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Midsommar (new movie from director of Hereditary)

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    #32
    johnny_ultimate
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 29,206 CMod ✭✭✭✭johnny_ultimate


    I was laughing at it pretty frequently, because it's a very funny film. Comedy is as essential an ingredient in Aster's freewheeling cocktail as any of the scares.
    Ari Aster wrote:
    I hope it’s wrenching and funny. And I hope you’re laughing at the end! Best-case scenario, you’re laughing at the end, and the laughs catch in your throat a little.

    https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/07/ari-aster-midsommar-interview/593194/


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    #33
    Fysh
    Moderators, Arts Moderators, Regional Abroad Moderators Posts: 11,023 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fysh


    I thought the shifts in tone were much better handled in Midsommar than Hereditary, but perhaps a key for me was that I've met people exactly like Reynor's Christian, so while he was an odious little turdstreak of a character, he was for me at least a wholly believable one. Dani's gaslit and emotionally harrowed character was also believable for me, and enough of the film follows her experience that the shifts in tone and oddness made a sort of sense.

    Mind you, from the first I'd heard of the film the most obvious comparison seemed to be The Wicker Man, which for me at least equated to a frame of mind along the lines of "it's not about what happens but how we get there". The visual elements of the presentation and the various jokes sprinkled throughout worked for me as a sort of punctuation amongst the larger uneasy or outright gorily brutal bits, but I expect that if the weirder bits aren't hitting home the lighter moments might just come off as incongruous.

    In terms of more things like this being made - not enjoying the story or its telling is an absolutely personal thing and whatever someone says about a film won't make another person retroactively enjoy it. But for me, there are several things I would be delighted for other films to mimic from Midsommar - the use of subtle and minor effects to emphasise the mood in certain scenes, the use of music, the prop & production design were fantastic, and the photography looked stunning.


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    #34
    Outlaw Pete
    Registered Users Posts: 10,423 ✭✭✭✭Outlaw Pete


    I'm not suggesting there wasn't aspects of the film where laughter wasn't just what Aster may have wanted, or at least something he would welcome. Of course there are lots of dark films, be they horror or otherwise, where the viewer will go from feeling uneasy and/or tense, to immediately laughing. The genre is full of them, of course, be harder to find such films where that's not an aspect, than where it is.

    However, what I'm referring to is laughter at scenes where that wasn't the intention, scenes which were clearly meant to be "scare" scenes, or scenes where the viewers empathy is attempting to be evoked. Laughter that is evoked for the right reasons results in someone enjoying a film, not getting up and walking out, which is what I witnessed many doing after having been laughing just moments before.


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    #35
    Fysh
    Moderators, Arts Moderators, Regional Abroad Moderators Posts: 11,023 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fysh


    Were there any scenes in particular that prompted laughter rather than the desired effect? I can see how that would throw things off alright, I've had similar reactions myself (a "tragic" suicide scene that was so overwrought that it came off as comical, for example), particularly if the audience around you is also responding in the same way.


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    #36
    santana75
    Registered Users Posts: 1,304 ✭✭✭santana75


    I thought this film was profoundly disturbing. From the word go there was a sense of dread about the whole thing. Its a film I never want to see again but that said I thought the acting was very good, and not for one minute was I bored by it in any way. I would even say its a great movie, just a dark piece of work that is the anthesis of feel good.


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    #37
    johnny_ultimate
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 29,206 CMod ✭✭✭✭johnny_ultimate


    There’s a three-hour director’s cut premiering shortly in the US, so fingers crossed it gets a home release of some sort here. Would be quite keen to give it a look. Had a few issues with the pacing of act three, but would still think there’s lots of room for wild tangents or more work to build on the film’s magnificent atmosphere :)

    https://twitter.com/filmlinc/status/1151198845554106370?s=21


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    #38
    RickBlaine
    Registered Users Posts: 445 ✭✭RickBlaine


    Midsommar reminded me of another rural Swedish set horror movie from a few years ago called The Ritual. I saw it when it was released and I would have bet money that it starred Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan but I am remembering incorrectly. Neither actor is in it. I think I am getting mixed up with The World's End.


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    #39
    El Duda
    Registered Users Posts: 871 ✭✭✭El Duda


    Midsommar – 8.5/10

    A tough one to rate, as no one can really say they ‘enjoyed’ it. All I knew was that it was the follow up to Hereditary and it was set at a Swedish ‘festival’, filmed mostly in broad daylight. The trailer evokes Wickerman vibes and promised to be demented and weird. It delivered.

    Compared to Hereditary, this doesn’t try to hide anything from you. There’s no ambiguity. No twists and very little in the way of shock revelation. It broods up an atmosphere of dread and you can feel everything that is about to happen. One of Hereditary’s big downfalls was that it came across as though Ari Aster thought he was being clever, with a ‘twist’ that was telegraphed so clearly, it was almost insulting. I liked how he dropped the pretence and just went fully balls out mental here.

    It touches on the same theme of grief and throws some family/friend/relationship dynamic problems in there as well. Another similarity with Aster’s first feature is a strong central performance from a female lead. Florence Pugh picking up where Toni Collette left off with a commanding and stressful performance. Aster seems to be great at pushing the actors to extremes and conjuring deeply authentic moments of despair.
    I appreciated that there was a bit of levity thrown in. Will Poulter did a great job of reminding me just how awful magic mushrooms are whilst Jack Reynor plays a top-class, piece of **** boyfriend, without resorting to tired clichés.

    Fun for all the family and possibly my film of the year so far.


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    #40
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,309 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    Fysh wrote: »
    Were there any scenes in particular that prompted laughter rather than the desired effect? I can see how that would throw things off alright, I've had similar reactions myself (a "tragic" suicide scene that was so overwrought that it came off as comical, for example), particularly if the audience around you is also responding in the same way.

    The big scene with the redhead towards the end had us all laughing in a wtf kind of way.


    Hands down the most bizarre movie I've ever seen... But it was so very well done. The shots with the mirrors at the start. The acting. Very well done


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    #41
    RasTa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 15,116 ✭✭✭✭RasTa


    Enjoyable romp. Haven't seen his first one so will go and see.

    Also Will Poulter did a god job of reminding me how fun shrooms are!


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    #42
    yerwanthere123
    Registered Users, Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,347 Mod ✭✭✭✭yerwanthere123


    Didn't enjoy this at all I'm afraid. I don't mind slow burners but this took the piss. I didn't feel the payoff was in any way worth the wait and once we hit the hour and a half mark I couldn't wait for it to end. I liked Hereditary but I hated this.

    4/10.


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    #43
    Sandor Clegane
    Registered Users Posts: 1,100 ✭✭✭Sandor Clegane


    Are subtitles needed for this?

    Is there much Swedish dialect?


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    #44
    Birneybau
    Registered Users Posts: 10,243 ✭✭✭✭Birneybau


    Thoroughly enjoyed it over a bottle of wine tonight. Florence Pugh is a pure talent. I never took it all that seriously, amazing cinematography, sense of eeriness throughout, head filling sound design (listening through headphones).

    Has become one of my friends' favourite films.


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    #45
    Smegging hell
    Registered Users Posts: 460 ✭✭Smegging hell


    Sandor Clegane wrote: »
    Are subtitles needed for this?

    Is there much Swedish dialect?

    It's predominantly in English with only a few subtitled moments of Swedish dialogue.


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    #46
    Sandor Clegane
    Registered Users Posts: 1,100 ✭✭✭Sandor Clegane


    Smegging hell wrote: »
    It's predominantly in English with only a few subtitled moments of Swedish dialogue.

    So if I don't have subtitles it wont really affect my understanding of the plot etc...?

    Reason I ask is I can't find any decent subtitle track for it.


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    #47
    Smegging hell
    Registered Users Posts: 460 ✭✭Smegging hell


    Sandor Clegane wrote: »
    So if I don't have subtitles it wont really affect my understanding of the plot etc...?

    Reason I ask is I can't find any decent subtitle track for it.

    You will miss a minute or two but no major plot points IIRC. Most of the main characters are non-Swedish speaking Americans, and Swedish characters chiefly interact in English with them


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    #48
    Slydice
    Registered Users Posts: 10,501 ✭✭✭✭Slydice


    Gave it a watch. Left wondering really just what has me so desensitised to these kinds of horror films.

    What was impressive enough was the story, acting and directing was enough for the 2 hours 50 mins without needing to resort to quick and dirty horror stuff like *flash into terror* *flash away really quickly* moments.

    Like they wanted you to just settle right into the film and take whatever you wanted from it.


