MIDSOMMAR: Is It Deep or Dumb?

Midsommar was the much anticipated follow up to Ari Aster's Hereditary. And in sheer weirdness, it did not disappoint. But is this film merely an appalling spectacle, or is there more to the story than bizarre orgies and burning barns? Let's find out in this Wisecrack Edition on Midsommar: Is It Deep or Dumb?
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Written by: Amanda Scherker
Directed by: Elizabeth Yarwood
Hosted by: Jared Bauer
Motion Graphics by: Luke Gibson (lukegibson.tv)
Editing by: Andrew Nishimura
Produced by: Evan Yee
© 2019 Wisecrack / Omnia Media, Inc.
#midsommar #deepordumb #ariaster

[@LegeCre]

Basically Dani jumped from a toxic relationship with a man to a toxic relationship with a whole community

[@yt-sh]

its evolving but in reverse

[@wuhoolife]

Well she's free to leave.

[@_mel_9953]

wuhoo life Is she though? It is a cult, after all

[@masonreed6845]

@@wuhoolife because trying to leave worked out so well for the british couple

[@nuzabe9054]

@@wuhoolife well the others were free to leave, but uhh did you watch the same movie?

[@Demonstormlord]

As a Swede, I can tell you that the most unrealistic aspect of the movie is there actually being sunny weather on midsummer eve.

[@juriskrumgolds5810]

I am Latvian and we have our own Midsummer festival - Līgo celebrations. Or the other name - day of Jānis - Latvian name for Saint John. And it's believed it always rains on Līgo. We have a proverb in Latvia - Līst kā pa Jāņiem. It literally means "Raining like on Jānis day", it's an old fashioned way to describe a heavy rain outside.

[@m.a1283]

Its so dumb just like the rest of the horror movie try to been serious.

[@jonathanfoote5720]

Oh The Sweet irony of your post!

[@hannespetersson529]

Haha sannaste jag hört

[@donkey5916]

This is true

[@DJSamsonofficial]

i feel like Pelle is the actual villain in this film. He's the one that lures them into the community really.

[@Jay-qh6uv]

I don’t think he knows he’s being a villain. I think he thinks he’s truly doing the right thing. And is he? It’s hard to say. He’s a good guy depending on who you ask, how you view certain ancient cultures and how you view religion/“cults” (aka religion - time, religion is just cult + time).

[@naaji5606]

No shit

[@Vman_95]

It's his job to attract tourists to them so they can do their voodoo sacrifice stuff and find new queen for their tribe.

[@experz2077]

@@Jay-qh6uv he made out with her and wanted her to break up with her boyfriend by manipulating them

[@dailyartist4]

Yeah that dude was a dick. Both selfishly taking advantage of danis vulnerability and deceiving people to get sacrificed

[@bugsyboy]

My least favorite thing is people assume that Dani is now happy with the Harga like she hasn’t been on hard drugs the entire movie and won’t be hit with a world of pain the second she sobers up and realizes what happened to her.

[@saint2600]

hard drugs? she wasn't doing coke or meth

[@bugsyboy]

@@saint2600 she was taking hallucinogenics bro- that fucks you up

[@saint2600]

@@bugsyboy it can, but i wouldn't consider it a hard drug . im just nit picking tho . a lot of places are looking into legalization for shrooms bc it can help with mental illness, unlike shit like meth

[@cmen6895]

@@saint2600 They are some of the hardest drugs. Cock is only addictive, mushrooms change your entire life. Being hard isnt always bad.

[@spoonhouseinc.1124]

@@cmen6895 Cock is addictive? Being hard isn't bad???? 🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐

[@BrandonAEnglish]

Later in the film when they started burning the 9 people, I remembered what the guy said to Dani before: "Both of my parents died in a fire." Shiver.

[@KrohnosOW]

Brandon A. English whoaaa I didn’t even make that connection!

[@athiraraj8778]

Nah. This particular ritual of burning sacrifices happens only at an interval of 90 years * the rest happens every year... So what Pelle said about his parents was just a way to make Dani feel closer to him.

[@jodavitow]

I figured they were killed and burned in that forbidden hut thingy mid movie tbh.

[@athiraraj8778]

*PELLE not Mark

[@lemonboy5772]

Athira Raj you can edit your comment if you want, just press the 3 dots next to it and press edit

[@johnmcnally7812]

As an anthropology student, the most horrifying part of the movie for me was when Josh started snapping pictures of sacred texts against the wishes of the community.

