Certification. 18
Following a critically acclaimed debut feature, Hereditary, writer and director, Ari Aster released the twisted, modern fairy tale, Midsommar in July 2019. The film centres on the relationship between two young college students, Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) as Dani strives to come to terms with a horrific family tragedy revealed in an instantly engaging opening prologue.
In an attempt to combat the overwhelming grief, Dani joins Christian and his friends on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to a midsummer festival in a remote village in Hälsingland, Sweden. What begins as an idyllic retreat slowly evolves into an increasingly disturbing experience at the hands of the members of the Hårga community.
Midsommar is in no rush to reveal the ambiguous intentions of the Hårga people. Ancient rituals aren't explained, or at best, explained ambiguously. Instead, director Ari Aster and director of photography, Pawel Pogorzelski revel in the cloud-free, soran blue skies and endless daylight hours of the Scandinavian summer. Not the traditional fare of horror films.
There is an ethereal quality to much of Midsommar. In a dream-like state, characters start to lose a grasp on reality in a hallucinogenic, sensual surrender. These early experiences of Hälsingland are almost meditative for the audience. However, as the film develops, an ominous sense of dread befalls the storyline. Sinister, unsettling undertones appear as the tension mounts.
Florence Pugh gives a wonderful multi-layered performance as Dani - emotionally devasted, overwhelmed and vulnerable.
Despite the 147 minutes run time, Midsommar's climax feels rushed. There is a 171 minutes director's cut of Midsommar, which may or may not allow for more definitive resolution but I suspect that would test my patience to the extreme.
In the end, Midsommar captures the trauma of a relationship that has stopped working, only neither of the main protagonists have really noticed, or if they have, they are unwilling to act. Dani is so isolated by her grief that she has no choice but to be emotionally reliant upon Christian, and Christian is such a coward that he’d rather string Dani along than confront the fact that he no longer loves her. Such a toxic relationship deserves to go up in flames.
Comments
Post a Comment