Midsommar ★★★½
TWO of the most interesting new voices in horror cinema are provided by Jordan Peele and Ari Aster.
Peele’s Get Out and Us and Aster’s Hereditary bore deep into psychological horror within a specific world outlook.
Aster’s latest, Midsommar, continues this trend while also harking back to atmospheric classics like Rosemary’s Baby, Don’t Look Now and The Wicker Man.
The latter is the main reference point for Midsommar which examines the life-changing impacts caused by a profound clash of cultures, ideals and lifestyles.
The lead character is Dani, played by Florence Pugh, and the film opens in America with her dealing with a sudden family tragedy.
Her boyfriend, Christian, isn’t a great help; even worse are his friends who are planning a trip to Sweden excluding her.
The one exception is their Swedish friend studying in the States, the only one who seems genuinely happy that Dani eventually joins them.
He has promised to introduce them to an annual festival celebrating the Summer solstice, the symbolic rejuvenation period, and is taking them to his own family’s village.
The festival is based on ancient customs that are of particular interest to one of the group, Mark, who is doing a post-doctoral thesis on these types of events.
From the moment they arrive there is a clear sense of uneasiness and tension.
Initially they put this down to expected cultural differences, but slowly their alienation builds, culminating in one completely unexpected, particularly bloody and morally confronting ritual.
This causes panic and extreme concern within the group which Christian and the village elders try hard to alleviate.
Amidst concern for their personal safety the visitors are forced to confront their deepest ideals, particularly Dani who is also struggling to deal with her ongoing grief and growing alienation from Christian.
At 2.5 hours long, Midsommar takes its time creating a fascinating and extreme world before reaching its shattering climax.
Unlike Hereditary, the events of Midsommar occur almost wholly in daylight, creating a specific atmosphere of growing dread that benefits from the longer running time.
Aster disorients his audience through the use of camera angles and music and voices that suddenly emerge off camera, in addition to the sets and locations they are foreign to our usual viewing.
The characters are regularly in a drug-induced state, either of their own volition or through the food and drink provided to them in the different rituals over the course of the nine-day festival.
Aster projects this onto the audience through the use of odd movements in certain aspects of his sets, e.g. the flower centre-piece on a communal table that seems to flutter slightly.
When we eventually fall into the horrific climax it comes as almost a sense of relief to audience as well as the characters.
Pugh is terrific in the lead role and her character remains the focal point throughout. Jack Reynor and Will Poulter are also in the cast.
Midsommar is not a traditional horror film but rewards a viewer’s concentration and patience admirably.