[@Gabrielles108]

Same xp

[@johnmolina3284]

A dumb character.

[@circlebird8765]

The Swedes remedied that pretty quickly

[@raicoron3466]

That honestly seemed out of character to me at first, but I realized that he wanted a massive edge on Christian's thesis at that point.

[@elnoare]

With flash, no less, omg

[@salchichon4198]

A thing that fricked me out is when Mark said: what's skin the fool? And like half an hour later a girl says: I'll show you. And then he is never seen again (alive).

[@alexvaleriano2508]

Would you mind explaining better

[@alexvaleriano2508]

Not being rude, just did not understand the whats skin the fool line

[@arjunts7646]

@@alexvaleriano2508 he got skinned for disrespecting their ancestors making him a fool

[@human6791]

wait i think he read it somewhere or he heard it from somewhere and it was probably cause he peed in the tree thing

[@salchichon4198]

@@alexvaleriano2508 skin means to remove the skin from a person and fool because he is stupid. There is a scene in which they play that game and then they actually skin the fool.

[@lukestardom8892]

Simon - AIR (kept in the air with lungs released) Connie - WATER (being drowned) Josh - EARTH (buried towards the earth, legs up) Christian - FIRE 4 newcomers are sacrificed for the elements to be supportive of the village. Mark - JESTER Stuffed like a puppet with a jester's cap symbolizing him acting without any reflection. Because he doesn't have any sense of consequences (pissing on the tree), so he can be used as a puppet - so they wear his skin, his image; he is empty nonetheless.

[@reginaschellhaas1395]

Well spotted, thanks!

[@chojay13]

They "skinned the fool" with Mark. Someone in a comment somewhere highlighted that there is a scene where it's asked what game the kids are playing and it's called Skin the Fool. Then Mark asks "What's Skin the Fool?" That is just ... Not answered... Then much later, randomly, that woman who has been eyeing him the whole time says "I'll show you." Mark has no idea what she's referencing, but follows her anyway and is not seen again alive.

[@AlFahn-iw5lg]

In Dante's Inferno a thief is punished by burying him with foot upward toward the air.

[@jesterfairy3845]

I always knew Jester was the fifth element

[@dripeesha4820]

why does he look like one of the character in midsommar with that hair.

[@Dragon-ob8is]

lmaoo u right

[@Adam-hi9dh]

A chance for Faramir captain of Gondor to show his quality.

[@brettcooper3893]

Dude, his hair is so damaged and fried. He needs to shave that shit and start over.

[@lotobloom9768]

Agreed

[@Altdisneystudio]

😂

[@za-ear5453]

I love that this horror movie started off at night and sad and ended in daylight with a character happy. Because in most traditional horror movies it’s flipped and I love that this is the new face of horror 😌

[@AnnoyingAsianWitch]

Same

[@dbodooley]

This movie sucked.

[@AnnoyingAsianWitch]

@@dbodooley your mom sucked

[@DrGregoryHouseIT]

With a character insane. The ending is the same as In The Mouth Of Madness.

[@alanduncan1980]

This is the new face of horror? It's a pile of crap!

[@melmoo6630]

As someone who has lost 3 family members in an actual house fire, this movie hit me right in the feels. I had to leave in the beginning because it was so similar to my experience. I would never wish this pain on anyone.

[@myleslondon5220]

Sorry that that happened to you :(

[@theerdemong]

I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't dare to watch past the 1 hour mark because I didn't wanna see old people jump off a cliff, but I hope you have someone to talk to for support. All the best

[@anaisseveilleux28]

I'm sorry for your lost

[@sayturn8510]

I hope you’re doing well, stay strong!

[@ssingh6377]

Sorry for you’re loss. Hope you are strong and happy wherever you are

[@arthurdurham]

I think this is one of the best films that shows why people fall for cults. The sun soaked idealic landscape and "shared empathy" illustrated how enticing it could be to someone in Dani's broken and lonely state, and hides the true evil underneath.

[@amandalewis8590]

All religions (the difference between a religion, a cult and a mythology is only the amount of followers and whether or not it is still in practice) offer a sense of community, love and relationships that transcend oneself. Yes they love-bomb. Yes they demand sacrifices and adherence to tradition. But the fact remains that humans have always felt drawn answering the questions of the world around them and their place within it.

