✯✯✯✯½

Back in the year of 2018, A24 had released one of their best films, Hereditary, which was the debut of writer-director Ari Aster. It was one of the most celebrated films of the year, as well as being one of my favorites released in 2018. Not only did Toni Colette's performance crawl under my skin, but the direction from Aster was phenomenal. I was shocked that this was his debut and it stuck out as one of the best I've ever seen, especially in the horror genre. Jump one year later, Aster has created another gut-wrenching, thought-provoking masterpiece in Midsommar. While not as good as his previous work, this shows that Aster is a filmmaker to not take your eyes off.

Midsommar follows Dani (played by Florence Pugh) and Christian (played by Jack Reynor), a young couple on the fringe of falling apart. In the midst of these depressing times, a family tragedy strikes and Dani is left grieving. However, Christian, about to embark on a journey to a midsummer festival in Sweden, invites Dani to join him and his friends on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. While it may seem like a lovely, carefree environment, things escalate into insanity quickly and the true colors of the festival are shown. Things become unnerving and psychologically disturbing for the group of Americans (also including William Jackson Harper's Josh and Will Poulter's Mark). If you thought Hereditary was intense to get through, Midsommar does that at a completely different level and one that managed to stick with me after leaving the theater. 

Something that Aster captured flawlessly with both of his films was the psychologically trauma of an individual. Midsommar opens on a devastating matter and from there on, we're on a roller-coaster unlike anything else. Similar to Colette's grieving Annie, the structure of Dani is beautiful, as she is filled with so much internal damage. It is a heartbreaking arc and one that leaves the audience feeling devastated as they are watching events unfold around her. When going through loss, it is difficult to capture the realism of it - but with both of these films, Aster depicts it to perfection.

Pugh is on the rise to becoming one of the finest young actresses in the industry and her performance in Midsommar is no exception. The amount of fear flowing throughout her feels realistic and she oozes the screen with her level of range in each and every sequence. I've been nothing but impressed with her work thus far and I'm excited to see where her career goes from here. But this is a performance that shouldn't be overlooked by award ceremonies, although it's very rare for people to recognize performances in the horror genre.

The biggest complaints surrounding horror films are their predictability and lack of scares. Midsommar is one of the most unpredictable pieces of filmmaking I have watched in a long time. Throughout the film, there were moments where I believed I saw the outcome and yet, Aster toys with the audience by going down a different route. It is impressive when you're watching a film in this genre and realize that what's occurring on screen won't go towards what one would expect.

I also need to address the crisp cinematography from Pawel Pogorzelski and heart-pouding score from Bobby Krlic, which should not get overlooked by viewers. My nitpicks with Midsommar are very minor, but it has to be addressed that I found the film's run-time to be bloated. As much as I was engaged with the entirety of the film and while I appreciate the slow-burn tension infused, I felt that it didn't have to be as long as it was. If Aster had cut down the film by fifteen minutes, it would've been better for me. That's not denying the fact that this film left me glued to the screen. 

In the long run, I was thoroughly impressed with Midsommar, despite it not being the perfect masterpiece I was anticipating it to be. I wasn't prepared for the insanity that this film ended up being, but from a realistic standpoint - it should not have been surprising that this was the outcome, especially after seeing Hereditary. Aster has a very bright future ahead of him as a filmmaker and while I'd love to see him continue pumping out horror films, it'd be fascinating to see his style tackled in a different genre. A24 is consistent with their releases and we are in for quite a ride when watching what's under their belt for the rest of 2019.