Spoilers

Does it make you a bad person if you say Midsommar is a comfort film for you? Not asking for a friend, asking for myself. Yes its time to go get lost in Ari Asters weird festival, which asks at an hour in whats with the bear, which lets be honest you never ever even question. Its also the film that i had people tell me to go see back in 2019 & go i need to know your opinion. So here i am rewatching it now ready to see if it still has the same shock value.

Oh before i start, some of this will probably get weird & graphic like the movie so maybe dont read on if thats not you cuppa tea…

Queen Flo. Oh Flo how we love you. This was the performance that made the world go who is this woman. I mean i already knew her from like 4 months before when she was Paige (what are you doing) in fighting with my family, but this showed that she was so versatile & full of range. She portrays Dani so well, going through all the stages of grief in the film. Its a joy to watch. How she did not get an oscar nomination for this film, i am still shocked. Justice for Flo.

The opening is full on. I mean its all full on, but the murder suicide, fuck a duck. Its not nice to watch. So much so that i kind of forgot about it until she was on the phone to him & i was like oh fuck no. Its rather traumatising & not nice to see. Its also so interesting that Christian (played by Jack Raynor who was fucking incredible {pun intended}) is so ready to end it all & not be with her anymore & break up with her & that her suddenly being a collage orphan with no one means he has to step up & be her family, even though hes still being a selfish prick. Yes its nice he cares, but he was still willign to abondon her even in act 1. Makes his fate so much more justifable.

Pelle is the only one of the friends that go to the festival thats redeemable & thats saying a lot as he basically took them all to be scarified & die at their hands. He is the only person who ever asks Dani how she is & check on her health. His drawing is beautiful, but he is such a good friend to her when shes having her moments of weakness & is her support. Okay yes luring people to their death is a huge red flag, but he knew full well that he could have also been someone who would be scarified too, if the new blood wasnt strong or she didnt win as may queen. He was willing to die with his friends too.

Theres a transition between an apartment & a plane which is wonderful. The film has a lot of crazy transitions due to the drugs & the tripping throughout the film, but thats the best one. Although i do like when Danis feet turn into grass, proving she was slowly becoming one with this community & life. I get the drug taking i do but even then the main group shes meant to be with are still dicks about when they get high or when they want to trip. They just wanted a nice summer in Sweden.

There is lots of foreshadowing in this film. Heres just a couple of examples.
Just imagine how many sweeds your going to impregnate this summer.
Is anyone gonna mention the bear.
The tapestry.
The grey turning to light
The book
The hut
The seasons of life & what happens when you get to 72.
Its all so clever. Its when you watch this a second time that you go ahhhh i get it now.

The actual ritualistic sacrifice, is bat shit. I remember being in the cinema & the lady next to me had got nachos to eat & they went flying when the first person jumped to kill themselves & she looked away when the guy who didnt die got his head smashed in. Its grim viewing, its not nice at all but as much as it shocks you, you cant look away & thats the point of it. Its like the car crash at the side of the road. You shouldnt drive past & gawp but you do. But its so interesting to see how all the different character react to it. Especially Will Poulters character who was tired & decided to go have a nap & missed it all. That is his undoing though as he pisses on the tree of the ancestors. If he didnt do that, he might have got to have lived another day.

The hole writing your college paper on it was such a dick move by everyone. Its a sacred place for so many reason, but would they really changethe names & stuff. Nah no way. & then to break their rules, idoits. They had it coming.

The May queen dance, it takes up a good chunk of the film, but its to show how resilient she now is & that she is slowly freeing herself from being put down & made to feel small by others. & to then actually bloody win thats so so good. Go queen Dani.

We have to talk about the sex scene. Its a sudden turn. Yes hes high, yes its a lack of consent & yes its done so Dani cant see at all but fuck a duck. All those women moaning each time she does, the fact they are all naked. Its just a lot to take in. But then for Dani to see & hear at he end & have that shared grief with people who care about her, i love that. Sometimes you need to cry & scream it out. The whole love spell that was being cast on him through the film was madness too, but also so clever & subtly done. If you didnt notice it earlier, you would be oblivious to it happening

All the bodies hes finds, bloody hell everyone went through torture on their death didnt they, but i love that Dani as May Queen gets the final say. It really is her getting the last word something that she had never been allowed. & then for that hut to burn & take all the sacrifices with them, its such a striking & vivid image of Christian in that dismembered bear unable to move or speak knowing hes about to be burnt alive & theres nothing he can do about it. & then the screaming going on outside & everyone crying & then just the look on Danis face, that shes free of her old self & shes reborn. Yes shes joined a cult & is anyone going to actually ask where all those other people went if she goes back to america. yes thats a flaw in the film, but a very tiny one.

The cinematography is so good. Being the solstice just makes it so bright & vivid for all the film, but also scary that it never fully goes dark. The score is haunting too.

Yea its bad that this is a comfort movie, i get that, but theres something very cathartic about it. Its about power & self control & freedom & im so glad Dani by the end of it is free from everything. It has its moments of being grim & horrific, but it just works. You will either adore this or never want to see it ever again, theres nothing in-between. I am a firm member of the this is spectacular group.