“Midsommar” sounds like IKEA to many of us. And no lie, this is what the film from horror wonder Ari Aster, who also gave us the great ‘Hereditary’, looks like: like something out of an IKEA catalog full of cheerfully smiling people celebrating a big summer party in traditional Swedish costumes.
Some of them just smile contentedly at first, but Aster consistently perseveres with another special feature and delivers a bomb surprise in the often already quite tired horror genre: most of his “Midsommar” takes place in bright daylightIt is almost always light everywhere, after all it is midsummer, it does not get really dark. So no teenagers in dark woods, no orgies of carnage at midnight.
The best horror film of at least 2019
Does that make ‘Midsommar’ less scary? Absolutely not! Actually, the horror is heightened by the fact that everything seems so cheerful and bright, radiant and inviting, but it is precisely in this setting that one of the most exciting, mysterious and crazy horror stories of recent years takes place: For me, ‘Midsommar’ is hands down the best horror film of 2019, maybe even of the decade.
One scene in particular at the beginning, not yet set in sun-drenched Sweden, completely pulled the rug out from under me at the cinema – but before I get to that (with a spoiler warning!), here’s a quick sketch of the plot for anyone to whom “Midsommar” means nothing. And if that’s the case, you need to change that ASAP!
This is possible, for example, with the Amazon Prime Video streaming subscription – but only until December 11, 2023! After that, ‘Midsommar’ will be removed from the subscription, but can of course be streamed as a VoD at any time for a fee. Or you can get the horror highlight on Blu-ray or DVD – for example indoors 23 minute longer Director’s Cut*.
The plot: Anthropology PhD candidate Christian (Jack Reynor) and his girlfriend Dani (great: Florence Pugh) have not been happy for a while, but a trip to Sweden together should help and, above all, change Dani’s mind, who has been inconsolable since a family tragedy. Another plus from the trip: Christian hopes to finally find a suitable topic for his dissertation by visiting a very special Midsommar ritual in a friend’s home village, which only takes place once every 90 years.
Once there, the festivities begin with the shroom throwing. But the bizarre trip that the couple and their friends Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren), Josh (William Jackson Harper) and Mark (Will Poulter) then experience is nothing compared to the – no longer purely psychedelic – horror they find themselves in. in the coming days…
So beautiful and yet so terrible
I don’t really want to give too much away, because… ‘Midsommar’ thrives on surprise – not through classic horror elements like jump scares, of which there are only a manageable number, but through the mysterious, disturbing and sometimes completely surreal situationsin which Dani and Christian gradually find themselves.
I wasn’t the only one who found myself laughing at times in the cinema – and not just because of the dry humor that appears again and again in the film. But rather out of sheer disbelief at the damned absurdity happening right before my eyes.
‘Midsommar’ combines a psychological trip with cult horror and is beautifully photographed gives the audience one punch after another in the stomach in an increasingly faster rhythm, as the Midsommar festivities reach their peak. And the blow is rarely one of pure disgust or shock, but rather of an emotional nature, which is usually even meaner.
Especially in the aforementioned scene at the beginning of the film, which is now at least partially revealed for the particularly curious – Warning, minor spoiler: Dani has been trying to reach her mentally unstable sister for some time, from whom she recently received some very worrying news. She also cannot get to her parents, where Dani’s sister lives, on the phone. After a long radio silence, Dani’s mobile phone rings and the viewer can already guess what is coming: bad news.
But the way Ari Aster directed the scene that shows the audience what Dani just finds out about her family over the phone (which, again, we don’t hear – we just see it, and that’s bad enough) is absolutely masterful, isn’t it? ? According to reviews, author Christoph Petersen called it “almost perversely effective”. But the real thing here is: check it out for yourself!
Author: Anne Marie Havran
Source : Film Starts
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
