Midsommar (2019)
You don't just watch Midsommar. You get bludgeoned by it. From the very first frames, Ari Aster is coming for your senses with a relentless, sun-drenched assault that refuses to let you look away, even when every instinct is telling you to.
And it starts with something genuinely extraordinary: the visuals. Aster and his team have built a picturebook, almost dreamlike world that is completely drenched in blinding, vibrant colour. There is nothing dark or shadowy about this horror, and that is precisely what makes it so unsettling. Horror is supposed to lurk in the dark, isn't it? Midsommar strips that comfort away entirely. Everything happens in broad, blazing daylight, and when you layer in the trippy, disorienting effects of the psychedelics kicking in for the characters, the result is a visual feast unlike almost anything else I have seen in the genre. It reminded me, in a strange way, of watching Only God Forgives, where the craft is so aggressively stylised that it almost becomes its own argument for the film's existence.
Fair play to the audio team as well, because the sound design and the accompanying score are brilliant. There is a deeply unsettling atmosphere built here that gets right under your skin well before a single drop of blood is spilled. That is a real achievement. When a horror film can make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up using nothing but ambient noise and an eerie melody over a field of flowers, it is doing something right.
But here is where my feelings get complicated, because the human element is a bit of a mess. Florence Pugh is nothing short of amazing. She anchors the entire film with a raw, emotionally devastating performance that carries every ounce of its considerable weight. She is phenomenal, full stop. The trouble is, the same cannot be said for those around her. Jack Reynor struggles to bring any real depth to his role, leaving a character who should feel genuinely complicated coming across as just flat. And Will Poulter is, as usual, thoroughly annoying, though I will concede that may occasionally be the point. When you have a lead giving absolutely everything, the lack of spark from the rest of the ensemble only shines a spotlight on the disconnect.
Narrative-wise, the plot is easy enough to follow, but it is also quite predictable, marching steadily toward its inevitable, macabre conclusions. If you have seen enough folk horror, you will likely clock where this is all heading fairly early on. The infamous sequence involving the elderly couple is extremely gory and genuinely stomach-churning, proof that Aster has absolutely no problem pushing the boundaries of good taste. Some of the later scenes, particularly the sexual ones, veer into territory that feels less provocative and more just a bit odd and uncomfortable for its own sake. There is a fine line between bold filmmaking and gratuitousness, and Midsommar occasionally stumbles over it.
I found myself genuinely torn walking away from this one. Aster had all the right ingredients to craft something truly groundbreaking. For long stretches, it absolutely feels like a modern horror classic in the making. The craft is there, the central performance is there, and the sheer audacity of the concept is there. But because the supporting performances are so uneven and the storyline never quite manages to surprise you, it falls just short of the greatness it is clearly reaching for.
That said, it is a highly watchable, visually stunning, and deeply unsettling piece of work that will linger in your mind long after the credits roll. It just does not quite stick the landing perfectly, and given how much it gets right, that is genuinely frustrating. Three and a half stars.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 2019 | Watched: 2026-07-18
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Rent: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel · HBO Max
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
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