It is worth saying upfront that MidSommar should be a very divisive movie. If you tend to watch mostly popular movies or standard horror films, Midsommar is not for you.
Which explains the amount of 1 out of 10 reviews here on IMDb, despite an overall 7.1 rating.
But if you don't mind a slow building narrative with tension, innovative cinematography and plenty of look-away gore, then you might be able to appreciate just how unique Midsommar really is.
Briefly - MidSommar shows us a group of friends going on what seems like an idyllic trip to the Midsummer festival in a village in Northern Sweden. But that quickly turns into a harrowing display of Pagan rituals and ceremonies.
The movie is long because it's not afraid to take its time explaining the background of the characters (the group of friends and particularly the young woman in which it focuses). So from the start you can feel that this will be a different experience from most horror films.
But the movie really takes off once they arrive in Sweden. And it goes a long way to explain why Ari Aster is being so buzzed as a new director. Some of the shots shown are, at least in my book, completely outside the norm. And early on help you involve in the world of the film, and in the experience of the main characters.
In the terms of cinematography, it is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. And that becomes an even more impressive achievement because of its contrast with the horrid gore images displayed throughout the movie.
The grass's green, the floral arrangements, the group dances, everything really paints a picturesque image of the Midsommar festivities. Despite all the unexpected events the characters are witnessing, that sense is kept all throughout 2h30 of film.
All of the imagery helped me, as a viewer, to truly feel in the perspective of the characters. Walking into the festival, hopeful, experience the shock of everything that happens in front of them.
I felt I too went on that trip with the characters, and I was shocked again and again together with them. It stuck with me for hours on end after watching. Which is one the best complements I can make to the work of a director in my view.
Truly recommended it if you are up to watching a different yet aesthetically beautiful piece of cinema.
