Midsommar: The Director's Cut (2019)

When people ask am I fan of horror, it's difficult to know how to respond. I wouldn't call myself a horror fan necessarily, but I can certainly appreciate a good one. A standard jump scare horror doesn't do much for me, but an atmospheric creepy tell-but-don't-show offering can sometimes garner a response. Something like Robert Eggers exquisite The Witch (2015), or Neil Marshall's claustrophobic nightmare The Descent (2005) would be two examples of very different types of horror that I think have been done superbly. Ari Aster's debut, Hereditary (2018), showed an enormous amount of promise for a first directorial feature, even if it was far from the masterpiece many seemed to claim. There were one or two truly shocking moments in it, and that alone was enough for me to await his follow up with baited breath. I thought Midsommar was one of the best films of 2019; to call it an out and out horror does the film a disservice however. Watching the directors cut this week, a near three-hour experience, took its toll on my nerves and handle on reality in all the best ways. The extra twenty minutes turn this into a near masterpiece of terror in all its subtleties and interweaving undertones, as well as being blatantly shocking throughout. Aster's masterstroke is setting the film in almost exclusively in bright daylight (in rural Sweden) at a Pagan festival that Dani (an outstanding Florence Pugh) tags along to with her dreadful boyfriend and his friends. Opening with a scene of a shocking trauma, the post credits pick up very soon after the events of the intro, as Dani is going through scenes of grief; as well as being constantly gaslighted by her boyfriend. She approaches several conversations with him to bring up a valid issue, only to exit the conversation five minutes later crying, apologising and feeling terrible after being horribly manipulated into thinking she is the one at fault. It's just the beginning of the trials and tribulations for both of them though, as they arrive at the Pagan festival. Midsommar is immersive and intoxicating; you are alternatively desperate to leave the Harga 'celebrations' but are compelled to stay a bit longer, reminiscent of the characters themselves. There's so much meaning and psychoanalytical subtexts throughout that it's impossible to fully notice or understand with one viewing of Midsommar. There are those as well who may interpret the film in completely different ways to me, and that's what makes the film so interesting, as well as its frankly menacing pacing (especially in this three hour cut) constantly keeping you on the edge of fleeing the scene; it's an almost impossible balance to achieve, and Aster, stunningly, manages it. If there is a flaw, it's that Will Poulter only graces us with his glorious presence for a handful of scenes. 8.1/10