This movie was so up it's own arse. People are talking about gender. "the death of dani's family was never brought up again". was expecting much more through reviews calling it a ‘masterpiece’ and something that would become a classic in the future: frankly, i pray it doesn’t. The differences between men and women are being further and further erased by progressive society, so much so that people are out there literally arguing there are no differences between the sexes. Subscribe to my channel and check out my reviews focused on Nostalgiac movies, and those wonderful memories they give us! One reason Midsommar works so well is that you can watch it and draw any number of different interpretations. The movie instead focuses on a flimsy plot of missing characters we have no emotional investment in, for the obligatory thrill of horror tropes. You say the film lacks a solid tone, … Fuck you and your dumb ass. The main characters often seem uncomfortable or bored during most of the scenes with the whole commune. Check out these mild spoilers before you go if you're concerned. Go suck on a fucking transdick, poser. Again we literally see her laugh once during the dancing scene. view in app. This place was unbelievable as a an oasis from the outside world. They get down on all fours and participate in her grief with her. A lush visual tale of beauty through ritual? Martha Marcy May Marlene. Last summer, Aster’s featur… If you are saying that her arc happens because when she is sobbing and the women are crying with her, that's not an arc. Just my personal opinion of my viewing experience and I know i'm being pointed. I think miillkyytea have talent as a person who can push the keys on a keyboard in, but you lack any insight into the depth and scope of films, and you lack a worth while opinion to share. The anonymous cast of Swedish commune members are little more than pretty backdrop than actors with any interesting characters we can invest in. They should therefore be open game for social criticism, just like we can critique the way we treat it elders, isolate ourselves from each other, and how we (do not) show empathy. Do we even know what her job or situation was? I'm not sure on this one but perhaps even Dani's emotional investment in her sister was simply a burden created by familial ties. What’s the point of posting this here, where people who enjoyed the movie are gathered for discussion? I completely agree. Gender. I wanted to immerse myself in it fully. They basically have a religion, which is something the modern world is moving further and further away from as well. Hereditary was the must-see horror movie of the summer in 2018. You must provide a reasoning why and an alternative solution that meets the film's goals for one's criticism to have merit. Critiques are for shining light on the art piece and seeing what reflects and what dulls, not for sharing your own worldview --- if you have something important to say then make your own movie. Press J to jump to the feed. goes back to very primitive, early human societies which were much more communal and less isolated the way we were today, which is shown through Dani being alone in her apartment/house/room/whatever. my problem wasn’t with the weird scenes, or the gory deaths, or anything like that (although it was extremely weird). This film takes Dani through a journey of dealing with her trauma and letting go of the last remnants of her old life (Christian) and finding a new “family” (albeit in sick and disturbing ways). Instead of digging deeper though you choose to just say the film is bad. midsommar was horrible. I Watched "Midsommar" To See If It's As Disturbing And Gross As People Are Saying, ... which seems like a bad idea for Dani in particular given what she's been through in recent weeks. of dani and christian. Dani's sister was this exact burden. I think it's a lazy, over the top premise that her whole family is dead by murder/suicide. Is Midsommar the biggest /tv/ pleb filter? alright, i get the whole ‘new trope on horror’ idea; i can appreciate a weird movie, especially a weird horror movie at that. Some people, maybe not all, need tradition, ritual, belief in something greater and this place provides that to their community. I also don't see how the film "focused" on the missing characters. His movies are tonally all over the place. It's really sad to see what's happened here. The film could have started with a group of friends arriving in Sweden for the festival. In the end she chooses the random Swede over Christian. Indie films are having a tough time at this summer's box office, but A24 hopes that Ari Aster's folk horror movie "Midsommar" changes that. Important as Dani's journey is searching for empathy and connection which leads me to bring up the second point. He's inconsistent, self-indulgent, and has no concept of pacing or story-telling. Best 30 minutes I've ever reclaimed. In the hands of a better writer, it could have been pure poetry, but instead it was a mess with the veneer of a symbolism. We never see the characters enjoying themselves we only see them bickering over the research