Year of Release: 2019
Director: Ari Aster
Starring: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren, Ellora Torchia, Archie Madekwe, Henrik Norlen, Gunnel Fred, Isabelle Grill
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
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Synopsis and Review:
After the success of "Hereditary", director Ari Aster has returned with yet another unexpected tale. The narrative focuses on Dani, a young student, who suffers a life shattering event at the beginning of his story. She is currently in a rocky relationship with Christian, also a student, who is about to embark on his PHD dissertation and who lives with a few roommates, including his best friend Mark and Pelle, who's originally from Sweden. The roommates, which also includes Josh, have planned a trip to Sweden, to visit a commune where Pelle was brought up. That commune is filled with sociological and anthropological aspects that Josh wants to use to build his dissertation, and Christian worried about Dani's well being, invites her to come along. Upon the introduction to the area and community, the group starts experimenting with some hallucinogenic drugs, and slowly learn about their way of life. These daily discoveries and occurrences come to a crashing halt, when one of the traditions of the group is presented to them, much to their horror and consternation. As some of them start wanting to leave, absences start mounting, all the while Dani and Christian's relationship becomes more and more distanced.
What made "Hereditary" so striking and interesting, wasn't so much the twist and shocking turn that occurred in the final act of the film. It was actually the process captured by Aster of how a family handles grief, pain, and how he captured the disintegration of some of the bonds between that nuclear group. He perfectly captured the dynamics between those characters, what made them interesting and unique. "Midsommar" is sadly not as successful as its predecessor. While Aster is obviously talented and paints this unique commune and universe with attention to detail and a stylistic bravado, the characters sadly aren't quite as well developed or portrayed as they were in his previous feature. Dani is the more nuanced character, going through a range which includes sheer terror, fear of loneliness, and dealing with unbearable pain. Florence Pugh manages to bring the character to life with abandon and conviction, however the remainder of the cast doesn't fare so well. Jack Reynor sadly is again quite monolithic in his portrayal of Christian, both in his lack of warmth, or enthusiasm, or for that matter, any emotion really. The rest of the roles don't have quite as much dimension, failing to provide an interesting backdrop for what Dani is going through. There are hints of Roman Polanski's films in this feature (a la "Rosemary's Baby"), but sadly the film just isn't as tightly woven as "Hereditary". The practical and visual effects lack quality, which renders the narrative less impressive, while the editing could have also been a bit more finely tuned, with sequences that drag on needlessly (such as the seduction of Christian). The score from Bobby Krlic is fantastic as is the cinematography from Pawel Pogorzelski. A lesser effort from an interesting director.
What made "Hereditary" so striking and interesting, wasn't so much the twist and shocking turn that occurred in the final act of the film. It was actually the process captured by Aster of how a family handles grief, pain, and how he captured the disintegration of some of the bonds between that nuclear group. He perfectly captured the dynamics between those characters, what made them interesting and unique. "Midsommar" is sadly not as successful as its predecessor. While Aster is obviously talented and paints this unique commune and universe with attention to detail and a stylistic bravado, the characters sadly aren't quite as well developed or portrayed as they were in his previous feature. Dani is the more nuanced character, going through a range which includes sheer terror, fear of loneliness, and dealing with unbearable pain. Florence Pugh manages to bring the character to life with abandon and conviction, however the remainder of the cast doesn't fare so well. Jack Reynor sadly is again quite monolithic in his portrayal of Christian, both in his lack of warmth, or enthusiasm, or for that matter, any emotion really. The rest of the roles don't have quite as much dimension, failing to provide an interesting backdrop for what Dani is going through. There are hints of Roman Polanski's films in this feature (a la "Rosemary's Baby"), but sadly the film just isn't as tightly woven as "Hereditary". The practical and visual effects lack quality, which renders the narrative less impressive, while the editing could have also been a bit more finely tuned, with sequences that drag on needlessly (such as the seduction of Christian). The score from Bobby Krlic is fantastic as is the cinematography from Pawel Pogorzelski. A lesser effort from an interesting director.
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