh and Reynor portray one of the most accurate relationships of obligation and codependency that I have even seen and Will Poulter plays an a-hole friend who is blunt and brash.  All three of them are perfect in their roles giving our two main leads an interesting, if toxic, dynamic and some much needed comic relief from Poulter.

I found the resolution to Hereditary disappointing, but that isn't the case here.  I loved the 3rd act of this movie.  It made sense and allowed the dread I felt the entire movie to pay off nicely.  It's an effective ending that I can't stop thinking about.


What Sucks:

As I mentioned, the main characters are incredibly unlikable and there is no one to root for.  That by itself is fine, but there is also a moment in the film where the characters should be getting the hell out of the commune, but they don't.  It's a stupid and frustrating decision and is the only moment in the film that doesn't click with me.  I can handle unlikable characters, but stupid characters is much tougher for me to swallow.


Verdict:

Aside from one frustrating moment and no one to root for, I loved Midsommar.  It's absolutely an improvement over Hereditary.  The directing, cinematography, and acting are all fantastic, the gore is insane, and the sense of dread is nearly overwhelming.  It's a haunting film you won't soon forget and it has definitely got it going on.

 9/10: Great  


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