Ari Aster's MIDSOMMAR (2019)

"Entrails Ripped From a Virgin's Cunt underperformed at the box office yet again. Producers are baffled."

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oh wow

I'm admittedly not a big horror guy! A lot of the frightening parts in Midsommar, outside of the gore -- which I also find distressing -- are based on empathy for the character(s).

The idea of frantically trying to convince your significant other that you absolutely have to check on your family, while the worst possible scenario is actually going down, scares the shit out of me. I've had phone conversations where it seems like someone's about to ask for help that ended up being cut off, only for all my callbacks to be unanswered, and 90% of the time it's because my friend's phone died and I was overthinking the conversation. This movie opens with whoops, hey, your sister was actually in the middle of a murder/suicide with your parents

like I get jump scares, gore, etc. are "horror movie scary" but when small worries and existential dread are played out on screen, and it's the worst possible scenario happening, that's also horror!

This was supposed to be on Amazon Prime starting the 3rd, but isn't showing up yet. Not sure what happened there.

https://amazonadviser.com/2020/01/07/amazon-prime-release-change-midsommar/

It turns out that the release date was wrong in the initial list of releases. Rather than Jan. 3, the release date for Midsommar should have been Jan. 10. That means the movie is heading to Prime Video at the end of this week.

in that case, will I watch this a third time? maybe

I have read most but not all of the thread and skimmed the rest. I will preface my comments by stating that I am not a huge horror fan.

The prelude with Dani and her family was truly horrifying. The cuts to the firemen entering the house and making their way up to the bedroom were nightmarish and very effective. Similarly, the drug use scenes were genuinely creepy and seemed "real" to me, especially the way Dani's trip when they first arrive turns bad on a dime. I swear there is a shot or two when she is sitting at the head of the table after being crowned May Queen where the large platter of meat(?) in the foreground appears to be slowly writhing. Good stuff.

I loved how Dani's wailing when she sees Christian with the redhead at the end echoed her wailing to Christian on the phone after her parents died.

My biggest problem is that the plot was largely sterile and everything seemed pre-ordained. Who was going to live and die was apparent within 10 minutes of arriving at the commune, if not earlier. The fact that the idiot boyfriend was going to have sex with the redhead (or at least try) was apparent from their first look and there was nothing done to make one question this. Asshole, druggy friend was going to be the first to go. English Guy #1 and English Girl #1 (who gives a shit about their names) were only in the movie to disappear. This may have been why I liked this less than Hereditary. With Hereditary, I had no idea where the movie was going and the ending was genuinely WTF and awesome.

I liked the build-up to the finale and final ritual, but the film was too long. As I am typing out this comment, I find myself thinking about things I liked more than things I disliked, which may mean I liked the film better than I think.

everything seemed pre-ordained

horror movies are rituals

there's all kinds of stuff warping and moving during the drug scenes, these were probably easier to see on the movie screen than at home

I mean didja expect they were all going to go to this mysterious Swedish festival nobody else in teh world had heard about it and it was all fun and everybody played games and had punch and then went home and then on the way home there was a wolf in the car?

The fact that the idiot boyfriend was going to have sex with the redhead (or at least try) was apparent from their first look

as inexorable horrors go a p familiar one

The events of the film are shown in the opening credits.

I mean didja expect they were all going to go to this mysterious Swedish festival nobody else in teh world had heard about it and it was all fun and everybody played games and had punch and then went home and then on the way home there was a wolf in the car?

― papa stank (Neanderthal), Monday, 13 January 2020 21:26 (eleven minutes ago) link

I am not saying that I expected it was going to be Bonaroo. Just that I could almost instantly tell the purpose of each "character" and there was nothing that made me question these snap decisions: Dani was going to stay as soon as she had the conversation about family with the Swedish dude; English people were redshirts; asshole was going to die first because he was an asshole and that was his purpose (to be a character the audience enjoys seeing get killed (or not seeing). I didn't care what happened to any of them.

Again, this may be my problem with horror tropes in general. Overall I guess I enjoyed the ride even if it was the world's slowest roller coaster.

The events of the film are shown in the opening credits.

^^^

"this fairytale was so predictable!"

the dread was palpable throughout for me. I did actually care about many of the characters' fates - even though I hardly consider that a prerequisite for a good horror film.

Connie and Simon actually were one of the few (besides Dani) to display any kind of genuine concern for the well-being of the two elderly who jumped (the others in the group were more 'fascinated' by it). and while it was plainly obvious that Simon wasn't dropped off at the airport separately from Connie, it's framed in a way that has you at least hoping that you're wrong, and then moments later you hear a woman screaming (Connie). And then at dinner, Mark casually jokes that Connie looked like she was trying out for the sprinting Olympics earlier, meaning he actually witnessed her running for her life from an unseen pursuer without realizing it.

they're familiar beats but the framing was unsettling to me.

I’ve been reading this thread, don’t have much to contribute. I really liked it. The cinematography and set design and all of the subliminal details were fascinating to me, and I agree about the unsettling framing of events. One of my favorite individual moments was the car journey north through the forest to the commune, where the image of the road was flipped upside down just as the were entering Hälsingland. It felt really ominous

I think it’s hasty to call Connie and Simon a couple of red shirts.

There’s reading to be done about how they’re classified as outsiders while the others aren’t; the way Pelle’s brother is punished for bringing them home (Ulf? I can’t remember his name).

