Midsommar

Disturbing and nerve-racking! - 8/10

by The Movie Inspector

An unsettling horror film, Midsommar is nothing short of a pure nightmare drenched in complete daylight. It keeps playing on your nerves by gradually building tension before reaching a horrifically distirbing climax that will undoubtedly shock.

I can’t seem to find the right word to describe how unsettled I felt after viewing this movie. It’s really one of those films that requires the viewer to embrace and experience what it has to offer, and if you go in thinking you know what’s in store for you, you’ll surely be shocked by the outcome and disturbed in many ways. Director Ari Aster’s follow-up to last year’s ‘Hereditary’ works with the similar theme of grief but is placed in a completely different context, that is made immensely clear. ‘Midsommar’ follows a troubled couple and their friends as they travel to Sweden to take part of a midsummer festival, only to start sensing a violent and disturbing atmosphere among the villagers. 

There’s no doubt that the movie takes its time to kick off, in fact it takes a whole hour to buildup the main storyline and that creates a great amount of tension. At 147 minutes, it doesn’t feel excessive if you’re truly experiencing because you’ll be taken in by the whole ominous atmosphere. You’ll keep wondering what direction the story may take but never really see those tonal shifts and pivotal scenes coming. No matter how confused/shocked/disturbed you may feel, it is climax that goes all the way and leaves you in a state of complete and utter unease by the time the end credits roll. It’s a hard pill to swallow and one that requires some reflection.

It does take on a rather trippy mood and demands your attention all throughout the runtime. Florence Pugh delivers a fantastic performance as the grieving Dani but my main issue with the movie comes with the characters, who lack quite a bit of depth in a story that really requires it. Ari Aster’s superb attention to detail though is phenomenal as he left hints and clues neatly laid out throughout the movie. The haunting score, beautiful cinematography and production design all elevate the storytelling. the movie is quite horrific but not in the ideal sense, it requires understanding the morality of the villagers to truly fear them. It’s important to note that this movie is most definitely not very everyone but those willing to experience it are in for something quite unique and unsettling. 

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