User reviews

Since I'm swedish I found this really funny and absurd, the wierd traditions were obviously inspired from The Wickerman more than the actual swedish tradition, Midsommar. I'm also really glad I watched it in my home and not at the cinema with other people, because there were scenes I laughed at and I didn't want to laugh at scenes with others, becuase it wasn't really funny. I coudn't help laughing, but at the same time feel really uncomfortable. I enjoyed this movie a lot, every scene made me intrigued and dumbfounded. Sry about the spelling and what not, first rating an all.

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.

I'm not sure how but the movie had me on edge the entire time. You have to enjoy cinematography to really enjoy this. I left the movie like I just came down from a high. The whole thing felt like a bad trip afterwards, I was pleased and not at the same time but I think that's how we're meant to feel. It's a good change from super hero movies and terribly made horror movies.

This is really weird stuff. Not real horror, but more of a psychological mindbender.

The bad: it doesnt really get scary or thrilling. It gets weird allright.

The good: decent acting in a incredibly weird mindbending script.

Not suited for casual viewers.

Be first thing I wanted to do after leaving the cinema, was to discover what the swedish thought of this film, in general they saw it with humour, and an open mind, as I expected.

It's pretty much split right down the middle, first half, dare I say it, normality, drama, with a heavy focus on grief, and the harsh way it can affect someone, particularly if there's trauma involved. The second half is very trippy, and we delve into the world of pagan ritual and bizarre rights, which makes The Whicker Man look like a tea party.

The main leads, Florence Pugh and Jack Reynor, were terrific. Pugh had impressed previously in The Little Drummer Girl, it was obvious she was destined for big things, she played Dani with a real sense of torment, very impressive. The cast had a realism, it was refreshing not to watch a cast that look set for a Dior catwalk.

It won't be for everyone, and I must point out that some scenes are painfully long, needlessly. Some amazing special effects.

Violence and nudity, but neither are gratuitous or simply for shock. A few laughs, several times the cinema erupted in laughter.

Very good. 8/10

Gorgeous visuals, creative cinematography and solid performances but the movie feels long winded and disconnected. The characters are underdeveloped and the plot is a little all over the place. The movie does however manage to be intentionally funny at times but not scary or very disturbing.

"I have always felt held. By a family... a real family. Do you feel held?"

One of the most universal and innately human desires is a sense of belonging. The human brain is not meant to be alone; we are evolved to be a part of something. Belonging fundamentally allows us to form our own sense of identity, establish social connections through community, and provides us with love, attention, security, and purpose. Perhaps more importantly, a lack of belonging is when we begin to lose sense of ourselves and who we are. This loss of touch with who we are when the world around us suddenly disappears... this slight loss of footing, dip in reality, always feeling somewhat displaced and perpetually unsettled... this encapsulates the mood of Ari Aster's Midsommar.

Aster has delivered a psychedelic genre-defying horror fable that wins its audience by creeping into our darkest corners of angst, longing, and loneliness. At its core, the film is about a young woman who copes with crippling anxiety rooted in a desperate and fearful need for love as she comes to terms with the end of a relationship. It's about anxiety, fear of abandonment, and moving on. It is a meditation on human belonging; an operatic catharsis played on the strings of emotional dependency; a journey both inward and outward, to finally let go of something that was never meant to be.

Midsommar is not a mystery or suspense movie. It unveils itself unapologetically, as if the filmmaker has no intention of hiding anything from us in the first place (the entire movie is visually depicted almost constantly in the background on walls or tapestries). Yet the film establishes its own rhythm and pacing. As the characters embark on a mushroom trip and grow weightless and spacey, so do we get entranced by the beautiful Swedish settings and sounds--at times indistinguishable from flutes being played by characters on-screen, and at other times, woven with a spell-binding aural hypnosis (listen to "Attestupan" without falling into a meditative trip).