[@xBroadwayDivax]

can we please stop saying the Harga are empaths who give Dani the emotional support she needs? What they’re doing is love bombing and thats cult tactics 101.

[@fairygrrl45]

Seems they’re both? A disturbing cult that has built a foundation in the concept of empathy and give Dani the emotional support she so clearly is desperate for?

[@ITsATRAPPPP]

You're applying abusive irl cult concepts to a fictitious cult from a movie (that is clearly full of empaths who give Dani emotional support)... Not sure why you're so intent on people ignoring a major theme of the film.

[@xBroadwayDivax]

fjordexplorer my point is that the apparent empathy is part of the cult strategy to lure her in. It is conditional - the condition being the possibility to gain her as a member.

[@knowbuddy0]

@@emipeesally313 they aren't worshipping anything?? They are literally performing ritual human sacrifice... the whole movie is about rituals and worship.

[@knowbuddy0]

@@emipeesally313 and where did the culture start from? it's a culture centered around the worship of nature. The movie is inspired by Norse religion/paganism hence why they use runes in their rituals. These rituals arent just play days as culture there is huge mythological and spiritual meaning behind them that is stems back to ancient religions. Yes it is their culture but it is a culture of religious/spiritual beliefs.

[@lolohenderson6475]

The most crazy thing for me was I just kept waiting for them to try to escape, that never happened!!

[@katierine5192]

same im so frustrated

[@hewer8243]

If only they listened to dani

[@-Trauma.]

They were high off their asses man.

[@NoxAtlas]

Yeah, if they only didnt try to sabotage each other. But then again I'm pretty sure the community would have tried everything to make them stay.

[@kittypurry6124]

Same. Grrr

[@tinamoul]

I don't know if this was the Directors intent, but that a big part of initiating people into cults, gangs and secret societies is to bind you to them by making you complicit in their activities. So making Dani select the 9th sacrifice wasn't just a simple ritual in my book, they made her participate in the sacrifices by making her choose.

[@chojay13]

They were incorporating Dani into ritual from first introduction to Father Odd... He greets the group individually with "Welcome" ... Then tells Dani "Welcome Home." She is made to sleep in the quarters appropriate to her life "season" (while everyone else does as well, this doesn't negate her involvement in this form of ritual). Pelle draws a portrait of her wearing a flower crown that she had not worn at that point. She sees women picking flowers backwards and gets inspired to pick flowers for Christian... An odd gesture from a woman to a man in American culture, but for Harga, women pick flowers to "have visions of their mate" via their dreams. She gets invited to help in the kitchen to prepare a meal for the cult. No one else does. She is forced to participate in the dancing ritual (and wins) She recites the blessing of the crops and hosts the ritual .... Dani participates in the cult the entire movie. One could even argue the first introduction was taking shrooms upon arrival.

[@djstarsign]

I never thought the cult members were being genuinely empathetic. They were being intentionally manipulative to carry out their sacrificial ritual. They deceive, drug, manipulate, murder, and indoctrinate to make their group identify with these sacrifices as part of the process. They trust Pelle’s instinct and he must have told them why she would be a perfect May Queen, as someone who experienced deep trauma and was in an emotionally strained relationship. She was more vulnerable to their manipulative tactics. It was all calculated. They needed her as much as they needed Christian. I love how subtle they were about pagans burning a a Christian in an animal costume. I absolutely love this movie, but fail to see how anyone wouldn’t see the cult as harmful and evil.

[@amandamacdonald9967]

Oooo the pagans burning a “Christian” thing…..that’s some deep thinking right there I didn’t even realize! Nice catch!

[@mitch5944]

100 percent lol. They knew everyone but Dani was gonna die they just wanted to lure them into a false sense of security so they wouldn't dip/raise red flags to the others too soon for the festival to last as long as it needed to.

[@nofo04]

Interesting analysis! I feel like one important point was missing though: Two of the cultists were given a naturopathic sedative during the final burning ceremony and told that it would prevent pain and fear. It seems to work well at first (as a placebo), until one of them catches fire and clearly experiences intense fear and pain. That horrific scene demonstrates that the cult's focus on empathy is nothing more than an empty lie (and Dani remains a victim who is being manipulated by others).

