A slightly pastoral white dress, a crown of flowers and nature far from civilization: that’s all it takes for me to evoke a horror film that had such an impact on me and which takes place in broad daylight: “Midsommar” directed by Ari Aster in 2019.
“Midsommar” follows the psychological evolution of Dani (Florence Pugh), an American student emotionally weakened by the suicide of her bipolar sister Terri who also murdered their parents at the same time. This tragedy further strains the already distant relationship that Dani maintains with her lover Christian (Jack Reynor), who plans to go to Harga in Sweden with his group of friends for a festival celebrating the Summer solstice.
Christian finally decides to invite Dani to Sweden, less out of love than out of obligation. They are welcomed in the heart of Swedish nature by a pastoral community where peaceful life is intended to be in harmony with life and the cycle of nature.
However, it quickly becomes obvious that this sect which does not say its name follows very specific rules. An elderly couple commits ritual suicide from the top of a cliff in front of everyone, the child who delivers his oracles to the community of Harga is born of incest and public sexual rites do little to hide the reality of the rapes that take place in this closed society.
Dani, for her part, is regularly under the influence of hallucinogenic mushrooms. She is increasingly abandoned by Christian, whom she finally surprises in the act of adultery.
Sometime later, Dani is crowned Queen of May, a highly esteemed title within Harga, which grants her the right of life or death over those in the community. How will the fragile Dani use this power?
“Midsommar” is more of a psychological horror film than a classic horror film – despite some graphic scenes, everything happens in broad daylight and the classic mechanics of the movie genre are abandoned and replaced by an absolutely uneasy atmosphere.
The film mainly follows the evolution of the relationship between Christian and Dani, and especially the evolution of the latter who finds herself – without any family, traumatized by the violent loss of her sister and her parents whose mourning is impossible, poorly loved by an inattentive and selfish partner – suddenly accepted into a community that feels like family and which celebrates her as a person of importance.
The themes of mourning, family, love, emotional breakdown, death and rebirth permeate “Midsommar” and make it a truly astonishing cinematic object.
Editor’s note: here are some photos of your humble servant with flowers on her head, which we quickly got rid of for an outfit more suited to modern and non-sectarian life.
Caroll dress – Repetto flat shoes – Paul & Joe sunglasses – Moreau Paris tote bag
June 27, 2025
