- Ari Aster's new horror film "Midsommar" takes a a terrifying look at the collapse of a relationship and the effects of grief.
- "Midsommar" focuses on five friends as they travel to a remote Swedish village for a famed summer festival and quickly learn that the locals have a sinister agenda.
- Even though the sun never sets, the film is still plenty horrifying, and features lots of gore, as well as moments of dark humor.
- The director called "Midsommar" a "companion" to his previous 2018 film "Hereditary," although it's in no way a sequel.
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Ari Aster's latest horror film "Midsommar" follows a young American couple, Christian and Dani, as they navigate the end of their relationship amidst the backdrop of an eerie Swedish summer festival that only happens once every 90 years.
Christian and Dani are joined at a remote Swedish commune by three of their friends. Upon arriving, they're charmed by the idyllic landscape and constant sunshine, until the villagers start committing unthinkable acts of violence — all a part of the festival, which celebrates rebirth and, more importantly, death.
As the festival grows increasingly depraved, Christian and Dani are forced to reckon with the remains of their relationship, culminating in a seriously twisted ending.
Read more: 8 things to know about 'Midsommar,' the horrifying new film from the director of 'Hereditary'
Why you should care: "Hereditary" mastermind Ari Aster also directed "Midsommar," and considers it a "companion" — though not a sequel — to his previous film.
2018's "Hereditary" was widely praised as one of the best horror films from that year — and "Midsommar" seems poised to follow in its footsteps.
Although Aster trades dark family drama for a sunny, sinister summer festival, several themes present in "Hereditary" — namely, the effects of grief and tremendous loss — can be seen in "Midsommar" as well.
Aster confirmed in an interview with INSIDER that "Midsommar" is a "companion" (not a a sequel) to "Hereditary."
"In making it, I realized this is... almost like an accidental companion, in that both films are dealing with grief, kind of extreme grief," Aster told us, adding that in each of his films, "the main characters are kind of navigating extreme circumstances, or not being able to navigate these things."
The director also said that he was inspired by his experience with a breakup while writing "Midsommar."
"I did want to make a big, operatic breakup movie," Aster said. "[One] that feels as big and as consequential as a breakup feels."
What's hot: "Midsommar" adds new layers to the preexisting horror film framework, and includes a seriously twisted ending.
The dissolution of Christian and Dani's relationship provides much of the suspense during the film. At the beginning of "Midsommar," Christian is on the verge of breaking up with Dani. However, after she tragically loses her parents and mentally ill sister, Christian decides to stay with her, much to the chagrin of his friends. He even invites Dani to come with them as they visit northern Sweden for a mystical summer festival.
Upon arriving in Sweden, however, Christian and Dani's relationship rapidly deteriorates. As their friends disappear one by one, Christian and Dani are each drawn into the villagers' sinister plans — with Dani eventually reaching her breaking point with the relationship in the final act.
While "Midsommar" has many of the conventions of a typical horror film — although Aster told INSIDER "the film is a fairy tale more than it is a horror film" — Dani and Christian's story line gives the genre's setup a refreshing update.
Within the context of a failing relationship, Aster's film, and all the terrifying moments in it, take on a whole other meaning. In "Midsommar," the psychological violence that partners sometimes inflict on each other in the midst of a breakup is warped and exaggerated to dangerous effect.
There's also no shortage of dark humor in "Midsommar," something that seems incongruous with the film at first but soon reveals itself to be a strength. There are, of course, plenty of joke-free, extremely frightening moments — but the moments of gallows humor sprinkled in throughout make the horror that much more jarring.
What's not: Much like his previous feature "Hereditary," Aster's "Midsommar" can take a while to get to the action.
Both "Hereditary" and "Midsommar" spend a lot of time building up to the action. And while both films have their fair share of terrifying moments and jump scares in their first acts, most of the action occurs in the later portions of the movie.
For fans of suspense and slow set-ups, the steady build to the anxiety-inducing climax might not be an issue. But for those who prefer their horror films to have nonstop scares from the very beginning, "Midsommar" might require a bit of a patience, as the majority of the film is spent exploring the bizarre rituals of the Swedish summer festival — with the full ramifications only made apparent much later.
The bottom line: "Midsommar" is a depraved and sinister film that takes a whole new approach to horror.
Despite a slow buildup, "Midsommar" is one of the more terrifying films of the summer. In addition to plenty of psychologically unsettling moments, the film also features plenty of gore — and, much like "Hereditary," Aster isn't afraid of lingering on the stomach-turning results.
The breakup narrative that culminates in the film's shocking twist at the end is a refreshing update to the horror genre, and makes it an even more compelling film. Florence Pugh and Jack Reynor (as Dani and Christian, respectively) give standout performances as a couple drifting dangerously apart.
Overall, "Midsommar" is an anxiety-inducing, horrifying "fairy tale" that's definitely worth a watch.
Grade: A
"Midsommar" premieres Wednesday. You can watch the trailer here.
Read the original article on INSIDER. Copyright 2019.Follow INSIDER on Facebook.
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