(Spoilers ahead!). Even though I am a few months late to the party to review Ari Aster’s film Midsommar, this Film Media major needs to comment on it. A24 has released another film that will disturb you, but also make you think on a deeper level. The best films combine ethical and existential questions that will resonate with you after the credits roll.
The film is about four Americans that join their Swedish friend on his trip home to Sweden where his commune, called “the Harga”, will celebrate a nine-day festival beginning on the summer solstice. Each day of this festival will leave you more disturbed than the day before. Dani is the protagonist who accompanies her boyfriend, Christian, with his Swedish friend from college, Pelle, along with his two other friends. The viewer learns about the Harga community with Dani and her friends. Harga’s strange behavior and customs will leave you questioning the differences between our western culture and another country’s, even though this commune is fictional. You will question your own morals when you are forced to witness a man and a woman jump off a cliff because their customs say that the body must die at 72 years of age in order to give back to the earth and start a new life cycle. Other Harga customs involve mating with pre-approved astrological partners, casting love spells, and making nine human sacrifices at the end of the festival. Brace yourself for the ending!
The cinematography is exquisite in this film, seeing that most of the setting is in lush meadows that were actually filmed in Hungary and Utah, not Sweden. The commune is dressed in white, a stark contrast to the Americans’ dark, casual clothing. The lighting was successfully exposed in dealing with the white balance of the Harga’s clothing and the bright sky. Some scenes displayed an overexposed sky/background to symbolize the dizziness or uneasiness that the main characters are feeling in that scene. While the deaths are gruesome and there is no “happy ending,” Midsommar was a wild, yet pure cinematic ride. The film might trigger nightmares, but at least it will have you thinking on a deep and comparative level.
Photo by Wolfgang Bonness on Unsplash
Photo by Peter Lewicki on Unsplash