The movie “Midsommar”, written and directed by Ari Aster, centers around a group of friends in their early twenties and the girlfriend of one, with her being the protagonist. The message of the movie has to do with long-held cultish traditions of a Swedish commune. Aster made a name for himself after the release of the movie “Hereditary” in 2018, which he also wrote
and directed. Similar to the first film, “Midsommar”
is filled with foreshadowing and hidden messages as both include cults of sorts who plan the events of the movie out long before the events take place. This lends the movie to rewatches in order to pick up on them.
The movie opens with a mural that depicts cryptic and colorful drawings, including ancient runes, people dancing, and all four seasons. This mural paints out the entire story of the movie without giving away what happens, making it a cool metaphorical easter egg for people
who decide to watch the movie again. The first events of the movie take place in the winter, as Dani, the protagonist of the film, is phoning her detached and distant boyfriend, Christian, because her sister sent an email ending with “Goodbye” and isn’t replying to any of Dani’s emails.
Christian, however, is planning on breaking up with Dani as he discusses things with his friends, Mark, Josh, and Pelle. As the guys talk about it, Christian gets a call from Dani, who just discovered that her sister killed herself and their parents, making Dani an orphan and causing Christian to stay with her. At a party, Dani finds out about the guys’ plan to visit Pelle’s family
in Sweden who live on a commune and will be celebrating their Midsommar Festival. Dani is first upset with Christian but decides that she will go too, much to the chagrin of Christian’s friends. Once they arrive, they quickly become disoriented with the commune’s traditions which include psychedelics. As the group observes the commune’s gruesome traditions which honor
the circle of life, which they have compared to the seasons, they’re picked apart due to greed, fate, lust, or disrespect of the traditions and it doesn’t take long for them to discover that this Swedish village is not what they first appeared to be.