Like Hereditary before it, the casting is exceptional. Florence Pugh portrays and embodies isolation and anxiety so effectively that the ideas feel nearly concrete. Her part as Dani demands an incredible range and her commitment to the role is apparent. Her character has an air of desperation to her. A perfect casting for a lonely soul. Jack Reynor, a critical piece to this opera as the unlikeable and detached boyfriend, also delivers in a solid performance that leaves us conflicted, or at the very least, challenged.

If Satan and Cannibal Corpse got together to shoot Blue Valentine in Sweden, I'd imagine it would be something like Midsommar. Aster taps into a dark and vulnerable place--he opens the door to chests you may have locked away and have had no intention of coming back to. If you've gone through a break-up recently, it may resonate even stronger. It's uncomfortable, unpleasant, but ultimately, cathartic.

The director goes on to describe the film as almost a perverse wish-fulfillment fantasy. You see what you want to see. The inclusion of this overarching idea bears a universal relevance to how we can behave in the midst of the most toxic relationships. Entering the ethereal fog of Hårga perhaps a metaphor for willfully indulging in our clouded judgment to escape our fears.

If Hereditary was a thematic exploration of inescapable fate, Midsommar is a tighter, more centered thematic reflection on emotional dependence. The thought given to the characters and script and the details within the various shots, symbols, and sounds will all surely leave many viewers coming back for more.

Plan to watch it twice, if for nothing else, to drink the tea again.

Let me first say, this is not a "bad" movie. It utilizes creative camera work and cinematography to add to the narrative. But I personally still didn't like it. Its main goal in my opinion is to disturb the viewer as much as possible through the use of sound, gory visuals and the feeling of isolation and insanity. While I can see how this can speak to a certain audience, it didn't appeal to me and made me want to turn of the movie quite a few times. If you are into these kinds of films, definitely give this a try but if you, like me, enjoy being scared by a horror movie instead of weirded out and disturbed, this might not be for you.

I watched this at home on BluRay from my public library, not my wife's type of movie.

This was made by the same writer/director that brought us "Hereditary" a year earlier, I like this one much more. It is confusing much of the time but when it is all over you realize it is a fable of sorts for the lead character, Dani, to come to some resolution from the loss of her family and coming to terms with her dud of a boyfriend.

Look up the entire lyrics of 'Hotel California' by The Eagles, with this movie in mind you can find many parallels.

I already was a Florence Pugh fan from her roles in Lady MacBeth (2016) and Fighting With My Family (2019). Here she is Dani who tragically loses her sister and parents, in grief accompanies her boyfriend and three other guys to Sweden in late June to witness, and ultimately participate in, a ritualistic Pagan festival. But it also goes deeper, to the core of the group's beliefs. By the end Dani achieves resolution, the other four are not so fortunate.

This is a really strange movie once they get to Sweden, there is very explicit and gory violence, there is a big non-erotic sex scene with a number of nude characters. Everything is designed to shock the senses of the viewer. I would not like to see movies like this on a regular basis but as a one-off experience I found it a totally worthwhile 2 1/2 hours.

The 1 and 2 star reviews are making me laugh. Not sure what they were expecting. This was an intense, uncomfortable, beautiful experience with a heap of WTF thrown on top.

Let me give objective pros and cons, and then I will present my personal opinion:

Pros:

1- Good story. Don't expect something original anyway.

2- Good ending, but it really depends how do you understand it.

3- Good cinematography.

4- Good acting specifically Florence Pugh.

5- Good building of tension and suspense.

Cons:

1- It is really too lengthy. Scenes pass too slowly. Expect to get bored several times in the movie.

2- Most of the time is wasted on marginal details, while the most important scenes are passed quickly.

3- Very stupid behaviors of some characters who are supposed to be smarter. This is frustrating in the movie.

4- A main character who can significantly enrich the movie died early. This makes most of the remaining of the movie revolve about poor repetitive ideas.

Now my personal opinion. If the movie is shortened to only 90 minutes, and postpones the first dying character to the end scenes, I can rate this movie easily with 8 or 9 points. But getting bored several times in the movie with a lot of repetitive ideas, this will decrease my rating to 5.

Just watch the movie, don't read or watch anything about it before hand.

