This article contains spoilers!
Warning: This movie and article contain talk of suicide.
Who was Dani?
Dani was a college undergraduate, and the girlfriend of Christian Hughes, trying her best to navigate their relationship, which was distant and toxic before her sister committed a murder-suicide. Making her way to Sweden with Christian and his friends, Dani attempts to improve her relationship with Christian and make friends to get over the events regarding her sister.
What was Midsommar?
In the middle of winter, Dani was traumatized after her mentally ill sister Terri killed their parents and herself. This puts a strain on Dani’s relationship with her distant boyfriend, Christian.
Several months later, Christian and his friends, Mark and Josh, were invited by their Swedish friend Pelle to attend a nine-day midsummer festival at his ancestral commune, the Hårga. Josh saw it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and was set on attending the festival. Christian had planned to break up with Dani, who was still grieving the death of her family, but decided to ask her to go with him.
At the commune, they meet Simon and Connie, a British couple whom Pelle’s commune-brother Ingemar invited. The day after their arrival, the group witnesses an ättestupa ceremony, where two elders commit suicide by jumping off a cliff onto the rocks below. When one of the elders survives, the other members mimic his screams of pain before ultimately crushing his head with a mallet. The commune elder, Siv, attempts to calm Connie and Simon by explaining that every member does this at the age of 72 and that it is considered a great honor.
Christian also decides to write his thesis on the Hårga commune, irritating Josh. Dani is disturbed by the ceremonies and wants to leave, but Pelle convinces her to stay. Connie and Simon demand to leave and are individually driven to a nearby train station. During his thesis research, Christian is told that outsiders are sometimes brought into the commune for “reproducing.” He is encouraged to participate but refuses, but is ultimately lured away by one of the female members. That same night, Josh sneaks out of bed to take photographs of the sacred texts. He is caught by a man wearing Mark’s skinned face and is bludgeoned to death for taking photos of the texts.
The following day, Dani and Christian are pushed into drinking a hallucinogenic tea. Dani wins a maypole dancing competition and is crowned May Queen. While she is competing, Christian is drugged and participates in a ritual to impregnate Maja, a young member of the Hårga. Dani witnesses the ritual and has a panic attack while she is surrounded by the commune’s women, who mimic her cries. After the ritual, a naked Christian attempts to run. He discovers Josh’s severed leg planted in a flowerbed and a barely alive Simon on display in a barn, having been made into a blood eagle. An elder catches him and blows a powder in his face that paralyzes him.
For the final ceremony, the commune leaders explain that the commune must offer nine human sacrifices to purge it of evil. The commune already had 9 of their sacrifices, and as the May Queen, Dani must choose between the paralyzed Christian or a randomly selected commune member as the final sacrifice. She ultimately chooses Christian, who is stuffed into a disemboweled bear’s body and placed in a wooden temple alongside the other sacrifices. As the commune prays, the temple is set on fire. Dani smiles while she breaks down as the temple collapses.
My Review
“Midsommar” masterfully blends elements of horror, drama, and psychological thriller to create a chilling and thought-provoking narrative. The scenic setting turns dark early in the movie, revealing disturbing traditions and escalating tensions within the group. The visual effects utilized completely bring what the characters are seeing and feeling to life. Nothing on the screen is out of place and everything has meaning.
