Midsommar (2019)

	Directed by: Ari Aster	COUNTRY USA/Sweden Genre Folk horror NORWEGIAN TITLE Midsommar RUNNING TIME 148 minutes
	Produced by: Patrik Andersson Lars Knudsen
	Written by: Ari Aster

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Dani	Florence Pugh	½
Christian	Jack Reynor
Mark	Will Poulter	½
Josh	William Jackson Harper
Pelle	Vilhelm Blomgren	½
Simon	Archie Madekwe	-
Connie	Ellora Torchia	-
Siv	Gunnel Fred	-
Maja	Isabelle Grill	-
Sten	Lars Väringer	-
Ulf	Henrik Norlén	-

Review

Ari Aster returns with his second feature after his remarkably successful debut Hereditary, and yet again he ventures into a chilling hidden world of cultism – only this time, we’re going to sunny Sweden for a midsummer festival where everything feels breezy and sunny… for a while. Midsummar’s delightful mixture of green fields, warm light and cheerful traditions on the one side, and what turns out to be rather sinister religious practices on the other is what sets this film apart and makes it such a refreshing horror experience. Although Aster borrows bits and pieces from a host of previous entries in the genre, he combines them expertly and builds-up his story to a eerie, gut-wrenching climax which hits its mark regardless of whether you saw it coming or not. Along the way you must brace yourself for some gore and wickedness which make Midsommar simultaneously compelling and repugnant. The talented British actress Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth, Little Women) gives a courageous, committed performance in the lead as Dani. The wonderful photo is by Aster's regular cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski.