I kicked off my A24 long weekend with Midsommar. Though I was late to the party, I was still excited as ever to see Ari Aster's sophomore feature film. Though it doesn't reach the heights that Hereditary reached, Midsommar is a great film.
Starting with my positives, God does this film look absolutely beautiful. This is the most colorful, bright horror film I've ever seen. The number of bright colors used throughout the film was jaw-droppingly beautiful. The numerous use of wide shots worked so well due to the large spacial setting in the woods. The design of the sets, whether it's the physical layout of the woods, the architecture of the buildings, or the interior of the said buildings looked wonderful. The yellow temple, in particular, might have been my favorite set piece.
There was also some extremely creative and simply great camera-work. There are some just beautiful uses of seamless scene transitions. Midsommar's camerawork might be my favorite of the year.
Midsommar's score is great, extremely unique. There's a wide range of different instruments being used. I really liked the use of flutes and other wind-based instruments. It sounded great and fit perfectly with the cult's behavior.
Florence Pugh was the obvious stand-out in Midsommar. She delivers an emotionally charged performance that carries parts of the film. The raw emotions that she shows in certain scenes, mainly any scenes in which she's crying, seemed extremely real. Her character was written extremely well too. She is presented as an extremely conflicted character that's dealing with a poor relationship. I'll get into that in greater detail later.
This film won't be for everyone. It's a slow film that will most likely make casual film viewers say "nothing happens". This film isn't a typical horror film. There isn't a knife/hatchet-wielding villain; there isn't a ghost that appears in mirrors to create jump-scares. This film is admittedly more horrifying/disturbing than creepy/scary. Once the horrifying imagery starts, it's effective. There are some great, horrifyingly realistic practical effects. This film doesn't hold back when it comes to gore.
Midsommar's primary theme is relationships, in particular, toxic relationships. Florence Pugh's character, Dani, and her boyfriend Jack Reynor's character, Christian, are in a relationship that's fading. Aster does an excellent job writing characters that aren't abusive people. These people, however, are still toxic to each other. They aren't bad people; they're simply flawed. It makes you feel for and sympathize with both characters.
As for my negatives, I'm not the biggest fan of the film's story in general. It seemed super underwhelming once the credits roll. I wouldn't say it's that bad; it's just less than I expected from Ari Aster. I feel as if this cult and its motives could have been used better.
Only two characters were bothersome for me. Will Pouter's Mark was one of these characters. His character is such a douche; it's a relief when he exits the film. Christian is also a character that was bothersome for me. He's really well-written, don't get me wrong. I just feel as if he was needlessly cold to Dani throughout the film.
In conclusion, Midsommar, while not as good as Hereditary, is another disturbingly good film. The cinematography, performances, and set design are absolutely beautiful. These great positives certainly outweighed my minor negatives with the story and characters.
8.5/10
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