Midsommar

Ari Aster is quickly establishing himself as a new and exciting new voice in the horror genre. After last year's Hereditary proved to be genuinely unnerving, I was anxious to see his follow up film, Midsommar. With an unexpected depth of character and a slow burn pace, matched with some genuinely impressive production design and cinematography makes this a memorable scary film. 

Dani (played by Florence Pugh) has been having a difficult time with her boyfriend Christian (played by Jack Reynor). She worries she leans on him too much with her family problems, especially with her bi-polar sister. In fact, Christian had been thinking of breaking up with her, but when she experiences a devastating family tragedy, he can't bring himself to do it. To help her move on, he invites her to join him and his friends on a trip to an isolated commune in Sweden to take part in a Midsommar festival that happens once every 90 years. Christian and Josh (played by William Jackson Harper) are Anthropology students and Josh is traveling there to study their customs with their friend Mark (played by Will Poulter) tagging along to take part as well. They were invited by their friend Pelle (played by Vilhelm Blomgren), who grew up there and wanted to invite them as it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Upon their arrival, they find a rather serene and isolated community in a valley surrounded by woods. It's sunny, warm and inviting as the residents all welcome their guests with open arms. They are surprised at some of the customs of the community, such as the open use of hallucinogens or that all the adults of a certain age sleep together (in separate beds) in one large barn building. Pelle shows them around the commune and all the different areas, including a curious yellow A-Frame building in the distance, but Pelle warns no one is allowed to go there. It's only when the quaint colloquial customs begin to turn sinister that they realize the danger their in. 

Ari Aster wrote and directed this entry into the folk horror genre. For those unfamiliar with the term, folk horror is a very specific sub-genre of horror, focusing on groups of people that follow unique, old-world beliefs and customs. These groups are usually isolated from the modern world, but the main plot usually focuses on a person or group of people from the modern world encountering and spending time with them only to in time discover their darker and more horrifying practices, usually when it's too late. It's a genre that really rose to prominence in the 60's and 70's, especially in Britain (with The Wicker Man being a prime example, and no I'm not talking about the Nicholas Cage one). It's also a genre that is starting to make a bit of a comeback. With this film, Aster manages to craft his tale in a very smart way though. He crafts a community that, while may have some odd customs, seems on the surface to be such a serene and peaceful place you can't blame the characters for letting their guard down. The area has wildflowers all over the place, is almost always bathed in bright sunlight, and all the residents are very warm and welcoming to them. That has always signaled safety in terms of horror tropes. Therefore, once the film makes it's turn and the darker customs begin, it makes the ensuing violence all the more shocking. Even I was grimacing and looking away. I have to give credit to the production design and the cinematography of the film for creating spaces that at once can seem innocent and then incredibly sinister at different turns. 

The acting in the film is top notch, led by Florence Pugh as Dani. Her character is really put through the ringer emotionally throughout the film and she has a great arc of trying to find healing from the trauma she experiences at the beginning of the film. Much like how Hereditary used the horror genre to explore the impact tragedy can have on a family, Midsommar looks how it can impact a relationship. Jack Reynor gives an equally complex performance as Christian, who is a guy who is trying to do the right thing. He was ready to break up with Dani, but stuck with her when tragedy struck as I imagine any person would. Reynor does a good job of showing his character's conflict. He's in a relationship with a girl he no longer loves, but is afraid to leave her because he doesn't want to cause more harm than Dani is already dealing with. It's certainly something I could sympathize with to a certain degree. Although, things begin to change for his character when one of the local girls shows an interest and Christian's inner conflict grows, which Reynor portrays wonderfully even as his character becomes decidedly less sympathetic as the film goes on. As a fan of the show The Good Place, I was excited to see William Jackson Harper as part of the cast as Josh. He has a good supporting role here, even if his character mainly is the one to talk to the elders of the community and reveal how it all functions to the audience. But, even in that context he does have solid arc of his own, especially when some conflict occurs between him and Christian in regards to the dissertation he plans to write on the community. Will Poulter does what he can with the role of the resident horn dog Mark. It's the only role in the film of the main cast that felt rather underwritten. Still Poulter manages to make the character reasonably likable and relatable. I rather enjoyed Velhelm Blomgren as Pelle, the guy who brings our main characters to the commune. He exudes such a genuine warmth and care towards the characters, especially towards Dani. It adds an interesting extra layer to the film where a lesser film might make him seem more sinister. 

More than anything, it's the emotional depth and strength of characterization that makes Ari Aster's films more impactful to me than the average horror film. He creates three dimensional characters and puts them in relatable situations and then adds a horror twist to it. He also doesn't go for cheap scares, preferring the slow burn approach to build tension and dread, making for a far more memorable scary movie experience. Still, I feel that much like his previous film Hereditary audiences mileage with this one will vary. It is a slow burn film that spends as much time, if not more, on crafting it's characters as it does on crafting memorable and disturbing scares. For me, it made it all the more worthwhile.