[@ayekantspeylgud]

I was reading all sorts of reviews and synopses last night after watching this and I didn’t see that brought up at all! Good catch! I also noted that they didn’t give it to Christian and in the context of what you said I could see there being more significance to that than simply that they were punishing him or something.

[@joobletmaster5000]

@@ayekantspeylgud there was one part where they basically said Christian was wicked and they hoped he would repent or something, before they lit the triangle place on fire

[@dr_bean]

Is there a control group? I would not jump to conclusions without a randomized trial of that sedative, with half the victims receiving the thing and the other half getting placebo. Jokes aside, I really do disagree. They know it's painful, that makes any sacrifice worthy. And they yell in pain outside, showing and living their empathy. Their culture requires this f'd up ritual, so they do it together, without questioning any of it. That is left for us, the audience

[@ITsATRAPPPP]

Interesting observation - but I don't think this proves their empathy is a lie per se. Certainly opens the door to questioning their rituals though. Whether the yew sap was a lie, a placebo, a paralyzing agent, a tradition, or whatever else, the cultists are still hardwired to feel/emulate empathy for each other as a result of their rituals. So while the cult *may perpetuate lies (which isn't plainly obvious, still requires assumptions), the shared empathy is real.

[@kose241]

@@ITsATRAPPPP The shared empathy is definitely real but it seems that their intention for sharing their feelings isn’t necessarily because they genuinely care for each other, they do it because it keeps the group together. I’d say that’s one of the key components to their relationship. Kinda weird tbh I kinda see it like a transaction. Let’s make a deal! You help me carry my burden and I’ll help you carry yours!(could be positivity too btw) So coming back to the main point maybe it is a lie that they don’t see themselves and I’d guess it’s something they realize as they get older but at that point it’s probably too late lol

[@RealLukeWilson]

Coachella: The Horror Movie

[@4everu984]

Luke Wilson 🤣

[@aaronsanders6162]

Not in the slightest

[@avairal5936]

More like Burning Man

[@25sergio06]

Coachella is like a horror movie to some introverts like me

[@gabyr.883]

Lmao

[@codinginflow]

I watched that movie with my mother on Christmas

[@virginiaplain72]

Everybody was awake that Christmas day!

[@Gabster1990]

Lol you're evil.

[@codinginflow]

@@Gabster1990 she actually saw it before me

[@joaquinillo_]

So you posted this on the trailer and the same dude commented the same reply? Crazay

[@virginiaplain72]

😂 You caught me!

[@annabethdiana5857]

Misery loves company. And Dani's misery is only satisfied when others begin to cry with her. Wrapping her up in a warm blanket of flowers, like any toxicly loving person you encounter.

[@brycelinnarz9387]

I think this movie was also about codependent people who are unable to live alone

[@seppukusushi2848]

This actually Greta Thunberg's Biography. That's why there's an Extinction Rebellion "Upside down Dagaz Rune" on her dress. Her boyfriend "Christian" is the Patriarchal Society that Greta wants to burn down. In any case, Greta Thunberg's Biography is a ripoff of The Wicker Man, a much better film. Sorry Millennials and Zoomers, it's all been done before. LOL!

[@HuggiMa]

Plot twist...they're still mushroom tripping on that hill and the rest of the movie only happened in Dani's head.

[@vanessamercedes7675]

HuggiMa that would be awesome!

[@YourCoincidence]

If only...

[@yt-sh]

"lets go Dani, you slept the entire trip"

[@AsToldByKeisha]

Bruhhhhhhhhh woah

[@nilimaroy9246]

GOD I WISH

[@PlagueRiddenBlightSpawn]

I’m actually really confused as to why Pelle would go so far as to nearly finish a degree in anthropology just as a ploy to sacrifice 4 of his friends and rejoin the Hårga people.

[@MikeeTeevee]

Because the ritual happens once every 90 years. Pelle gives up years of his life, but two of his 'brothers' give up their lives. At the end, Pelle is adorned with a crown of reeds, or grass and it's heavily implied he will be rewarded greatly.

[@shaf2317]

i was also confused about pelle as to why he was allowed to leave the cultist village to go off to college in america. like i know it's to gather sacrifices, but i thought the village was pretty strict about no one leaving.

[@MikeeTeevee]

@@shaf2317 They don't seem that strict. The guy he refers to as his 'brother' just before they drop shrooms introduces them to the English couple that he says he also met travelling. It seems they send their family off far and wide.

