In the claws of a cult – review of the horror film “Midsummer”

A journey deep into Swedish folklore

The exhibition at Aster begins with a strong family drama. Dani’s parents mysteriously die shortly after her sister’s tragic suicide. A desperate young girl becomes hysterical. In difficult moments for her, she can count on the support of her boyfriend Christian. A few months after the traumatic events, the couple and their friends go on a trip to the Swedish town of Hålsingland, invited by a mutual college friend named Pelle. However, they do not expect that the journey will be an extremely mystical and destructive leap into the abyss of pagan beliefs and rituals, an experience that will change their lives forever.

The Wicker Girl

Conceptually, Midsummer is somewhat reminiscent of KultRobin Hardy. However, unlike it, it is a much deeper and more extensive film. Ari Aster’s production is not only another really successful horror movie, but also a daring psychodrama, in which we participate in terrifying events from start to finish, where everything is predetermined, including the life cycle, social functions and even sexual relationships – so we have nothing else but to observe their course and wait for the inevitable end. In this way, we experience extremely strong emotions, which have their source in human dramas and interpersonal relationships. Every minute we feel the growing tension between the heroes of this pagan spectacle and observe the development of the action with more or less hidden satisfaction or disgust. Dani will have the greatest role to play in the entire performance, as we can already guess at the beginning. It is her fate that will be sealed in these demonic practices. It is she, the most experienced in life, who will undergo a metamorphosis, will find her place on earth through worship and will becatharsis . At the same time, she will become a real, despotic femme fatale , bringing the doom to others.

More than a horror movie

Ari Aster proved for the second time that he is an extraordinary director with a refined sense of aesthetics. Midsummerthis is another work that goes beyond the framework of contemporary horror movies, while maintaining coherence. With an even pedantic manner, he broadens the genre paths of horror to include aspects related to depth psychology, existential and fatalistic philosophy, and moral relativism. In the spirit of decadent thought, he shows the process of disintegration of social and emotional ties, a pessimistic vision of the heroes’ extermination, and with the development of the situation – the complete deterioration of the hermetic micro-community of fanatics. The artist slowly leads his spectacle, making it a truly deep, mystical, sensual and transcendental experience. Thus, we become active participants in events, participate in this ancient cult, learn about local folklore and go through all stages of the demonic ritual, feeling the inevitable destruction of those gathered. During this extraordinary journey we admire the landscape captured in the incredibly atmospheric photographs by Paweł Pogorzelski, absorb the choral sounds of Bobby Krlic and admire the outstanding dramatic and expressive skills of the main character. The plot is predictable, in which every smallest element has a ritual character, it is a real challenge for recipients of artistic and sensual impressions. What’s more, the message is strengthened by blunt means of expression in the form of strong scenes in which every smallest element has a ritual character, it is a real challenge for recipients of artistic and sensual impressions. What’s more, the message is strengthened by blunt means of expression in the form of strong scenes in which every smallest element has a ritual character, it is a real challenge for recipients of artistic and sensual impressions. What’s more, the message is strengthened by blunt means of expression in the form of strong scenesgore , reflecting the moral decay of the world and the bestiality of society. We acquire all these internal experiences during an over two-hour session.

Numerous similarities

It’s hard not to find any similarities between Midsommar and last year’s Hereditary. In both cases, the exhibition begins with a family drama that forms the basis of the story being told. The epilogue, characteristic of Aster’s filmography, aims to sow a seed of anxiety and curiosity in the minds of viewers. Other analogies concern the subject matter, strongly focused on all issues related to the occult, cult, fanaticism or demonology. Also, the way of conducting the plot is strictly defined in advance – the action from the very beginning to the end follows the chosen path. The situation is similar in the case of the ending, which is a pompous finalization of the story, resulting from the course and development of the plots discussed, and also an expression of the director’s peculiar, avant-garde style. Common parts should also be found in the projection techniques used. Numerous, smooth frame transitions, Camera changes, showing events from the most different positions and perspectives, are the most conspicuous technical elements used. In spite of apparently many existing linksMidsummer is not a secondary horror movie. On the contrary, it daringly expands the frames of horror movies, adhering to the classics of genre expression.

We would like to thank the Cinema City network for the opportunity to watch the film.