★★★★★
A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown's fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.
Classification: 18
A visually striking masterpiece exploring grief, belief, and the slow death of a stagnant relationship, Midsommar firmly distinguishes director Ari Aster as one of the most fascinating filmmakers working today. Anchored by stunning performances led by Florence Pugh, Aster has every creative front of the film deliver above and beyond as cinematography, production design, music and sound design create an immersive cinematic experience. Long transforming one takes envelop the audience into the seductive environment of the midsommar festival and the predominant use of bright lighting keeps its dark secrets hidden in plain sight as you begin to unravel the mysteries of the film.
Cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski creates this immense sense of scale to the story, having the characters appear so tiny against the vast fields and settlements of the cult in direct contrast to the framing portraying the "real world". At first, Midsommar may come across as a liberating experience for Pugh's character Dani but slowly it becomes clear that all of our American visitors have been left exposed for corruption. The cinematography also allows for the visual storytelling through production design to really resonate with the audience as murals, tapestries and items in the backdrop give further clues and context to the machinations of the cult. Midsommar is utterly gorgeous because of the dual efforts of Pogorzelski and production designer Henrik Svensson, creating a hypnotic vista that the audience can lose themselves in. Even in the most visually shocking sequences of violence and horror, there is a serene beauty to everything put to the screen, not a single frame is wasted as at times you wish the film never reached the end of its runtime.
Pacing wise Midsommar can feel long but not from lack of intrigue or lifeless story beats but because Aster has so many of these beautiful sequences to tell its enriching story take their time. There is no rush to the end for this story, revelations will come and mysteries will be solved but Aster and editor Lucian Johnston use timing and pacing to effectively lull the characters and audience into a trance that allows for the bizarre and macabre to strike at the most opportune moments. Aster uses horror subtlety, there is no monster or great evil to be defeated, no jump scare around every corner but the lurking dread from the shifting landscapes, the growing tension between Pugh and Jack Reynor's character relationship and the sense that beneath the veneer of the midsommar festival lies a dark secret. Horror, drama and even comedy are balanced perfectly to keep the audience thoroughly engaged in the proceedings, there can be moments of confusion from the ambiguity but the thematic relevance of the story never loses sight as human connection, empathy and grief remain at the forefront at every new development.
The auditory experience of Midsommar is at another level, creating a whole new world for the audience's immersion. The score from The Haxan Cloak combined with the sound design allows for Midsommar's most striking moments to transcend, from pagan ritual music, cultural greetings to faded echoed screams in the distance. Its the luminous cordiality of the cult named the Hårga that makes so much of Midsommar disturbing; bright colours, warm greetings, dancing and laughter juxtaposed with bloody rituals, rigid protocol and machiavellian intentions for the main characters. The Hårga is not conventional evil, it could be argued that it's not evil at all, just an ancient order following its own laws and the fate of Dani and co. is beyond their control. There is so much to interpret and analyse with Midsommar as Aster's attention to detail in every element creates a real sense of authenticity to the environment and culture of the Hårga. Visual clues from the production design forming into plot points later in the film make for great moments of discovery and realisation for the attentive audience as more and more about the Hårga is revealed.
The immense visual and auditory foundation Ari Aster creates for his actors allows for unbelievable performances of great emotion and subtlety from the main cast to the wonderful extras portraying the Hårga cult. Florence Pugh as Dani is a force to be reckoned with as the pure grief and suffering the character experiences through the plot creates harrowing moments of cinema. Her performance is not left to any interpretation as Aster and Pogorzelski don't let the camera leave her in these moments as intimate close-ups and staggering wides show how isolated Dani is in her suffering. Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper and Will Poulter all create engaging performances from the archetypes with Reynor's character decaying relationship with Dani being one of the main focal storylines. Poulter provides minor dramatic conflict and comic relief, with his ignorance of the Hårga's customs creating a growing dread to what the repercussions could be. Jackson's performance while subtle is fascinating as his academic interest in the midsommar festival allows for organic exposition and plot development to occur beyond stereotypical expectations.
Midsommar examinations of suffering, grief, empathy and connection make its post mortem of Pugh's Dani and Reynor's Chrisitan's relationship fascinating. Dani and Christian are distant, drawn apart for Christian's own lack of self-identity and Dani's anxieties and anguish and while they feel the festival may bring them together, it further exacerbates their issues and begins to rip them apart. Aster's script and direction wisely has this relationship and the relationship between the friendship group be the basis for dramatic conflict allowing for the Hårga latch on to their internal issues and manipulate them. Midsommar is not about Americans being tormented by an evil cult but how we ourselves torment each other through jealously, self-doubt, and selfishness. The suffering of these characters come from so much more than Hårga customs but from the despair, each character has within themselves.
It's a masterpiece through and through that, you really wish never ended as Ari Aster utilises the cinematic language to incredible feats. Pugh delivers an unbelievably emotional performance supported by striking cinematography, mesmerising production design and a razor-sharp script that doesn't waste a moment in crafting its fascinating tale. Midsommar is a film that has so much happening both on and off-screen as dramatic developments and its corresponding thematic relevance will have audiences scrutinising and debating every moment before going to go see it again. Vastly unique and unashamed in its extraordinary presentation Midsommar isn't for everybody but it is so enrapturing that perhaps even the most sceptic of viewers will be drawn in by its beauty.
Director: #AriAster
Cast: #FlorencePugh, #JackReynor, #WilliamJacksonHarper, #VilhelmBlomgren, #ArchieMadekwe, #ElloraTorchia, #WillPoulter
Release Date: July 3rd 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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