[@shaf2317]

@@MikeeTeevee but it seems risky, don't ya think? like what if one of the villagers go off to travel somewhere else and develop new mindsets and start actually realizing how fucked up the harga is, and they tell everyone. seems pretty risky for the harga.

[@MikeeTeevee]

@@shaf2317 I mean, yeah in the grand scheme of things, if you go into that much depth it doesn't particularly make sense because cults tend to keep people close to bombard them with their ideals, but in the context of the lore of the film, they're definitely only going to lure people to be murdered. I think Pelle is soft on Dani which is why she doesn't get murdered and gets the opportunity to be assimilated into their group.

[@hummerwheels6043]

Dani traded a toxic relationship for an even more toxic one, and really becomes irredeemable in my eyes as a character because she is truly in part responsible for Chris’ death, who people don’t seem to understand is a major victim. He was literally raped and then chosen to burn alive because of it.

[@jackalexande]

Yeah I don't see how people act like this is an empowering moment for Dani. Also i'm pretty sure she's so traumatized at this point that she's basically a vegetable

[@christopherearth9714]

I’m pretty sure that her “acceptance” was actually her “breaking point.” After all of that trauma breaking her, she’s immediately shown immense love while being horsefed whatever drugs those are. Like, the thing that was in her boyfriend’s drink and the powder blown in his face? Yeah, it practically put him under mind control and even paralyzed him. Pretty sure you can put together “sudden affection after forced trauma + hella weed = accept everything around you and your brain isnt your anymore.” Sheesh.

[@roderickreilly9666]

You're sane.

[@pcrocomo]

What about Dani's 27th birthday at midsummer being at exactly her own "midsommar" since the age between 18 and 36 is the "summer" of the people?

[@AshDub86]

Ooh, good observation! I didn't put that together.

[@m1m1snake]

That's probably one of the reasons why Pelle was happy she was going and also why he knew so much about her birthday too.

[@moxiebadger]

@@m1m1snake In the original script, Pelle and Dani ave an extended conversation in Mark's apartment about their star signs and whatnot as well

[@Vanalovan]

Holy shit, good catch

[@chronocontract8835]

Her parents also died in the winter at the end of the cycle

[@chloekovac4886]

My favorite part of this movie was during the sex scene when the older lady in my theater started laughing and then everyone started laughing

[@wooogie672]

Nucky Mancini it was hilarious

[@preferablypurple8157]

@@nuckymancini7013 it might have been an uncomfortable laugh as a reaction it happens when nervous with some people, and laughing is contagious

[@NoneOfTheAbove123]

@@preferablypurple8157 Just like yawning.

[@chloekovac4886]

Nucky Mancini it was funny and the whole theater started laughing so it was my fav part bc all of us ~bonded~

[@Foreverredlips]

@@chloekovac4886 Now form a cult with them and sacrifice foreigners, it'll be a ride I've been told.

[@songbird6414]

Okay two things 1) this movie was actually amazing the scene with the crime scene and her sobbing on the couch gave me chills for minutes after. 2) am I the only one who actually kind of feels for Christian? I feel like he’s so realistic of a character and I honestly would have hoped to save him AND Dani at the end of it.

[@chojay13]

If you mean "real" by "gaslighting narcissist" then I'd agree, but I don't feel bad for him in the slightest. He ONLY became unsettled and scared once he realized the Harga were winning at gaslighting and manipulating him versus the other way around... I find it especially brilliant that Christian is told in the burning ritual that as "the bear" he represents the Hargas "most unholy of affekts (sins)" Whats the most unholiest of sins? That they gaslight and manipulate innocents to keep their way of life going *by necessity*... It is a sin that cannot be avoided but is the most heinous

[@catherinejanet5806]

christian was a terrible bf but it's weird when people say he cheated on dani when he was fucking drugged and raped (and possibly to break dani even more and then "empathise" with her) like that's messed up man

[@Jacob185]

I saw someone once jokingly describe the plot of this movie as “PhD student ignores red flags and the warnings of his friends and gets burned alive in a foreign country.” He wasn’t a great guy. But ultimately he was drugged and coerced into sex and then burned alive for it. I’m not sure the punishment fits the crime.

[@cozierferret7274]

@@chojay13how did he gaslight? Do you just love throwing that word around?

