Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Several friends travel to Sweden to study as anthropologists a summer festival that is held every ninety years in the remote hometown of one of them. What begins as a dream vacation in a place where the sun never sets, gradually turns into a dark nightmare as the mysterious inhabitants invite them to participate in their disturbing festive activities.
Midsommar is a visually stunning and emotionally distinctive folk horror film. Ari Aster's direction and Pawel Pogorzelski's sun-drenched cinematography are genuinely exceptional — the decision to set horror in broad daylight is executed with rare craft and confidence. Florence Pugh delivers a career-defining performance, anchoring the film's emotional core with raw, physical grief that elevates it beyond genre. The film is highly distinctive in tone and conception, blending breakup drama with pagan ritual horror in a way that feels singular. However, the plot structure is somewhat predictable once the framework is established — attentive viewers will anticipate the trajectory — and the ending, while cathartic and visually arresting, follows a logic the film telegraphs early, diminishing its impact as a true surprise. It remains one of the most unique horror films of its decade.