Hereditary was full-on terrifying. Like absolutely hiding-behind-the-couch-sleeping-with-the-lights-on-for-a-week-after-level terrifying. The director, Ari Aster, has now come along with his second film, Midsommar which looks like it could surpass Hereditary for fear factor.
Midsommar stars Florence Pugh (Fighting with My Family) as Dani, a college student in a miserably co-dependent relationship with her boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor, Free Fire). Just when he seemed like he was about to break up with her, after years of simmering resentments and miseries have been tearing them apart, her whole family dies in a shocking murder/suicide.
Now Christian can’t bring himself to end the relationship, so instead he invites her to go on vacation with him. Grieving, but unable to say no, Dani joins Christian and his friends on a journey to Sweden, where the folksy hometown of one of his fellow students, Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren), is holding a festival that only comes around every 90 years.
In the US, Midsommar was said to be as close to being rated NC-17 as possible. NC-17 is a rating above R(18) in the States, which means under 17s are not permitted, whereas with R-rated films it's the parents call. Midsommar contains disturbing ritualistic violence, and graphic nudity. For anyone wondering, graphic nudity, means genitals, rather than just arse, which is just classified as nudity.
The script has been leaked online, so details have surfaced. Some of the more interesting violent moments include; a guy getting skinned alive, then has his skin worn by another character; a guy goes missing and is discovered to be hung in a chicken coop, chest split open and birdseed shoved around his liver all while still alive; and a dude gets paralyzed and flash boiled in the carcass of a bear. It's not gonna be pretty.
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Midsommar is getting favourable reviews in the US previews. The juxtaposition of the dark, brutal violence, against the beautiful summer sunshine in the wilds of Sweden gives the film a very unsettling aura.
Midsommar is released in Irish cinemas on July 5.