There’s reading to be done about how they’re classified as outsiders while the others aren’t;

one that neatly elides how their skin color is different from everyone else's, you mean?

the lack of acknowledgment of race in this film is its biggest failing imo. Still great, but it does stick in my craw.

on a rewatch i did notice how often shots are set up in such a way that something offputting or disturbing is going on in the background and how often it’s just...passed over...by the characters or not noticed at all. “So are we gonna acknowledge the bear?” “It’s a bear.”

this handily ties into the main themes but does a nice job on it’s own of providing an unusual means for generating tension not only within the narrative but within shot compositions.

/There’s reading to be done about how they’re classified as outsiders while the others aren’t;/

one that neatly elides how their skin color is different from everyone else's, you mean?

the lack of acknowledgment of race in this film is its biggest failing imo. Still great, but it does stick in my craw.

horror movies are rituals

A brilliant observation from "Cabin in the Woods."

another great movie that aggressively telegraphs every plot point!

There’s reading to be done about how they’re classified as outsiders while the others aren’t;

one that neatly elides how their skin color is different from everyone else's, you mean?

the lack of acknowledgment of race in this film is its biggest failing imo. Still great, but it does stick in my craw.

I was under the impression that everyone but Dani was intended to die from the beginning; they needed five outsiders for their sacrifice. I agree there's a racial element to how the cult does its recruiting (Dani is welcomed into the family in part because she looks very Nordic; Christian, who has reddish-blond hair, gets used for breeding stock before being killed; no one else is used for breeding, although the movie makes a big point of how the cult needs new blood), but I assumed this was something we were supposed to figure out.

technically Christian's death was 50/50 and left up to Dani

That's true, so I guess the order of the deaths is slightly premeditated; it makes sense they would want to keep Christian till the end as their optional sacrifice since they've decided he's acceptable breeding stock.

nearly everyone else does something to trigger their death, right? wanting to leave early, pissing on the sacred tree, taking pictures of their book, etc

Wanting to leave early? Or ruining their whole sacred ritual thing by expressing their shock, outrage, and horror by screaming obscenities and insults? I wasn't completely unsympathetic to the perspective of the commune/cult until the final act of the movie where it became clear what their intent all along was. On top of everything else about the movie, I enjoyed the anthropological interest that went into the creation of the commune.

I mean didja expect they were all going to go to this mysterious Swedish festival nobody else in teh world had heard about it and it was all fun and everybody played games and had punch and then went home and then on the way home there was a wolf in the car?

― papa stank (Neanderthal), Monday, 13 January 2020 21:26 (eleven minutes ago) link

"this fairytale was so predictable!"

― Οὖτις, Monday, January 13, 2020 4:51 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

it's funny how ppl in film threads try to use logic to justify liking shitty movies

OneEyeOpen makes an otm post about how the entire movie had zero suspense or surprise or tension (and max 2 scares), and yall are like "it's a horror movie, SPOILER ALERT people get killed"

like oh, now that you put it that way, it's actually good that this bored the shit out of me

it was maximally tense even though we knew sorta what was going to happen bc of the plotting and imagery. everything feels kind of out of control at all times

however if you just wanna yell at us for enjoying a movie that bored you, go off

You're being disingenuous af in suggesting that most of us agreed with OEO's thesis but suggested these were features, not bugs. Most of us disagreed with most of the criticisms in their post outright, and were pointing out having an idea of what would happen in the movie didn't prevent it from being tense, suspenseful, disorienting, or thrilling.

For fucks sake, wanting big surprises and constant rug pulls is how we got the M Night era of horror.

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BradNelson otm throughout this thread, basically

there's only one person here trying to apply mathematical principles to the enjoyment of film imo

zero suspense or surprise or tension

don't feel any of these are required to make a film interesting or worth watching

would argue that the movie has plenty of tension though, not so much based on "what is going to happen!?" but more on the "what the fuck is going on" with the particulars of things like the drugged tea and a bear and people running away screaming in the background or heads getting smashed in with a hammer etc.

im like the opposite of brad in that I loved hereditary and it set my expectations way too high for this

sorry for being mean. here are some things i liked about this movie:
-casting of the scandinavians (they looked genuinely inbred)
-score
-cinematography
-costume/set design
-humour (should have been more of it though)

I think Hereditary was genuinely more WTF and unexplained weirdness than Midsommar (certainly more Lovecraftian). Midsommar probably had the better/more interesting design/visuals, though this may simply be a function of USA domesticity v. Swedish folk cult.

Hereditary was a horror movie disguised as a family drama, and Midsommar is a family drama disguised as a horror movie

I'd agree with that but add that Hereditary was a good movie and Midsommar was a cult movie.

Midsommar is a family drama transcendental comedy* disguised as a horror movie

*quite like this term. applies as well to...ooh, Toni Erdmann? some von Trier?

Midsommar’s wikipedia plot summary made more sense and was easier to follow than Hereditary’s

just watched this and i felt i saw a bjork music video fleshed out for 2+ hours.

https://a24auctions.com/auctions/midsommar-harga-collectibles/

"put your disgusting dick away!"

this is one of the most idiotic films I've seen

in that case, will I watch this a third time? maybe

― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 8 January 2020 19:57

someone watched it three times. The idea that a ritual could occur every 90 years is the stupidest thing I've encountered in any stupid movie script.

wait til u hear about the "bicentennial"

I resist posting on popular movie threads about terrible films that people have enjoyed, for whatever reason. Fine, who cares... but this film is just enragingly stupid in every way.

You don't get it, man, it's a horror movie. It's supposed to be dumb.