Another pretentious crap without a story or logic, which will be praised by people for having a "deeper meaning".
Well, now I have so much experience watching movies, I can judge from the first 15-30 minutes whether a movie is gonna be pretentious crap or not. So you aint gonna waste my 3 hours hahaha.
Dope flick. It doesn't have the impact Hereditary did, but it's not attempting to be quite as shocking. It is another treatise on family, though, but it ultimately says something different than Hereditary, which is interesting.
I've been thinking for a while, trying to pinpoint what is it that made me dislike this film (despite its creative visuals, interesting idea and good central performance) and not see what so many commenters around the internet seem to see (i.e. Dani's arc), and I think I've found it: it's all the drugs.
If the drugs weren't there, this would actually be a film about the choices and actions of its protagonists: Dani
finds a new sense of meaning and family out of her grief and away from an emotionally distant boyfriend
, Christian
is condemned by his infidelity and selfishness
, the cult would be an extreme but weirdly warm and welcoming alternative to the loneliness and hedonism of the main characters' American way of life, etc.
Instead, since the characters are constantly given mind-alterning drugs and even "love spells", they end up being nothing but powerless puppets getting thrown about by forces way beyond their control or knowledge,and the cult feels like a group of expert manipulators and predators whose facade of warmth and kindness gets faker and faker with every passing minute (the "group cry" scene being the most egregious example:
I know it's supposed to mean that here in the cult Dani's grief is mirrored and shared by the extended family around her, but considering how she was made to drink mind-altering drugs and how the very cause of her grief had been engineered by the cult itself without even her boyfriend's consent, it cannot but feel like yet another act of abuse and manipulation!
)
The go-to film to compare Midsommar to is The Wicker Man, and for good reason, but in The Wicker Man it is the protagonist's actions and colonial arrogance (predictable though they may have been for Christopher Lee's character) that led him in deeper and deeper trouble, and by this fact alone Midsommar comes out of the comparison as the vastly inferior film.
But then again, take away the drugs, the psychedelic visuals they provide, and the exploration of the characters' relationship are the only things setting this film apart from The Wicker Man, so without them it'd just be a re-tread of the same story with two leads instead of one.
Unfortunately, though, this aspect alone makes it so that so many of the themes and qualities that are highlighted by many reviewers and commenters are simply... not there at all.
That final smile isn't that of a woman who's found happiness and support in a newfound family: it's the smile of a woman having been manipulated and brainwashed out of her very soul.
Finally got to see this one, and I was surprised at how much I liked it! There were some great moments, and I liked the visual style.
My only issue, which I am sure was also intentional, was how little personality the swedish characters had, they seemed more like ants in a colony, without personal thoughts. It is an understandable move, but I would have liked it better if I had been invited into their way of thinking, or even to siding with them. Instead they become caricatures who act funny.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 26
Marko1975
Absolutely terrible and pretentious.Limbesdautomne
That is what happens when you pretend to be an archaeologist.Read more in French on La Saveur des goûts amers.
mysteryfan
Another pretentious crap without a story or logic, which will be praised by people for having a "deeper meaning".Well, now I have so much experience watching movies, I can judge from the first 15-30 minutes whether a movie is gonna be pretentious crap or not. So you aint gonna waste my 3 hours hahaha.
My rating - 5/10
blimpsnstuff
Imagine if The Wicker Man were a turgid hour longer and had a crappier plot. Here's your movie.soypinguinita
lame but funnySk1337
Wow.. Ari Aster has done it again!1_Ichi_1
Schweden is always worth a trip....Toastinator
I don't really think it's a bad movie but I just got nothing out of this.Adrian B AWESOME
Dope flick. It doesn't have the impact Hereditary did, but it's not attempting to be quite as shocking. It is another treatise on family, though, but it ultimately says something different than Hereditary, which is interesting.MordredMS
I've been thinking for a while, trying to pinpoint what is it that made me dislike this film (despite its creative visuals, interesting idea and good central performance) and not see what so many commenters around the internet seem to see (i.e. Dani's arc), and I think I've found it: it's all the drugs.If the drugs weren't there, this would actually be a film about the choices and actions of its protagonists: Dani
Instead, since the characters are constantly given mind-alterning drugs and even "love spells", they end up being nothing but powerless puppets getting thrown about by forces way beyond their control or knowledge,and the cult feels like a group of expert manipulators and predators whose facade of warmth and kindness gets faker and faker with every passing minute (the "group cry" scene being the most egregious example:
The go-to film to compare Midsommar to is The Wicker Man, and for good reason, but in The Wicker Man it is the protagonist's actions and colonial arrogance (predictable though they may have been for Christopher Lee's character) that led him in deeper and deeper trouble, and by this fact alone Midsommar comes out of the comparison as the vastly inferior film.
But then again, take away the drugs, the psychedelic visuals they provide, and the exploration of the characters' relationship are the only things setting this film apart from The Wicker Man, so without them it'd just be a re-tread of the same story with two leads instead of one.
Unfortunately, though, this aspect alone makes it so that so many of the themes and qualities that are highlighted by many reviewers and commenters are simply... not there at all.
Shijo88
Projection is strong in this one.ViniciusOG
I've been to worse raves...marcemedi
The camera is very clever in this one, if you liked it then you should see "the wicker man". 8/10Sukkermaur
Finally got to see this one, and I was surprised at how much I liked it! There were some great moments, and I liked the visual style.My only issue, which I am sure was also intentional, was how little personality the swedish characters had, they seemed more like ants in a colony, without personal thoughts. It is an understandable move, but I would have liked it better if I had been invited into their way of thinking, or even to siding with them. Instead they become caricatures who act funny.
sillysausage
Shit's weird yo.Showing items 1 – 15 of 26