stuff or trying to get laid. A subreddit dedicated to Ari Aster's movie Midsommar, releasing in 2019. Cookies help us deliver our Services. I'm not going to be super wordy because it's honestly too exhaustive to write. It just drew me out of the film constantly, that's all. This is the best analysis of the film I've seen online, perfect response, and all that needs to be said. Am I supposed to be intrigued by what Aster is trying to say about grief and family? Look at their conversation when she finds out he is going to Sweden. But then again, look at the sad state this sub is in nowadays: The saturation of beaten to death topics, ubiquitous information, extremely superficial takes, an overwhelming recency bias, and a general favor for more commercial cinema. It’s funny, except when it’s deadly serious. Get a 2 month FREE trial to access thousands of Skillshare classes today! Just a needlessly long movie about nothing really happening except people slowly dying, and even most of the deaths aren't made interesting. Bad critique. Native Swedes will have a better idea when it comes to the local lore. In big cities, you don't even know your neighbors. Again i think this movie could have worked with a person that knows how to write better characters and dialogue. It's another cliche pagan horror film people exaggerate the uniqueness and depth of simply because of mid-budget cinema's death in current American film culture. Characters with no super objectives or actual chemistry on screen. What would have become of her back home? Ari Aster‘s new film Midsommar sends a group of friends to Sweden to take part in a fabled mid-summer festival. Want to see a good movie about a breakup that's also a horror film? The actress did an amazing job with what she had but it all comes down to the writing. ... adding that this might not be entirely a bad thing. The entire film she clings to her careless boyfriend, she even wants him to come with her in carriage after she is crowned queen, so when does she even change? Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Yeah, this movie sucked. This is the most poisonous part of critiquing. In small towns, we look after our neighbors, their children, our communities etc, just like in the town in Sweden where this crazy shit takes place. Looks great but lackluster story. If anything, they don't get much time in the story at all. It’s scary, but not particularly so. Midsommar is director Ari Aster's follow up to 2018's Hereditary and the new movie is just as terrifying, disturbing and masterful. He is cold, uncommunicative, short and unsupportive. Deal with the film as it is and ask yourself what the director was trying to do with the tonal shifts. This is the most poisonous part of critiquing. the movie had potential, but i think that the pushing of these disturbing and crazy themes/rituals was too obvious and upfront. Midsommar Review: Why We Can't Agree ... Having to do the work, as a viewer, can be fun – jumping onto Reddit on the bus home and piecing things together is exciting and thrilling. We see Dani's stoic, stifled pain in her dysfunctional relationship with her boyfriend Christian. You mentioned the sobbing into a mans arm scene as being similar, and also how we got that exhaustive moment before anything else. Critiques are for shining light on the art piece and seeing what reflects and what dulls, not for sharing your own worldview --- if you have something important to say then make your own movie. We already know his intent and deep desires as it pertains to their relationship, and him comforting her in that small moment seems very sympathetic but not empathetic. He isn't meant to be blatantly evil or a chad or a dick head. except, it *was* numerous times, and it informed literally every part of Dani's character arc. Let's talk movies we grew up with! and it's a horror film, but at the same time it's touching on a lot of fucking shit worth discussing and to say that Dani doesn't have an arc I think misses a lot of what the film is doing. We are never shown that this is a particularly happy place even though we are at length told it is. Nailed it. These flaws are overlooked in light of the film's beautiful visuals, but are crucial to good storytelling. (I think) I know what this movie was trying to be and it failed because it had too many directions it wanted to go. The movie's theme was not simply an emotionally unsupportive partner; this should have been made evident to you when you realized that he was not emotionally unsupportive when Dani's parents and sister died. I disagree. The film didn't end up making much sense with multiple plot holes attributed to the movie trying so hard to be different. comments. He gave the best support he could, but the truth of the matter was he did not want to even be with Dani. Watch Possession. Aster has talked repeatedly about how he wrote Midsommar when he was going through a breakup, and the movie’s arc is definitely that of a revenge story about gaining power over someone who's made you feel emotionally powerless for so long. A campy horror film? I wanted so badly to like to this film