Analysis: Midsommar (2019)

Midsommar, a film directed by Ari Aster, who also directed Hereditary (2018), which raised the bar tremendously for horror movies, is a psychological thriller about Dani and her boyfriend Christian; who travel to Sweden to visit their friends rural tribe for their Midsommar ritual, occurring every 96 years. Slowly, what appears as a cultural experience is revealing itself as a violent and bizarre pagan cult.

Beginning with the things I love about this movie: it's raw, and it doesn't shy away from the plot. It does not censor the truth of what it is. Expect well done CG effects and immaculate emotional portrayal through imagery of flowers and plant life.

warning: this movie has somewhat of a slow start, and most of what happens, happens over an hour into the movie; but i believe its a necessary buildup to the extremities that do happen. its also important to note that if you're looking for historical accuracy, this is not the movie for you.

SPOILERS AHEAD

---

The way the May Queen scene was shot is probably my favorite part of this movie. So many things happening at one time but so effortlessly done. After Dani becomes may queen, the flowers are breathing with her, the leaves are interacting with her. This is both a result of a trip and a beautiful act of symbolism, showing that she is accepted as may queen.

Many of the acts of terror that you witness in this film do not have very much historical backing, and the Hårga people, while they are a real community, did not ever perform human sacrifice or anything of the sort. Some people may see this as a downfall, although I deem it necessary in order to create a brilliant work of cinematic art. (its important to note that some of the symbolism in this movie does have connections to viking folklore.)

"do you feel held by him? does he feel like home to you?" -Pelle

artistic notes: outsiders are easy to distinct from members due to their starkly different attire. throughout the movie Dani begins to blend in more and more with her new 'family.' this is also shown in the vocalizing in unison, while she is crying. while this is happening, christian remains in his original attire, making it clear that he will never belong.

while this is only a detail, its important to note the symbolization involved in the color yellow. widely known as the color of life and joy, Ari Aster flips that on its head. in this movie, the color yellow is seen in the bed sheets covering Dani's parents, the hose duct-taped to her sisters mouth, and of course, the sacrificial temple. more subtly, it is also the color of the cake Christian gives to Dani as a last minute birthday gift. the candle, also yellow, was unable to be lit. symbolizing Christians inability to rekindle their relationship.

other things i enjoy include the symbolization of 'rebirth' when Pelle draws Dani, due to the fact that he said he only draws people on their birthday; and Danis 'loss of control' when they cover her entirely with flowers.

"We view life as a circle, a recycle." -Siv

CHARACTER ANALYSIS: Dani

Throughout her time before going to sweden, she feels disconnected from everything and everyone. This is shown in the camerawork. Examples include her first call with christian, where the camera never cuts from her; showing that christian is ‘not fully there.’ when she arrives in sweden, though, everything changes. She now feels as if she has a family. Even if that family is making human sacrifices and having sex rituals. The grieving mind may seek comfort in the way the Hårga people all act as working parts in a larger purpose (eg. all moaning in pain when the elderly man dies, moaning in pleasure during the sex ritual.)

#FilmReview #midsommar #filmanalysis