![]() ![]() It’s “more of a fairy tale than a horror film,” he’s said, one inspired by the end of his own relationship.Īri Aster: “I just wanted to write a break-up movie, and I saw a way of marrying the break-up movie that I had in mind with the structure of a folk horror film.” And that’s because, according to director Ari Aster, it’s not. Echoing this out-in-broad-daylight feel, Midsommar itself - with its wondrous visuals of nature and music that’s frequently more magical than foreboding - doesn’t play like a traditional horror film. Here, everything is right out in the open-in broad daylight. Siv: “Those two who jumped had just reached the end of their Harga life cycle, and you need to understand it as a great joy for them.” - Midsommar ![]() This openness extends to their gruesome suicide ritual, the Ättestupa. All of our Oracles are deliberate products of inbreeding.” - Midsommar It’s all as matter-of-fact as the Harga themselves, who respond to questions with honesty -even if the truth is horrifying.Īrne: “Rubin was a product of inbreeding. We see the death of Dani’s family, Christian failing to comfort her as Pelle watches, Pelle luring the group into a forest, The Harga greeting them with proffered cups and symbolic skulls, the suicide ritual of two elders, the Maypole dance, and above it all, the waiting throne. But while most horror movies would reveal this slowly, Midsommar hides almost nothing- beginning with an opening tapestry that shows us everything that’s going to happen. From classics like The Wicker Man to modern riffs like Kill List, we know what to expect: these pagans’ festivities will surely involve our protagonists getting picked off, one by one. When the group arrives in the Swedish village that’s home to a commune of people known as the Harga, they’re confronted with another sight familiar to horror fans: pagans excitedly preparing for “festivities” to come. Midsommar boasts a classic horror movie premise: a group of friends heads off on vacation to a remote destination. But if we do smile along with Dani, what does that say about us? Here’s our take on how Midsommar tells a different kind of horror story- one that’s less about things lurking in the darkness, than the truths lurking inside us-and why its terrifying ending is the key to this twisted fairy tale. Watching the suffering of others who’ve wronged her provides her the satisfaction of retribution, and lets us participate in a revenge fantasy that might feel especially liberating to anyone who’s suffered a very bad break-up. The grisly finale feels like a moment of triumph for this character who’s spent the whole film enduring emotional torment. It looks like a happy endingĪri Aster: “It’s designed to play as a happy ending.”īut is it? After all, what she’s smiling at is death-the sight of her own boyfriend (and eight others) being engulfed in flames. ![]() Midsommar ends with a smile creeping across the face of its protagonist, Dani. But if we do smile along with Dani, what does that say about us? Here’s our take on how Midsommar tells a different kind of horror story-one that’s less about things lurking in the darkness, than the truths lurking inside us-and why its terrifying ending is the key to this twisted fairy tale. Watching the suffering of others who’ve wronged her provides her the satisfaction of retribution and lets us participate in a revenge fantasy that might feel especially liberating to anyone who’s suffered a very bad break-up. The grisly finale feels like a moment of triumph for this character, who’s spent the whole film enduring emotional torment. Ari Aster’s Midsommar ends with a smile creeping across the face of its protagonist, Dani (Florence Pugh). ![]()
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