Midsommar

Ari Aster’s disappointing followup to 2018’s masterful Hereditary, Midsommar follows American couple Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) as they and some friends (William Jackson Harper’s Josh and Will Poulter’s Mark) travel to Sweden for an annual summer festival – with problems ensuing as their seemingly friendly and laid-back hosts are eventually revealed to have a far more sinister side than anticipated. Prior to the characters’ arrival in Sweden, however, writer/director Aster delivers an opening stretch that’s nothing short of stunning in its impact and effectiveness – with the movie, beyond that point, segueing into a predictably deliberate narrative that’s certainly quite heavy on atmosphere and anticipation (ie it’s clear that this is all heading towards something horrifying). And although Aster peppers the proceedings with appreciatively engrossing interludes (eg a seemingly placid ceremony that grows gruesome awfully fast), Midsommar‘s slow-burn vibe, coupled with an unreasonably long running time, paves the way for a somewhat repetitive midsection that seems to consist mostly of one oddball ritual after another – with the progressively less-than-compelling environment exacerbated by the surviving characters’ passive, drug-fueled response to the growing chaos around them. The over-the-top final stretch is, as a result, unable to pack the jaw-dropping punch that Aster is clearly striving for, which ultimately does confirm Midsommar‘s place as a rather underwhelming sophomore effort from a filmmaker undoubtedly capable of much, much better.

** out of ****