Good: Hands down the production and cinematography are amazing and truly comes to life over the course of the film to emphasize the film's purpose/themes. The cast overall is great, each one playing their role respectively whether it is an outsider or a cult member, especially Florence Pugh who goes through a lot over the course of the film.

Bad: The film moves relatively at a great pace until near the 3rd act and then takes its time to craft its ending and at times dragged and started to get stale. There are so many clues/culture traditions learned through brief images of paintings and drawings in the community. Although this serves great for analysis and more viewings as a first watch it is a lot to comprehend and can be confusing near the end if you do not remember some of the drawings. It goes without saying that the characters do not make the smartest of decisions and there are quite a few horror cliches.

Overall: The film triumphs in creating a beautiful yet disturbing atmosphere in broad daylight. There are powerful performances filled with emotions. However, the run-time goes a little past its run time and an ending that was not the most satisfying. Although I'll be back for more viewings to see the easter eggs and hidden clues, I personally prefer "Hereditary" over this one.

3.5/5

*Pro-Tip look at the painting/drawings from right to left *I strongly do not recommend this to children, 18+ mainly because of the slow-burn and material.

Let's get right into it. The movie will divide viewers. Actually some might not even read what I'm typing right now, dismissing or liking my review just based on the score I gave it. I'm not complaining or trying to get your attention. I gave this a 10/10, something that many would consider sacred (like how some people view trees or other things). But I think the movie deserves it. And while I watched the theatrical version in cinemas, I did watch the Directors Cut the other day too to get a complete picture - no pun intended.

Now I know that pacing will be an issue for some - this takes its time and those expecting horror or their version of horror, will have quite a few issues with the movie. Especially in the long version (almost 3 hours). But the framing, the pictures you get are worth it. I would argue that if you ask Ari, why he chose that or this angle, why he lingered on that shot, why he used special effects that are subtle and almost not unnoticeable ... he will be able to answer them. He probably won't, letting you decipher and decide what you just watched, but he had a plan. He really knows his stuff.

Now that doesn't mean that you will like the movie. Just because it is made with love and care and attention to every detail, does not make it invincible. It is a taste thing - what do you like to watch in movies. Subtle horror, that is also a drama? Nods to classics like Wicker Man? Will you hate this because to heighten things it takes creative liberty? I don't know if the sun thing (allegedly some claim it is positioned wrong geographically) is a mistake or actually another detail, to make this even more eerie. The costumes may not be traditional, but what the village people do, hopefully isn't traditional either ... if you get hung up on those things, you would be missing the bigger picture. This is not here to critisize or make fun of swedish traditions. This is here to entertain and to hold the viewers suspense - edge of the seat kind of stuff.

So yes this isn't your regular horror movie and it is better for it. And while there is not much violence in it (on screen), the occasional outbursts are really spiking! This is not for the faint hearted or the easily offended ... be aware and have the strong stomach to get through it. This is beautiful and horrifying at the same time and really demands to be seen many times - every time you do, you will discover something new! And with that accidental rhyme, I'll say give this movie your dime

Looking at the end credits right now and the only frase that comes to mind, is "what the actual crap?!" This is easily one of the most disturbing movies I've seen. Yet it is impossible to look away, and almost kind of soothing in a way.

Don't believe the one star ratings. This isn't a movie for the average audience. It's a slow burn horror that gets under your skin but you'll have to pay attention. The acting, directing, music, writing, location, it's all really good. It disturbs and confuses. If you like these kind of movies, this is the one to watch. I'm also a fan of movies like The Witch and I'm really hoping for more to come within this dark sub genre, even though most scenes are in broad daylight. Be warned, this one sticks to you for a while...

In this movie there is no mystery, no hope, no fun, no substance. It is meaninglessly violent and weird. There's nothing to engage an audience member for very long other than the meaningless violence and weirdness. There are no twists, just a sequence of dissatisfying events that add nothing new. There is no moral to this story, and if you told me I could stab myself in the left shoulder or see this movie again, I would really, really have to think hard on that decision.

It's unusual horror but the unusual is nothing special, too long and waste of time and most important is not horrific at all.