FILM REVIEW: Midsommar (2019)

Directed by Ari Aster

* * * *

NOTE: This review is written specifically in response to the Director’s Cut

On 3 July 2019, just over a year after he hit the scene with the incredible Hereditary, Ari Aster creeped audiences out yet again with Midsommar. He says he was happy with the theatrical version, but he was quick to announce his intentions of releasing an extended Director’s Cut, as there were allegedly tons of footage left on the cutting room floor. I was very confident of seeing a Director’s Cut being released, but I was really taken aback on just how soon: it is Labor Day Weekend 2019, and Aster has already delivered said Director’s Cut. I can tell that Aster is a man of action and a man who always has to keep busy.

A quick message to Aster: I’m absolutely grateful for your work and I look forward to seeing how you’re going to scare us next. That said, take some time off; a vision as remarkable as yours can’t be burnt out just yet, because Midsommar is no sophomore slump. Though I’m still personally trying to decode it, it’s still going to go down as one of 2019’s most memorable films. But you’ve probably heard a lot of this already; how’s the Director’s Cut? Well, while it doesn’t quite add anything particularly substantial, Midsommar’s power is kept completely intact.

Midsommar opens on a punishingly tragic note: Dani (Florence Pugh) has not only lost her sister to suicide, but the latter has taken their parents with her. As for her boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor), he’s on the verge of breaking up with Dani when the news hits – he chooses to keep the relationship going for Dani’s sake. Fast forward to the summer months; Christian and his colleagues are preparing for a trip to a remote village in Sweden to indulge their long-standing midsommar traditions and festivities – Christian invites Dani to join. Perhaps it’s exactly what this troubled couple needs, some time away from the real world, but their issues slowly surface. To top that off, the traditions and rituals of the villagers become more and more disturbing.

Recently, I found myself reading Mark Kermode’s review of Winter Sleep, in which he refers to the film’s visual style as “widescreen claustrophobia”. I couldn’t think of a better descriptor for Midsommar. The visuals and overall production design take precedence over anything else. Surrounding the viewer throughout the entire film are endless acres of lush green landscapes, fenced off only by thick tree lines, complimented by Pawel Pogorzelski’s masterfully spacious and symmetrical cinematography. The effect is simultaneously refreshing, awe-inspiring, and unsettling – regarding the latter, the visuals are sometimes too beautiful and welcoming, also giving off a feeling that escape is completely impossible. There are at least two Oscar nominations I hope Midsommar earns, one of which being Best Cinematography (there, there; I know this is a cliché statement).

And then there’s Aster’s direction, which is the other Oscar nomination I’m crossing my fingers for. He exhibits remarkable control throughout, always knowing exactly how long a scene should linger and when to hit the scene’s next beat. This is noteworthy enough on its own, but its even more commendable in Midsommar considering just how much is going on in every scene – the maypole dance sequence alone is a crowning achievement in movie direction.

Performances are also noteworthy, albeit not nearly on the same level as the direction and cinematography. While everybody trucks along just fine, at the center of the film are Pugh and Reynor, a couple whose relationship is on the verge of collapse (some interpret Midsommar as an allegory for a break-up). Both parties possess their share of toxic behavior, but also have understandable and sympathetic positions in the relationship, and Pugh and Reynor have a solid grasp of this – neither of them turn their characters into the purely innocent or the purely guilty. That said, I feel like neither of them transcend beyond what was needed of them. I digress, though, as they still get the job done just fine. Perhaps that’s attributed to the writing, which I feel may be Midsommar’s weakest point. I admit that I’m not to keen on making this criticism, as the script, like the two lead performances, give the film exactly what it needs. Still, I feel like just a little more fleshing out of the characters would have really benefited the final film, but in my second viewing of Midsommar, the film is not impacted negatively in any way.

Perhaps this is all a bunch of mumbo-jumbo you don’t care to hear. Midsommar’s already been out for just shy of two months at this point, so everything I’ve said has already been stated. What Red Eye is here for is the new Director’s Cut. It runs 25 minutes longer than the theatrical version, with two new scenes in particular standing out. The first added scene involves the newly arrived Americans observing a ritual completely alien to them (this is before anything weird begins to happen) – the scene helps to further bolster the uneasy alien feeling, but it’s not necessary.

The other added scene takes place right after the hauntingly beautiful cliff jump scene. It is nighttime, and Dani wanders into a ceremony involving a human sacrifice. The scene, while tense, is kind of redundant – the point this scene is making was already stated in the scene preceding it. Other than these two scenes, I think the rest of the added footage is small bits and pieces peppered in here and there.

In spite of my gripes, I’m still awarding Midsommar a 4/4, and this goes for both cuts. Though the Director’s Cut isn’t particularly necessary, it doesn’t detriment the film in any way. Whichever version you choose to watch ultimately depends on how much time you have to spare. I guarantee you that you can’t go wrong with either, because whichever way you go, it still stands on its own as a singularly eerie, beautiful, slow-burn epic of an experience that you’ll never forget.