[@catherinejanet5806]

@@cozierferret7274 idk why people say this, he wasn't a bad person, he wasn't abusive (from what we saw at least). their relationship had just died and that happens, y'know. he felt bad for her and she clung hard to him because she had no one else. he probably didn't feel in love for a very long time and was very negligent to her emotional needs. it was just a bad relationship, i wouldn't make any other judgements about christian from this tbh

[@milesmartin4958]

I think this film is brilliant. A horror film in broad daylight that reveals the entire plot at the get go… but still manages to be disturbing. I like that they frame the whole thing on an incredibly predictable plot. The movie is about everything in between the elements of the story story… difficult emotional situations, uncomfortable visuals, and complex world building. It’s a movie I’d read a book about even though the plot is pretty much standard cult horror.

[@emina1769]

Everyone seems to overlook the fact that there is period blood in his drink too

[@sketroux4580]

that whole scene i was wondering why nobody wondered why his drink was very noticeably darker

[@hanzouwu]

I thought it was her piss

[@ry4nmaster]

nobody overlook that, dont feel so special

[@sketroux4580]

@@ry4nmaster they're talking about in the movie not the people watching. Anyway do you need help? You obviously need help if you're so ready to attack people.

[@emina1769]

@@ry4nmaster yeah man, like turk said, i was talking about the fact that they didn't acknowledge that in te movie Who hurt you bro?

[@Mynameisnotowen]

you cant look me in the eye and tell me Jack Reynor isn't just chris pratt with a vicodin problem

[@scorfie1]

He's the Seth Rogen we have at home

[@maxbrown7105]

CypressGod that shot when he’s in the bear it’s basically Chris Pratt

[@nathanglover8938]

THANK you, the whole movie I was so distracted by his goofy facial expressions, VERY Chris Pratt.

[@yanmagno3]

to me he was a weird mix between chris pratt and the guy who plays iron fist

[@sfs105]

he looks like chris pratt and seth rogan had a child :D

[@edum.6353]

Is there an alternative ending where they're actually tripping on mushroom tea and it was all just a bad trip?

[@kalvindotcom]

Literally was thinking that was gonna be the plot twist LOL

[@brandonmorel2658]

The moral ambiguity of both main characters is great. I sympathized with Christian's inability to express his feelings to Dani whose loss and justified guilt tripping made it impossible for him to be straight with her. Dani's grief justifies her entire demeanor and Chris is an asshole for not being there for her and actually helping her cope, Chris therefore is effectively shackled in a loveless relationship in which no matter what he does he will be the villain; if he leaves her, he is a moron and a douche, if he stays with her, he is just torturing both of them. The funny thing is that Dani knows this, she is said to be a psychology grad, and she knows he hates her, but she is afraid to be alone in her sadness, she accepts Chris's horrible behavior and is afraid of a confrontation in which both of them would leave each other and be happily ever after. Their relationship is in limbo and the final scene is a transcendence to hell or heaven depending on who you ask. It's great, congrats to Aster, he made one of the most interesting relationships I've seen in a film making the main couple barely talk with each other.

[@timjackson4387]

For me it seemed like it was about the horror of toxic codependency

[@wophful]

Tim Jackson Theres a scene cut from the movie but appears in the screenplay where Dani gets lost high in the woods and screams for Christian and then her Dad. Implying that she sees Christian as a Dad which definitely supports the theory that she’s codependent.

[@razeal18]

@@wophful I recall a recent Philly defranco deep dive on Cult deprogramming and honestly she is the perfect model of susceptible to cult indoctrination. no support no empathy her life getting utterly destroyed and the current people around her slipping away as she gets closer to the harga.

[@transmatized]

Tim Jackson not just codependency but grief, gaslighting and loneliness as well

[@dylanlewis1065]

The film (from my perspective) painted Christian as not a good partner/person in general. Even to his friends, he was kind of a dick, so I feel it was way more about the importance of empathy. Dani isn’t more dependent for emotional warmth than average (especially considering her situation).

[@lunarvision]

DJ Howard @

[@MrGillyWilli]

"Their language is empathy", but it isn't real empathy though. It's false and manufactured, not genuine.

[@armyshope]

Sadly

[@SanBear7]

Yep, my thoughts exactly. Faux empathy. Dumb af lol.

[@KarlSnarks]

emotional manipulation and lovebombing, also used in... Toxic relationships. So while she feels accepted by the community, she basically exchanged one toxic relationship for another even more toxic one.

