Midsommar

Pre-warning: Mentions of cult behavior, suicide, death, and a lot of cursing because what the hell is this movie? (Mom, I’m sorry for the cursing. Truly. But watch the movie. I think you’ll agree.) Also, not spoiler free. Why would it be spoiler free? Watch the movie, come back to me. I wanna talk about EVERYTHING.

Other than that, enjoy!

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I, more than anything, am a consumer.

Of art, of film, of words, of food.

And I absolutely adore that privilege.

Since June, I noticed that I tend to read a book a week, and watch 2x the movies. But this month, I haven’t made any progress on the books list I had for September. I have, however, watched movie, after movie, after movie, and today, I’d like to talk about one of them.

Midsommar

So, for this one, I know that I’m late to the game. It came out in July of 2019, and it. Was. E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E!!!!

I had read and watched multiple rave reviews for the movie, but I was 15 when the movie came out, and the senior who had adopted me as a freshman told me that I was most definitley not stable enough to watch it yet.

And she was right. Thank you for saving me from myself, Itze!

This movie, for many, was the moment they discovered and fell head-over heels for Florence Pugh.

Since I hadn’t watched this movie until this past Sunday night, that movie for me was Little Women, and I’ve watched every Cooking With Flo video since.

So for me, this movie was the moment that I fell back in love with her. (Though, I never fell out)

When I started the movie, it was 11:30pm, and I couldn’t sleep, so I went, “Hey, remember that movie that people said kinda traumatized them? Let’s put that on and head to bed.”

That was probably the best choice I’ve ever made in my entire life.

The second best, was putting all my genuine and immediate reactions into my notes, to later expand on those ideas here on the blog.

So, with the reminder of this:

LET’S! GET! INTO IT!!!!

◦ I don’t think I ever consciously watched an A24 movie. I don’t think I like them. They smell like Buzzfeed. But then again I ate that sh*t up in middle school so idk

> Now, I’ve mentioned before how absolutely horrible I am at being a conscious consumer. Ask me who directed the film, who starred, who each cast and crew member is married to, how many children they have, their hometown, and I’ll have the answers for you. But ask me what production company this film comes from? Deer in headlights.

So no, I’ve never watched an A24 movie, in the sense that I’ve never seen it and gone, “Oh, this is A24”. I’ve never watched or not watched a movie because it was an A24 production, and I don’t know the story and filming styles associated with them. But I’m learning! And that’s all that really matters!

Also, I think I said, “They smell like Buzzfeed,” because, I truly, truly meant that. The beginning of this production was so viscerally Millenial, and things like that tend to make me nauseous. But in middle school, I wanted to be a millenial so bad, that it almost satisfied some part of me to feel that way? I don’t know, but it was a weird feeling that I felt I needed to clarify. Moving on!

◦ Why so many shots of snow and frozen lake?

> I understand now that it was to show the night and day between winter and summer, the icy isolation that she felt when she lost her family, when her boyfriend was pulling away, when she had no person or thing to turn to. And the warmth that summer brought her, the community and support, however dark and twisted and cruel. But I still kind of stand by it. Why so many, A24? For why?

◦ God I’m in love with Florence Pugh

> Read it again. No explanation needed. I love her so much.

◦ Hey it’s eyebrows guy! I love that guy! Will Poulter make my heart 🌞

> Also self-explanatory. That dude just LOOKS cool. He IS cool. He’s dope as hell. He’s also just great in this movie.

◦ WILLIAM JACKSON HARPER IS IN THIS TOO????

> I. LOVE. WILLIAM JACKSON HARPER.

◦ Pugh+Harper= me becoming an unreliable critic

> The SECOND they came together on screen, every bit of critique over the actual filming and writing of this movie, flew out the window. Everything that you’re about to read from here on out, just…is clearly more of a watching-a-reality-TV show type of thing than a wanna-be-director-slash-screenwriter type of thing. I have no capability of professionalism when these two are involved.

◦ This Christian dude sucks

> He’s a coward, and he’s lame, and he’s stinky. That’s all I’ve got to say. This guy stinks!

◦ FLORENCE WHY YOU BEGGING THIS MAN TO STAY?

> SHE IS WAY TO PRETTY AND GORGEOUS AND SMART AND STRONG. But alas, Dani is completely different. She is most definitely all those things, but she doesn’t believe in those parts of herself, so she portrays herself as none of them. Makes me sad. But also, she is just the muse of tragedy, ain’t she? Like, DAMN.

