Midsommar

Luke says:

First off, I have to be clear about my bias here, I am emotionally and physically in love with this movie. It does what Cannibal Holocaust and Green Inferno tried to do if the makers of those films weren’t blinded by racism and oneupmenship (in trying to make the most shocking or gruesome film). I believe that every shocking bit here is worth going through the trauma in order to better understand our bodies and our culture. Specifically how we view Life and Death.

Ari Astor has written and directed a transcendent horror film. It could have read as a shock or exploitation film but Ari chose to put in the work. To inject anthropology into his film, and to try to truly understand a culture that doesn’t adhere to our Judeo-Christian modern western values. I would argue that there are no easy villains in this story. There is no boogeyman. There is no shadow of literal darkness. It all takes place under an endless sun. One culture's exaltation is another’s nightmare.

The villagers show extreme empathy for our hero. Mourning when she mourns. They show compassion for their elderly. They have a well thought out life cycle and value the community as a whole over the individual. I find it extremely condescending when reviewers of this movie refer to them as a cult. All of the depictions here are rooted in real rituals that took place in pagan communities throughout europe. I find referring to them as a cult is being dismissive of a way of life the writers choose not to fully understand.

I’ve thought a lot about aging and death in the last few years. I’ve witnessed the pain and helplessness of old age. In our culture we made choosing your own mortality illegal and then conversely gave everyone the illusion that we have a choice as to what happens to our body after we die. We allow people to be buried with embalmed organs just in case they need them in the afterlife. We treat death like it’s something to be feared and staved off for as long as possible despite quality of life. Our teens sing along to pop music motifs like, “I’m gonna live forever!” The fear audiences feel while watching Midsommar are these ideas reflecting back at us.

Midsommar is beautiful movie, and fucking horrifying. I’ve been waiting to watch the 170 minute director’s cut for this event but, if I’m being totally honest, I’m afraid of this movie. I don’t think I could have chosen to watch this at home on like a weeknight, like, “Sure! Let’s order a pizza and watch the three hour cut of Midsommar.” It pushes boundaries in a similar way I felt when I first saw Full Metal Jacket or Requiem For A Dream. I believe this movie to be just as culturally relevant.