Review: Midsommar
Jul. 10th, 2019 10:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glitter_n_goreThere's another terrific article going around about Ari Aster's latest brain-crunching horror film here. That review gets into many of the reasons I found it so moving--yes, moving--but not all of them.
This is going to require some CONTENT WARNINGS which are also kind of SPOILERS, one of which is a BAD TROPE, but I feel obliged to let you know about some Things in it you might want to prepare for. Such as:
Your mileage may vary on whether any of these are deal breakers, but they did create some *cringe* on my part, and not the fun kind.
SPOILER / CONTENT / BAD TROPE WARNING OVER
What I really want to talk about is the concept of found families. This might be me projecting, but I'm sensing a recurring theme is Aster's work in how he handles certain relationship dynamics. There is one scene in particular that I keep thinking about, not because of supernatural weirdness or gore, although there is certainly plenty of both. (He really likes those long, static shots of mangled faces. Be ready.)
But no, what disturbed me in a way that I took home was this underlying domestic unrest. Early on, there's a deceptively low-key argument between the main protagonist and her useless boyfriend. It seems like almost nothing on the surface. They're both trying to be polite and reasonable. But the thing is, I used to hear those same words come out of my parents' mouths before they split up, when they thought I wasn't listening. It is painful to witness in a way that will only be familiar if you've experienced it yourself, because it is so well done.
What I find so fascinating about this is that in both Midsommar and Hereditary, that disillusionment with an increasingly unstable home life is met by a community steeped in danger and magic that embraces the main character and lifts them up. In this movie, that idea is named in the dialogue as being "held." I don't want to get too personal here, but seeing someone whose sense of trust and reality has been thoroughly shaken, having her feelings loudly validated by the people we're supposed to see as the "villains," is a ride I didn't expect. They do some pretty objectively horrible things, don't get me wrong, but it's also clear this is meant to be a metaphorical kind of catharsis. Imagine suffering through a really awful trauma, having your support system stripped away, and then being brought to a place where you can feel your feelings without explanation or apology, where you finally no longer feel lost. That's a powerful idea.
This movie isn't perfect. It's grisly in places and there is that Bad Trope thing I mentioned earlier. It's not for everyone. It's also so excruciatingly bright that it felt a little like staring at the sun for two hours. But the core emotion I came away with was a heady mix of serenity and ecstasy. This movie cut me to the bone, and it is exactly what I needed.
This is going to require some CONTENT WARNINGS which are also kind of SPOILERS, one of which is a BAD TROPE, but I feel obliged to let you know about some Things in it you might want to prepare for. Such as:
- A graphic murder/suicide which is instrumental to the central plot
- An equally graphic rape scene, with a male victim (yes, it's a rape scene, I know we're supposed to hate this guy, but I want you to know where I stand on this particular thing)
- The only black character dies . . . not first, but he's the only one who dies onscreen, so it's a cousin to the usual trope, but just as bad, and we really ought to be past this sort of thing.
Your mileage may vary on whether any of these are deal breakers, but they did create some *cringe* on my part, and not the fun kind.
SPOILER / CONTENT / BAD TROPE WARNING OVER
What I really want to talk about is the concept of found families. This might be me projecting, but I'm sensing a recurring theme is Aster's work in how he handles certain relationship dynamics. There is one scene in particular that I keep thinking about, not because of supernatural weirdness or gore, although there is certainly plenty of both. (He really likes those long, static shots of mangled faces. Be ready.)
But no, what disturbed me in a way that I took home was this underlying domestic unrest. Early on, there's a deceptively low-key argument between the main protagonist and her useless boyfriend. It seems like almost nothing on the surface. They're both trying to be polite and reasonable. But the thing is, I used to hear those same words come out of my parents' mouths before they split up, when they thought I wasn't listening. It is painful to witness in a way that will only be familiar if you've experienced it yourself, because it is so well done.
What I find so fascinating about this is that in both Midsommar and Hereditary, that disillusionment with an increasingly unstable home life is met by a community steeped in danger and magic that embraces the main character and lifts them up. In this movie, that idea is named in the dialogue as being "held." I don't want to get too personal here, but seeing someone whose sense of trust and reality has been thoroughly shaken, having her feelings loudly validated by the people we're supposed to see as the "villains," is a ride I didn't expect. They do some pretty objectively horrible things, don't get me wrong, but it's also clear this is meant to be a metaphorical kind of catharsis. Imagine suffering through a really awful trauma, having your support system stripped away, and then being brought to a place where you can feel your feelings without explanation or apology, where you finally no longer feel lost. That's a powerful idea.
This movie isn't perfect. It's grisly in places and there is that Bad Trope thing I mentioned earlier. It's not for everyone. It's also so excruciatingly bright that it felt a little like staring at the sun for two hours. But the core emotion I came away with was a heady mix of serenity and ecstasy. This movie cut me to the bone, and it is exactly what I needed.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-11 02:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-07-11 05:44 pm (UTC)If you do see it in theaters, I highly recommend going to a matinee show. It's extra-weird to come out of it and see the sun still shining!
no subject
Date: 2019-07-11 11:15 pm (UTC)