◦ OOH I LIKED THAT AIRPORT BATHROOM SHOT. THATS MY SH*T

> THAT WAS SO COOL. I LOVED THAT SO MUCH. I’M STILL FAN GIRLING OVER IT! In the wide spectrum of film, is it the most amazing ever? Maybe not. Maybe, I am just easily impressed. But whatever! I loved it. Moving on!

◦ Homie (Christian) looks WORSE in better lighting

> No shade to the actor. Or maybe shade, I don’t know this man personally. But I hate him so much. He’s a coward, and a liar, and a little b-*-t-c-h. I DONT like him.

◦ Mark is so annoying when he’s high. Same.

> Have I ever been high? No. Am I annoying and ditzy when really tired? Absolutely. I believe both would have the same effect. Therefore, Same.

◦ GRASS HANDS SJDJENFK

> I don’t know why I found this so hilarious, but I do. I found it so funny.

◦ Woods>

> I have literally no idea what any of that is about. Is there a shot of the woods? Did I like it? Did I hate it? I don’t remember.

◦ I know they’re in Sweden but why is everyone white

> I STAND BY THIS! The only POC are the ones that they’ve brought from the outside, and I would understand and be comfortable with that if some of them had stayed. But the priest or cult leader or whatever had said that they bring in people to stay and mate with their members to avoid incest. So….how come none of them were people of color? This is when the people of color who were brought in from America and the UK should have realized, “Hey, this is NOT the move for us. We are, SURROUNDED. Maybe,,, we should, NOT do this.” Like, the MOMENT I heard that they have brought people in before, I would have asked to talk to them and ask them questions, and ask where all the POC are that they brought in. That’s the first thing I would have thought.

Actually that’s a lie. It’s the second. The first would’ve been, “I wonder if fairies live around here.” Because, that landscape was beautiful as hell. And then I would have become violently aware of my skin color.

◦ Did she just claim that man? That was a claim kick, wasn’t it?

> Yeah, I was right. She was Babe Ruth pointing his bat out to the stadium. And you know what, she got that man. She got that man good. Good job.

◦ HE FORGOT HER BIRTHDAY?

> I. Hate. This. Man.

◦ I hate Americans.

> At this point, I knew this was gonna be a cult. But up until some real weird cult stuff happens, respect the culture, man. I think this was about them reacting to the love story tapestry, and I stand by this comment in that context. I know my culture has a BUNCH of stuff that, from an ignorant American stance, I’d find weird or disturbing. So why be so openly disrespectful? Tuck it in your pocket, analyze it as a move to stay or leave, and move on.

◦ I’m far too American.

> This is where I started to get a lil judgmental. Don’t remember about what. But it was around midnight, and I was becoming far too honest.

◦ They’re 72, huh?

> Yeah I knew they were gonna die, the second they started walking towards those tables. BUT I THOUGHT THEY WERE DRINKING POISON OR SOMETHING! I WAS LIKE, “oh, peaceful poison death. Maybe this cult, while crazy, not so cruel.”

◦ WHAT THE F*CK AM I WATCHING?

> THIS IS WHEN I REALIZED THEY WERE BOTH CRAZY and CRUEL. WHAT IS THIS? WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?WHAT?

◦ NVM ABOUT AMERICANS SUCKING I 💖 🇺🇸 WE RULE THEY NEED TO GTFO OF THERE

> WHY WAS NO ONE LEAVING? WHY WAS NO ONE BUT THE UK FOLK TRUSTING THEIR INSTINCTS? LITERALLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING?

◦ Pelle literally picked her out to die, huh

> What a weird lil dude, Pelle. Why he feel so entitled to her? She is her her own person, who makes her own decisions. Are they stupid ass decisions? I believe so, Christian being one of them. But still!

◦ Also, to be fair, these shots are pretty good. I’m just f*cking baffled

> In this very second, I was desperate to get back to the original intention of me writing this all down in my notes. I was desperate to escape this moment, to forget what had happened, to watch them leave this commune in the middle of nowhere, Sweden. But um. That did not happen.

◦ Best B-day trip EVER

> *smiley face with tongue sticking out emoji*

◦ why the F*CK did he let her go so far from him??? They’re gonna kidnap her IK it

> LET’S SAY IT TOGETHER, GANG! “Christian! F-ing! SUUUUUUUUCCCKKSS!!!!!!!” For real, I understand that they’re BOTH processing something traumatic and heavy. But how in the hell is he going to let her out of his sight right after that just happened? TWO OLD PEOPLE JUMPEF OFF OF A CLIFF. One of them has a completely unrecognizable figure. The other, was still alive after he had fallen and shattered his legs, and had to be BEATEN TO DEATH WITH A MALLET TO THE HEAD. ?????????

