MIDSOMMAR (2019) ¢ ¢ ¢
D: Ari Aster
Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhelm Blomgren
William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter, Ellora Torchia,
Archie Madekwe, Isabelle Grill, Gunnel Fred
I was going to start this off by saying that "Midsommar" is a dark movie, which is true, except that most of it takes place in broad daylight. It's about some American grad students who get invited to observe and take part in a summer solstice celebration in a small community in northern Sweden. At first, it all seems idyllic. They're welcomed with open arms (and mushrooms). But then things start to get, well, dark. You know the old saying that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is? Believe it. The characters are more like movie types than real grad students, but Florence Pugh, as the only female in the group, has a kind of Kate Winslet quality about her, and the script does a nice job of capturing the way people in testy relationships try to evade and manipulate each other. The movie won't transport you out of your seat necessarily, but it's creepy enough. Just be careful where you urinate. And stay away from the tea.