but it went from cheesy horror to beautifully weird to comically campy one scene to the next. you’re right, i should’ve posted it there but i didn’t really consider it. You can't just say it was bad writing because you would have made a different film. And the people talking about gender are not saying there is no difference, they are saying those differences are inherently social constructs, since genders are social constructs. How much of each? If you saw the 2018 cinematic phenomenon that was Hereditary, you've likely been waiting for writer/director Ari Aster's next move. The tragedy within the story is that Christian already wanted to leave Dani, but felt trapped after her family died. The cult recognizes certain things about the world that Dani and the rest of the world simply do not. Will some one dissect why I should like this movie if I don’t even like the characters? Reddit. These people choose to kill themselves rather than be a burden on the rest of their family. Instead we start with an exhaustive exposition of the gruesome death of Dani's family. Midsommar's glaring flaws can't be saved by an unremarkable group of onenote friends. You say the film lacks a solid tone, and then go on to give themes as evidence. I read that as her being independent enough to let go of people, and not bowing to the pressure to choose her toxic boyfriend over a welcoming stranger. after that it was a trainwreck. The belief system of the happy inhabitants of Hårga seems to be a mix of northern European paganism, occult tradition, arcane numerology and made-up nonsense. I'm not sure I understand what you're saying here. Dani had no real arc as a character other than the fact that she smiles in the ending shot. Perfume the Story of a murderer is one movie that invokes much more emotion and sense of enlightenment. The Wickerman. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Huh? It's so rare now to find critical writing on here, or users who aren't just r/movies transplants that haven't let go of that sub's collective attitude. I concur with autumanaugust; you cannot say the film is bad or flawed, because you would have done it differently. Bad critique. You need to educate yourself on the difference. - "/tv/ - Television & Film" is 4chan's imageboard dedicated to the discussion of television and film. r/Midsommar: A subreddit dedicated to Ari Aster's movie Midsommar, releasing in 2019. The parts at the beginning with introducing the characters and the death of Dani’s family is central to the story because of the resentment she feels toward Christian coupled with her all encompassing loneliness. I think the missing characters is an interesting plot. Followed by a scene of Dani sobbing gutterally into her boyfriend's arms. sorry. I’m intrigued, what do you think the plot was? the death of dani’s family was never brought up again, the whole thesis idea, and so many other things were thrown away with the deaths of mark, josh, simon and connie. I keep trying to write a response and realize there's just too much that doesn't work. A good film about pagan ritual? I kept feeling like they were building towards something, like pieces were being added to the puzzle and eventually there would be a big picture and it would all come together. She probably would have ended up, if we're being realistic, overmedicated and suicidal just trying to figure out how to get through life and maybe healing in 20 years+. Sure, they're scary fucking people, cruel and manipulative etc. Saw it last night and I don't even like Hereditary so this one I got up 30 minutes before the end and just said NOPE. And if that's the kind of film, where the pain of the main character is only justified because the absolute WORST possible thing has happened to her then i think it's bad student filmmaking 101. Bad on you. They don't just hold her and let her cry or make a "gesture" like a false invite to come to Sweden with them or a slice of cake with a candle on it. It was definitely too long I'll agree with that. A good film about a female protagonist feeling lost and swept up in a cult? Dani had no real arc as a character other than the fact that she smiles in the ending shot. This community embraces those differences and structures their society around them, but no one looks oppressed or unhappy. Fortunately, dans didn't have to wait long. Having that opening sequence launch the film presents us with Danis core conflict, yet the remainder of film spends all the time never addressing the conflict (except when Pelle tried to do once) the rest of the characters pretty much never begin to look at the events unfolding and ask or relate to how is this affecting Dani, and as an audience we also have to make the connection to look at it from that angle as the film (i believe) moves away from that central conflict to further display her isolation and lack of connection. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. BUY OUR MERCH: http://bit.ly/stigmaPB A therapist breaks down Midsommar and asks—is Christian gaslighting Dani? Dani also though, is only clinging to Christian because of her lack of independence.