The Breakup Movie Disguised as Folk Horror
#Midsommar became Ari Aster’s follow-up to Hereditary in July 2019. The “bright sunlit horror” film about a Swedish pagan festival subverted genre expectations—90% of the film occurs in broad daylight among flowers and smiling villagers committing atrocious acts.
The Most Justified Breakup
Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian’s (Jack Reynor) toxic relationship became the film’s emotional core. Christian’s performative concern masking resentment made him horror’s most hate-able boyfriend. The ending—him sewn into a bear carcass and burned alive while Dani smiles—felt cathartic, not horrifying.
Florence Pugh’s Grief Performance
The film’s opening—Dani’s guttural wailing upon learning her sister murdered their parents and herself—set a tone of unbearable grief. Pugh’s raw performance carried the film, making her ascension as May Queen feel like healing, even if achieved through cult indoctrination.
The Ättestupa Cliff Scene
The elderly Hårga members’ ritual suicide leap felt like Aster testing how much audiences could endure. The calmness of the act, followed by the villagers’ empathetic wailing mimicking the dying elder’s pain, was disturbing in its sincerity.
Bear Suit Justice
Christian sewn paralyzed into a hollowed bear carcass became instant meme material despite being grotesque. “Cheating boyfriend burned alive in bear suit” simplified the film’s complex ritual to its most satisfying element.
The Breathing Walls
The film’s visual language—pulsating ground, breathing walls during Dani’s mushroom trip—made reality questionable. Was the commune evil, or was Dani finally finding the supportive community she desperately needed? The film refused easy answers.
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