LogFAQs > #965352643

3. Midsommar (140 points)

Why I Chose It: Ari Aster's Hereditary was no doubt a hard film to follow-up, but his effortless Midsommar captured a whole different vibe - supernatural psycho-drama traded for sunny folk romantic-tragedy. While arguably less accessible than Hereditary, Midsommar nonetheless proved profitable, sparking a whole new generational obsession with folk horror films of the past that Midsommar was inspired by, and was one of the breakthrough films of actress Florence Pugh, who now stars in the MCU as Yelena Belova.

fortybelowsummer: 1
jcgamer107: 1
Snake: 1
Johnbobb: 3
Lightning Strikes: 6
Tom Nook: 6
Suprak: 7
Plasmabeam: 8
PrinceKaro: 11
rockus: 11
thesmark: 11
FFDragon: 12
BetrayedTangy: 16
Inviso: 22
red13n: 24

Fortybelowsummer - This one just smacks you in the face right off the bat with a powerfully emotional scene that sets you on edge. Then its one slow-burn-turns-into-a-jaw-dropping moment after another. Most scary movies rely, naturally, on the unknown of darkness, but Midsommar manages to be absolutely, uniquely terrifying in broad daylight. In many ways what happens to these characters is the worst thing you can imagine. If you walk into that idyllic Swedish enclave, it aint gonna be a good time for you. Florence Pughs performance is the best one out of all of them on the list. OK, I know I said that about Dafoe so they can be co-best actors. Both amazing. Midsommar comes in at the top of my list, number one amongst a group of great movies.

Jcgamer107 - Quite possibly the greatest movie I have ever seen. Not only is Ari Aster a visual genius, hes one when it comes to human behavior as well. There are so many little moments that perfectly capture the banality or stupidity of modern relationships, the movies actually funnier than most people give it credit for. The whole thing plays out like a dark millennial fairy tale, or the origins of a new religion, with the cults actions serving as the manifestation of Danis will, as Ari puts it.

Of course we get the general idea of what will happen when a group of Americans goes to visit a commune in Europe - whats interesting here is the very raw and realistic way we see Dani and Christians relationship fall apart, and the various metaphors within the cult which reflect this (e.g. during Attestupan the woman goes head-first and gets it over with, the man drags things out).

The opening left my jaw on the floor, and me wondering what could possibly be in-store next. I cant say enough about the ending: bombastic, operatic, biblical - just staggering in emotional impact and a total spectacle. Its the biggest possible exclamation point you could use to cap off an already brutal and turbulent journey. The section of score playing there is one of the most beautiful pieces of music Ive ever heard. Really the entire soundtrack is 10/10, and reflects the nature of the story: It is horrible and it is beautiful.

Snake - This isnt just one of the best horror movies of the decade, its one of the best horror movies Ive ever seen period. No hyperbole here. Aster had some solid ideas in Hereditary, but here in his folk horror magnum opus Midsommar, he really comes into his own in all aspects of horror and really just filmmaking in general. Folk horror has always been one of my favorite sub-genres, from Haxan, to The Wicker Man, to Kill List, and I think its because theyre so excellent at portraying this believable supernaturality through the mundane. Aster has a clear reverence for the genre himself, because he understands this perfectly. Though his transformation of the supernatural haunted house genre in Hereditary to something a little more artful didnt always gel well with me, in Midsommar - its a flawless idea. Were all familiar with the American horror tourist film - these loud-mouth, rambunctious, uncultured outsiders from the States get their just desserts after offending the locals. Slowly but surely Aster works his magic on the audience however, using the traditional template to inch us further and further into an assimilated nightmare.

Thats because it was faulty at the start; at the beginning, Aster tricks us, leading us out of the seemingly dangerous forest into the relative comfort of suburbia - except, a young woman and her parents lie dead in a murder-suicide. This leaves the womans remaining sister, Dani Ardor, the sole survivor, and the anxiety-riddled Dani an inconsolable wreck. This whole beginning sequence could be a short film on its own - filled with set-ups and pay-offs contained in its mini-narrative and yet later you realize just how experty Aster spoiled his own film in the first 10. This sequence has another benefit - shot in oppressive darkness, switching to the ever-bright Halsingland is a disarming change of pace. You think to yourself - okay fun road trip vibes, nothing scary happens in the daytime, this wont be so bad. And, as the film marches on, this sunlight keeps shining ever so menacingly, and as Danis mental state becomes more and more panicked and uncertain, this cheery sunlight clashes wildly with just how out of control the whole trip has become. Simple concepts like time and sleep become strange unknowns, breaking reality just as Dani and Christian, her aloof and distant boyfriend, become broken as partners and lovers over the course of the film - two parallels running side by side, complimenting each other until the cults machinations and their relationship inevitably collides once more, ending in this sort of cathartic ending for Dani part tragedy, part relief - her intense frown turning into smiling visage as Christian burns in a ritual sacrifice. Its an expression of confusion and questions raised - is Dani in shock? Is she genuinely part of the cult now? These questions are offered no answer, and thats for the best. The best horror always leaves you wanting more.

Midsommars broken reality is really just one way you can interpret the film - I also think its fun to interpret the film as a simple folky retelling of a slasher, the way the main characters are picked off one by one in increasingly brutal ways. Hell, or maybe its all a drug-induced hallucination from when Dani and the crew first arrive. Whatever your poison, I think Midsommar is an absolute treat - I can bathe in this atmosphere all day, the brief moments of pure shock never stop hitting hard, every performance is absolutely crazy amazing, and noticing new details each time that foreshadow this or that really show well thought out this film was, and its why I think Midsommar will only continue to move up my list of favorites as the years go on and Ill look forward to taking the journey time and time again.