In just two short years, Ari Aster has managed to drop two of the most intriguing, reel-me-in trailers I’ve ever seen.  Last year, the Hereditary trailer wowed me, and the film absolutely floored me (it was actually my top film of 2018).  Relatively early on in 2019, Aster released the trailer for Midsommar, and if Hereditary’s trailer wowed me, then I lack the adjectives for what the Midsommar trailer has done to me.  I’ve been anticipating this film for months, needless to say.

Dani (Florence Pugh) finds herself anxiety ridden one evening when she is unable to reach her parents or little sister after a disturbing e-mail she received from the sister.  Dani reaches out to her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor), who is spending an evening with his friends Josh (William Jackson Harper), Mark (Will Poulter) and Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren), all of whom are trying to snap Christian out of his funk due to his desire to end the relationship with Dani.  Much to the dismay of Dani, she receives the news that her sister not only committed suicide, but killed her parents in the process, leaving Dani alone and shattered, and forcing Christian to stay with her for support.  A year later, Dani learns of a trip to Pelle’s native Swedish village of Hårga for a ceremony that occurs once every 90 years that the group of guys plans to attend.  Christian unwillingly invites Dani, much to Mark and Josh’s dismay, and the entire group travels to Hårga.  Upon arrival, they are immediately given a psilocybin concoction and eventually led to the village, only to find that the ceremony contains rituals they were not prepared to witness or comprehend.  Trapped, the group begins to fracture, and all the while, the village of Hårga continues their ceremonies, resulting in irreparable changes to all involved. 

Ari Aster made it crystal clear with Hereditary that he isn’t afraid to approach trauma head on, but Midsommar adds in the element of dependency to examine relationship and family dynamics.  Most every relationship is initially presented as close, but revealed to be fueled by tension and distance via tools like text and phone conversations, separation via different rooms, group and one on one conversations framed through mirrors, and secrets abound.  Dani’s sister’s murder-suicide not only makes Dani an emotional island in a sea of connected groups, but it also serves as a dark seed for unwilling sacrifices that are recontextualized later in the film (in my opinion, anyway).  The visual and audio representations of Dani’s post-traumatic stress episodes perfectly represent how a deep trauma can mute out the rest of the world.      

This film is laden with symbolism and visual cues, but in a much different and more up-front way than Hereditary does... artwork on the walls throughout the film present runic alphabet formations and imagery of animals and rituals that we will witness as the film progresses, as if to educate (and mentally prepare) us for these events.  Rituals, spells, the art of casting, and much more about the realms of mysticism drive this film, with most everything that the group taking part in having a reference or history based in mystic manipulation.  The ceremonies, dances, communal experience of deep feelings, feasts and sacrifices play out like a deeply cultural theater.

The opening piece of art presented as the film begins not only informs us about what we are getting into, it’s curtain-like reveal of the film gives a theatrical feeling, one that is doubled-down on when Pelle describes his culture’s ceremonies ‘like theater’.  Aster also ramps up his use of disorienting camera moves while leading us into the main portion of the film, while continuing to use God-perspectives wonderfully to make the characters symbolic pawns in the crazy games.  The visuals presented during the trips are vivid without crossing the line into ridiculous, and they perfectly present the concept of the Earth as a breathing entity.  The humor in this film is much needed, and all of it is based in very real reactions, which actually allows us to let our guard down and dive deeper into the madness.  The score is powerfully present, and at times disorienting, as it is not always clear if it is diegetic or not until a band appears.

Florence Pugh delivers a powerhouse performance full of raw pain, post-traumatic stress and willing (but sometimes, unwilling) immersion into the unknown due to a disconnection from a support system.  Jack Reynor falls right into every earmark of the minimum effort significant other, making brief grand gestures separated by waning interest in the one you supposedly love, with anything that rings the loudest taking all focus.  William Jackson Harper presents a ‘curiosity killed the cat’ scenario personified, with his single-minded interest in his studies causing minimal alienation from his friend group prior to it putting him in true danger.  Vilhelm Blomgren lays out the groundwork and lures in the group towards his commune beautifully through his performance.  Will Poulter brings much needed levity to the film, but not at the expense of the running tension that propels the film forward.  As for those in the commune, Hampus Hallberg compliments Blomgren’s performance quite well in his role as brother, helping to lure the outsiders in.  Isabelle Grill comes through in her role as temptress to Reynor without overdoing it.  Ellora Torchia and Archie Madekwe represent us as viewers perfectly, bringing true human shock into the film while the others seemingly fall under the grand spell that is cast.  Rebecka Johnston, Anna Astrom, Liv Mijones and many more round out the large cast.