Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Midsommar’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

I think it is safe to say that we are at a fascinating point in horror film history. Because not only is the genre at its absolute peak popularity wise, with zombies and remakes and everything in between ruling the pop-culture landscape, it’s also evolving right before our very eyes. Because in year’s past, the horror genre kept things supremely honest, by offering up posters and trailers that made it inherently clear what kind of waking nightmare one would experience in the theater or on home video and that made it easy for audiences to choose whether or not they wanted to see that particular brand of film, and it offered a sense of comfort to know up front that you would be settling in for something spooky or splatter-y.
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But these days, the industry is having a little twisted fun with its audiences by adding a grand sense of ambiguity to its stories. For now, it’s about producing a vibe with a trailer or a poster, to elicit a sense of curiosity, and the films in question are also upping their game, masking their monsters and focusing on different elements to produce a scare and this paradigm shift is offering up some unique results. Because some of these movies more or less outsmart themselves, and their push to create an eerie atmosphere or a stunning surprise, allows for them to fall flat and become nothing more than a moody art house flick with a hint of horror. But there are other movies that follow this new formula that do a phenomenal job with it, and their success takes us on a uniquely disturbing ride and one such film that meets that particular criteria is Ari Aster’s brand-new horror story, Midsommar.

Now the sheer reason that I lump this movie into a world of ambiguity is simply due to the fact that both the marketing scheme and the film itself are all about keeping you guessing at every single turn, and both elements succeed in that particular endeavor. Because while I was watching this film, my mind was racing to find some semblance of a particular horror trope or concept that felt familiar in order to give my mind guidance and direction in regard to what to expect from the plot, but that simply never came about and that’s really what makes this movie so brilliant in its own right. For once you start putting together exactly what’s happening at this particular commune, you come to realize that Ari has skillfully guided you to bear witness to the cruelty and the evil of the worst possible villain out there; mankind.

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Because only man can sanction some of the horrible things that happen in this film and find justification for the cruelty on display here, and once the audience realizes that this is nothing more than the twisted machinations of a misguided community, there’s a genuine bleakness that settles over your soul as you watch. For much like the characters in question, you come to realize that there is no relief coming for the cruelty that’s about to play out before your eyes, you’re stuck in this nightmare and have to ride it out to the end and that creeping terror is something that the story manages to amplify by throwing some relatable ugliness into the mix. Which sounds impossible, since the thought of people tolerating cruelty seems unheard of, but the social commentary present here speaks to otherwise.
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For this story puts it front and center how modern society tends to detach itself from the problems and the evils of the world by playing observer more often than not, and that we also sometimes justify said cruelty when it exists elsewhere by pawning it off as cultural respect and courtesy and what’s truly surprising, is that while that alone would have been plenty of commentary for the audience to chew upon, the film goes one step further in its exploration of how we tolerate the darkness of man by way of toxic relationships. Because much like Christian and Dani in this story, and I suppose more so Dani, when we are afraid of being alone, we ignore and tolerate the flaws and the red flags and outright abuse of our significant other. All in the hopes of finding happiness and joy down the line, as if they will somehow outgrow their immaturity and anger when we know deep down they won’t and this is the plotline that I think strikes home the most since we’ve all been in a one-sided relationship or sadly, one where our partner was as toxic as they come.

If anything, I think all of these elements are why people are quite divided when it comes to this motion picture. Because people either seem to love it or hate it, and while I enjoyed it and appreciated the fact that it put the darkest parts of man on display in unique and brilliant fashion, I can understand why it turns people off as well. Because it is cruel, and it is dark and bleak and free from any sense of safety that horror normally provides, since this story features things we see every day and have experienced relationship wise. But horror adapts to the times and right now, man’s cruelty is what we fear above all else, making this movie relevant and poignant. And I appreciate the fact that this film embraced the mystery prevalent in this genre as of late in unique fashion, and this is one that I hope you see. Because it really is a different kind of horror film, one that stays true to what the genre stands for since it does a fine job of unsettling you and staying with you long after it has come to an end.

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