(SPOILER WARNING)
It feels like forever since Dani’s chilling smirk at the end of Midsommar was all anyone could talk about. The longevity of quarantine has caused time to become a nuisance in our lives, moving too slow for us to have any perception of reality. But, despite how far away it may seem, it was only a few short months ago that Midsommar gained notoriety and became the talk of the internet. The film was originally released in July 2019, but after audiences spent hours browsing for movies to watch in quarantine —and its star Florence Pugh gained more notability through her role in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women— Midsommar began to pick up steam. I watched it back in April and was amazed by how well done and unique the movie was. I am not one for horror, although this clearly breaks the mold of any traditional horror movie. The psychological factors are just as important as the jump-scares and the gore, and in a turn of events unexpected for a film of the genre, the main character seems to enjoy the situation that she is in at the end.
With all of this in mind, I more recently stumbled upon a fallacy that I had yet to consider when it came to Midsommar, and it started with a light-hearted argument between me and one of my close friends. As a classic medium for our generation, the conversation started through TikTok DMs. I had seen a video praising the “female empowerment” of Midsommar, and I sent it to her, wondering if she felt the same way. I was surprised when she responded that yes, that’s exactly what she had gotten out of the movie, and she completely agreed with what the video was saying.
I was personally horrified by the ending of her choosing to burn Christian alive, but once I heard more explanation I could see where that view was coming from. It was a form of poetic justice for how badly he had treated Dani, especially considering the tragedy she was still trying to process. What I didn’t understand was why people felt happy at this. Yes, he got what he deserved, but it was still an extreme and brutal punishment for something that only caused emotional distress. This is not to undermine the psychological effects that Christian’s actions had on Dani– they’re one of the main reasons she finds herself in this situation and a driving force for the entire plot of the movie. However, I think that it’s important to recognize the devious influences that the Hårga had on both the guests (especially Dani) and the audience that made many people think this way.
I have a unique background when it comes to cults (no, I wasn’t in one). My parents are former cult deprogrammers: they work to get people out of cults and educate them about the manipulation that they are under. I have always been taught to look out for “cult-like” tactics, especially as I entered adulthood and gained a newfound independence. This is a point in our lives that the turbulence we experience both internally and externally allows for a space in which cults can thrive. Cults brainwash you into thinking that you need them. They prey on the most vulnerable, taking their weaknesses and molding them into whatever benefits themselves. This is why Dani was a prime subject to eventually fall victim to their manipulation.
The sympathy that the audience feels for Dani as she loses her family and suffers endless abuse throughout the plot creates an opening for the viewers to get stuck in the same emotional trap as her. We root for Dani, even when she starts to become more comfortable with the shocking community she has found herself in. But because of this emotional connection that we develop with Dani, her actions at the end come off as something positive, instead of a terrifying, cultic ritual.
Despite the layers of manipulation that the movie presents, I do feel like there is some credibility to the argument that Midsommar is a movie of female empowerment– just not from a literal lens. It is a movie about a woman finding herself and breaking free of a toxic relationship, just the way she does this is obviously not something that should be replicated. It’s not often that we get a movie (especially one directed by a man) that goes so deep into the emotions and decisions of a female lead. We truly are inside of Dani’s tortured mind throughout the Midsommar, and that is a perspective that the film industry often lacks when it comes to portraying women.
One thing that my friend added was that she believed the scene in which the women scream, cry and breathe with Dani as she deals with the image of seeing Christian cheat on her is one of the most empowering scenes she had ever seen in a movie. While I definitely see clear manipulation tactics being used in this scene (the Hårga women are making Dani believe that they feel her pain, a classic way that cults prey on the vulnerable and convince them that their community is what they need to survive), the female solidarity felt in it is something incomparable to quite anything else. The sounds of them screaming and crying together is bone-chilling. They show the shared agony that girls can feel together, and the emotional connection that all these women have with each other. However, this is one of many examples that you should take with a grain of salt, because again, it is a classic medium for controlling a victim.
Midsommar is an extremely layered film, and my perception of it may not align with your own (which is totally ok, that’s what art is for!). However, when writing this article, I wanted to make a point to expose more people our age to the dangers of falling into this sort of manipulation tactics. Whether it’s a toxic relationship or a more organized community, we have to be aware of these ways that those around us may be trying to trap us into being controlled. Although I definitely think that Midsommar can exist both as a cautionary tale against these tactics and a movie about female empowerment, the former is an important lesson to take out of it, not just in a cinematic sense, but for an overall lesson on making sure that you are in control of your own life.