Review #1244: Midsommar.
Cast:
Florence Pugh (Dani Ardor), Jack Reynor (Christian Hughes), William Jackson Harper (Josh), Vilhelm Blomgren (Pelle), Will Poulter (Mark), Ellora Torchia (Connie), Archie Madekwe (Simon), Anna Åström (Karin), Mats Blomgren (Odd), Tomas Engström (Jarl), Gunnel Fred (Siv), Isabelle Grill (Maja), and Hampus Hallberg (Ingemar) Written and Directed by Ari Aster (#1099 - Hereditary)
Review:
I went into this film with a few reservations, not so much because it seemed like an unsettling horror film, but moreso because I really did not want to build much anticipation for an offbeat experience that was going to last 147 minutes and come from a director that made an uneven debut movie that a bunch of people really embraced. At least I can say that this one is easier to recommend, if only because it actually feels like a whole experience of creepy horror. It has a great deal of craftsmanship in being unsettling, and I do very much applaud an attempt at folktale horror, even if it meanders a bit too long in actually driving the scares forward. Aster had initially rejected the pitch of studio executives to make a Sweden-set slasher film because he didn't think he a way into a story, although he ultimately based it around the disintegrating relationship of the two main characters as the main central conflict due to him experiencing a difficult breakup. Then again, he apparently had an original cut of the film that lasted over three hours, so perhaps this is a film that really does just want to take its time in getting me to care about said couple and their problems, which is more of a hit-and-miss type. I'm more focused on wondering if the main group of characters are ever going to figure out what is really going on with this commune dressed in white that has creepy drawings and sacred yellow triangle temples. The answer to that does tend to get lost in the shuffle with a bunch of creepy images and moments, which surely shine better than the drama between Pugh and Reynor, although they certainly prove their worth with their performances when needed. The others do their parts just fine, such as the folks in the commune being as assuring and observable up to a point.
Perhaps others really do care enough about how this relationship withers and withers through two hours, but time is better spent looking at how bright everything looks alongside camera warps and some interesting splatter shots. What film other than this has a sequence where it is shot upside down before gradually coming back to right-side up? It certainly is one of those "is this really happening?" type of movie, ranging from the obvious to the absurd, which will play differently for whatever mindset you're in, whether involving a certain ancient ritual or a certain sequence involving passion and plenty of weird imagery. The laughs do come out a bunch of times, whether intentional (such as with Poulter) or not, so at least the film isn't taking itself completely seriously all the time. Honestly, I was fine with what I got to see on screen, but it really is a case of inevitability - how much can you really show before it becomes too much to bear? Horror is what I sit for, with drama taking a backseat - sometimes you really need to get to the point without making patience become a tired virtue, where weirdness runs rampant. At least I can say this isn't a horror tale that gives you whiplash when it comes to actually delivering the parts - which it does enough to outweigh its burden of overwhelming itself with breakup/revenge fantasy as opposed to just toeing the slasher film standards. At least I can say this wasn't some limited release that only went to art-house theaters (the most obvious place this film belongs to) and nowhere else. Let all the movie-going folk encounter a curious offbeat film to stick out from the other types of fare, I say. Maybe you'll love it, maybe you'll hate it, but I sure am curious to see exactly where Aster can go from here.
Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.
