Midsommar

MFC Review

Midsommar (2019) is the new film by acclaimed horror filmmaker Ari Aster, director of Hereditary (2018). It stars Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper and Will Poulter, among others.

The film tells the story of Dani (Florence Pugh), a young woman who, after suffering a serious family tragedy, decides to go with her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) and his friends to a retreat in a small rural community in Sweden, where a pagan festival of disturbing practices is held.

With a simple story, Midsommar treats notions such as grief, loss and heartbreak by exploring the slow decomposition of the protagonist’s love relationship. The thematic spaces and approaches of the film are reminiscent of titles such as The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy, 1973) and The Witch (Robert Eggers, 2015), where rural environments and religious customs play a fundamental role in the disturbing atmosphere of their stories.

Although the plot may feel slow, Midsommar has an impressive technical richness. The ominous camera movements, masterful compositions and beautiful color palettes remind us of the work of great filmmakers like Ingmar Bergman, making the movie a visual spectacle worthy of being enjoyed and establishing Ari Aster as one of the most promising horror directors of today.

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