◦ HE JUST GONNA TYPE NOW?

> I understand. I get it. He’s writing the thing he came her for, he’s working on his Thesis. But you know the great thing about laptops? They allow you to write things, wherever you are. They’re mobile. He could write this here, or he could write it ON THE FIRST PLANE OUT OF THAT WEIRD FLORAL HELL HOLE.

◦ Yo why the F*CK are they talking about thesis’s??? GET OUT OF THERE

> How is Christian just going to take that from him? That’s so majorly f’ed up. This dude sucks.

◦ YOU F*CKING TELL HIM JOSH

> I love William Jackson Harper. He rocks.

◦ CHRISTIAN SUCKS

> HE LITERALLY IS WALKING GARBAGE. WALKING POOP IN FLAMES. I HATE HIM. He doesn’t even know where his girlfriend is, he’s not making any plans to get them to safety or even just help each other process what just happened???? Like, what? What is going on???

◦ PELLE GET THE F*CK AWAY FROM HER

> AGAIN! Why does he feel entitled to this woman? She has never expressed a want to be with him, to be his, emotionally or physically? He’s just some dude, who is besties with her boyfriend, and who brought them to his communal cult somewhere out in the mountains and forest of Sweden. What?!!

◦ I understand keeping an open mind, I understand that is cultural, and that’s what I was thinking BEFORE THEY WERE MADE TO WATCH CULT SUICIDES

> See? I understand, that this is their culture, that it needs to be respected and heard out and understood. BUT THEY DIDN’T WARN THEM. Maybe they never even though to. And I think that would make it worse, to be honest.

◦ Men are ignorant af

> They are so unaware of the extreme circumstances they’re surrounded in. They’re using their education in the most wrong way ever in the world. Yes, I get it, you’re anthropologists and you’re studying a culture. But these people, who are apart of said culture, are PEOPLE. They’re humans. Humans are inherently illogical, irrational, and often react based on emotion and first instinct. Insulting them openly, and wildly questioning them, TO THEIR FACES, is a very vulnerable position to put yourself in. And yet, they’ve no plans to escape, to leave, to even arm or defend themselves in the event that they can not or are not allowed to leave. What the hell?

◦ NOOOOOOOOOOIIII

> NOT HARPER. I’m so sad! But also, he really should have minded his business. Americans, man.

◦ F*CK! THIS! CHRISTIAN! DUDE! (Christian is his name, not his religion, though I honestly don’t know or care what his religion is. I hate him.)

> Speaks for itself, me thinks.

◦ He is literally throwing the only black dude still there under the bus because he had the original idea for the thesis that F*cking Christian stole. I hate this man.

> Still hate this man. “It’s because he’s scared 😦 😦 :(” He’s a coward. I want him gone.

◦ OKAY AUDIO

> I LOVE WHEN AUDIO DOES THIS. Like when you hear songs transfer from headphones to 3rd person prespective, and especially this one. From inside the dance circle to an observer.

◦ I hope I never ever trip that hard in my LIFE

> Christian is tripping HARD. AND WAS THAT THE BRITISH DUDE? DID THEY LITERALLY SKIN THIS MAN? Also, I now understand why they’re all white. They literally killed every single POC that came into their community. All of their victims, from outside of the cult, were brown and black except for one.

◦ PELLE I ALREADY TOLD YOU

> Why did he kiss her?? I know why. But why?

◦ That is a CHILD Christian

> She literally can not be more than 15. Also, is it weird that I expected this kind of conceiving ceremony? I kinda appreciate the idea of it. It makes sense, since they all raise the children together, that all the women (or most of them) would be there. I don’t know, I think I just mean that like, it’s maybe the least shocking cultural display I’ve seen from them.

◦ Pugh Pout!

> iconic.

◦ YEAH F*CK THAT GUY

> I WAS SO EXCITED THAT SHE PICKED HIM. SO. HAPPY. When I saw him burning in that bear suit? I agree. But the stuffed bodies? Ew, ew, ew, ew ,ew. Also, what about their families? Do they have families? What’s going to happen when they’re reported missing? What happened after, you know?

◦ I’m in love with Florence Pugh

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As diabolical as it sounds, the end of the movie, where she’s looking into the fire with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, all I could think was, “Good for her.”

She had been through so much, she was brought somewhere she never intended to go in a desperate attempt to reconnect with a man that wanted nothing to do with her. She, quite honestly, made the best of her situation.

Dani, the May Queen.

Good for her.

Rate: 4/5