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    #49
    Slydice
    Registered Users Posts: 10,501 ✭✭✭✭Slydice


    johnny_ultimate wrote: »
    I was laughing at it pretty frequently, because it's a very funny film. Comedy is as essential an ingredient in Aster's freewheeling cocktail as any of the scares.

    Phew! :)


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    #50
    rtron
    Registered Users Posts: 637 ✭✭✭rtron


    Anyone watched the Directors Cut version yet? Is there much more in it?


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    #51
    Slydice
    Registered Users Posts: 10,501 ✭✭✭✭Slydice


    It's the version I watched. Not sure what extra was included.

    Looking at this article, it sounds like small bits and one extra scene:
    https://screenrant.com/midsommar-movie-directors-cut-new-scenes-meaning-explained/

    The extra scene if I'm remembering the feeling correctly, introduced some doubt as to whether the commune would go out of their way to kill.


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    #52
    Mizu_Ger
    Registered Users Posts: 1,561 ✭✭✭Mizu_Ger


    I watched this over the weekend and as some have mentioned this was more comedy than horror. There is a scene where Jack Reynor is offered a drink
    while they are all watching the girls dance
    and I burst out laughing at it. Very funny in parts!

    I wasn't crazy about Hereditary, but I liked this a lot.


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    #53
    Homelander
    Registered Users Posts: 4,372 ✭✭✭Homelander


    Amazing film, absolutely deeply disturbing and demented but so relentlessly engaging and darkly comical, you can't help but laugh at the sheer absurdity of a lot of it, but it's an unsettled sort of laughter. I thought Hereditary was very good, but this is genuinely a masterpiece in my opinion, the run-time just sailed by. Cannot wait for what Ari Aster comes up with next.


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    #54
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Didn't care for Hereditary but did like this - a crazy ride with superb imagery and music.

    Didn't seem to have a long runtime either.

    For sure one of the better films of the year in my book.


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    #55
    El Duda
    Registered Users Posts: 871 ✭✭✭El Duda


    Still top of my 2019 list.


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    #56
    Skerries
    Registered Users Posts: 12,342 ✭✭✭✭Skerries


    love the tombola of death
    Untitled Image




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    #57
    is_that_so
    Registered Users Posts: 32,136 ✭✭✭✭is_that_so


    Gotta say this is one of my poorest recent film experiences and I really disliked this. A fan of Pugh and Reynor but I found this utterly soporific and kept thinking how The Wicker Man was hugely superior. I read that it was originally being considered as a slasher movie and maybe that was the better approach. I came to it off the great reviews but all I could see was the predictability of the plot of weird cult doing weird things.


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    #58
    megadodge
    Registered Users Posts: 5,307 ✭✭✭megadodge


    Just came across this thread now and I'm surprised (to say the least) at the predominantly very positive reviews.

    I remember coming out of the cinema shaking my head and repeating over and over "what a stupid, stupid film".

    And that's basically it - it's the sheer stupidity (not to mention predictability) of the film that made this the worst viewing I've had in a cinema for many years. And I'm a regular cinema-goer.


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    #59
    McDermotX
    Registered Users Posts: 14,839 ✭✭✭✭McDermotX


    Thought it was very disappointing myself, and I say that as someone who went for pretty much 90% of Hereditary.
    While I'm all for personal taste etc, I do struggle to rationalise how some have arrived at placing Midsommar high on their best films of the year lists, but hey-ho.
    Predictable, boring, poorly acted, and crucially for the time spent trying to convey atmosphere, it never even approaches instilling any sense of dread in proceedings, so by the end of the ridiculously drawn out runtime, you're just glad it's over.......never to be looked at again.

    Complete misfire from Aster for me, so needs to step up on his next project or Hereditary increasingly looks like a fluke.


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    #60
    El Duda
    Registered Users Posts: 871 ✭✭✭El Duda


    I thought it was so much better than Hereditary


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    #61
    Fysh
    Moderators, Arts Moderators, Regional Abroad Moderators Posts: 11,023 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fysh


    I can sort of see why the "predictability" bit might be an issue for some - for me, it did a good job of letting the audience know what's happening so that
    the obliviousness of the group is made clear, allowing the audience to better follow how Pugh's character arc plays out (while still making clear how Reynor's boyfriend character gaslights her)
    .

    I can't see how any of the roles were poorly acted, though - Pugh's performance of someone struggling with grief was fantastic IMO, and the rest of the group were very convincing depictions of various types of arsehole.


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