A24 still hasn’t taken an ‘L’ in my book.

Ari Aster is…something. Can’t wait to see more. I still need to check out “Hereditary.” (I know, I know—I’m hella late. Kneegrows be busy.)

Actors were all great. Florence Pugh’s crying face 😩😩 became comical at a point though, which I don’t think was intentional.  After the fifth flamboyant over-reaction, the theater’s audience was over it. **Cue “Oh brother, this guy stinks” SpongeBob meme**

What an innovative, provocative, and embellished take on the Swedish cultural festival. Interesting to see a horror film set in broad daylight. I dig, I dig.

I tend to emote immaturely when I’m completely uncomfortable but this film took it to the next level. There were grotesque, just bizarre… sights, even for fiction, but it’s not the most morbid or disturbing film I’ve ever seen. All that to say, there were definitiely some “And I Oop” moments throughout.

Brava to the cinematographer and whoever created the score. Sheesh, sweep the awards, shawties. The cameras were working overtime, my god. I’m not super familiar with Ari Aster’s work, except that I consistently hear that “Hereditary” went under-the-radar, was one of the best films of 2018, and that Toni Collette was snubbed for best actress for her role.  With “Midsommar” I noticed some specificity in framing composition and set design. For example, there’s a pre-opening credits scene where Dani (played by Florence Pugh) and her boyfriend Christian (played by Jack Reynor) are sitting on her couch as he consoles her following the tragic deaths of her parents and sister.  The screen is divided in two rectangular sections: on one side of the screen the set is chaotic with cluttered books stacked unevenly and in disarray, symbolic of Dani’s hysterical position following the morbid news.  On Christian’s side there is order, a sense of calm—much like the consoling boyfriend role he’s playing. You also notice two pictures hanging on either side basically foreshadowing the film’s screenplay. Dope shit, Ari.

This is a film where you’d want to pay as much attention to what’s going on in the background as the foreground. There were expressions of actors in the blurred background that were just as important to the current or subsequent scenes compared to the ones in full focus.  The hallucinating aura sends your mind into a tizzy, there are moments when you think you’re “seeing things.” You aren’t, it’s intentional! I applaud the director’s decisions with pinpointing certain manipulations of characters faces and still finding balance as to not draw so much attention from the absurdity of the story. Much of this is set with the idea that the Midsommar festival is part of a ritualist society and all things experienced from outsiders shouldn’t be viewed as unethical and outside the norms of human decency no matter how disturbing, and that’s what makes this a horror film.  And I effing loved it. 😈

In all, I enjoyed the film. There were some areas that were a little overcooked🥘, but I recommend for the “arthouse film” lovers outchea. It’s a cool conversation piece.