[@armyshope]

@Jimmy Strudel 👏

[@Lexrezende]

Empathy can be related only to the tribe, similar as conservative empathy. It doesn't have to be universal as progressive empathy. And empathy aren't contrary to sacrifice, as sacrifice itself can be the result of empathy. One can't understand another culture using one's own culture lenses.

[@synesthesia.aesthetic]

The first 12 minutes of Midsommar are unparalleled, particularly the revelation of her family tragedy.

[@leblanchiphop4440]

After watching several of these analysis videos on the film I still find it crazy that no one talks about how at the beginning when Pelle shows Dani a picture of the May Queen he says "this was last year's may Queen" IMO implying she will end up being sacrificed anyway the following year when a new group of outsiders comes in and before a new may queen is crowned *mic drop*

[@jodiwest23]

Maybe they do the May Queen part yearly, but not the sacrifice part? I figured they kept Dani to diversify the bloodlines to prevent inbreeding, just like Christian was encouraged to have sex with the one of the Harga. Or maybe Pelle got that pic from some other Swedish Midsommer celebration?

[@timmer919hep]

Pubes in your pie: the greatest horror of all

[@nonGigi]

Then stay away from human cake man

[@Young_Dab]

So he ate a cream pie?

[@kukakohan3136]

@Asholee Nicole it wasn't period blood... She just cut her vagina it was mentioned In the painting lol

[@forgetfulstranger]

Enter Maxmoefoe and Filthy Frank

[@shantishalom1]

For a moment I thought it was a human meat pie, and I was like, -they didn't waste anything-

[@FATALCONCEIT]

One of my colleagues pointed out that the Blood Eagle lungs might only *appear* to be breathing because Christian is not viewing through a sober perspective.

[@TheRandomLetsplays]

Late response but its very much possible that he was still breathing. Blood Eagle was meant to be a slow torturous death. Even when you are flayed you are still alive but you cannot move or anything. You are just stuck there in agony as you slowly die over a long period of time. Vikings were really messed up.

[@berserker6341]

@@TheRandomLetsplays Exactly.

[@MelissaMayhem99]

After delving into it a little more, I read that it's not possible to survive that kind of brutal procedure. Of course we can never test it like he said but we can infer. Christian definitely was tripping balls, several other times in the film you could see the trees and flowers "breathing." Just another layer of the mind fuck the whole situation for the victims really is.

[@1watchall]

i agree he was on fucking shrooms

[@captstainstain]

@@TheRandomLetsplays Even later response. But no. When your ribs are removed from your spine to tear out your lungs through the hole in your back, you are not going to slowly die over a long period of time.That's almost instant death. It's not even certain if Vikings ever did this irl anyway. All we have is some references in semi-mythological sagas. You are full of shit.

[@oldschoolben438]

The dumbest part of the movie are the people who watched it and thought that Dani was liberating herself from a bad relationship and this was a happy ending. She’s been subsumed into a psychopathic cult!

[@Diarrheagod]

Listens intensively??! lol she looks dissociated!! She just experienced immense trauma and looks like she’s in shock and detached. I believe she experienced insanity at the end of the

[@hobihope2981]

I can't even _imagine_ what it must've been like to experience this on the big screen in theater-silence. I watched it on my laptop with a friend and I still felt claustrophobic and panicky throughout.

[@daisyswaffer8799]

Hobi Hope It felt like we all, a group of strangers, had gone on a strange journey together and we were all connected somehow as a result. That aspect was eerie too and not something I had experienced at a horror movie at the cinema before

[@Isabelle-hv6ny]

It was intense. I just had a issue through the whole movie because my chair squeaked and the movie was always very quite

[@trinidad17]

Want an actual good movie that makes you feel that? Watch Jacob's Ladder.

[@jerrivera4038]

Fr me and my mom felt mad depressed and weird after the movie

[@DanielA-ls9xy]

Easily the most intense movie I’ve EVER seen in a movie theatre. I will never forget it.

[@rightproperlad]

Ah yes, the ancient pagan tradition of sacrificing a bird by throwing it off a cliff.

[@ezmodey1105]

Iirc they tie the bird up so it cant fly

[@hejgustavful]

Just gotta throw it hard enough.

[@Oxtocoatl13]

Or throw a penguin

[@Carnivore69]

I hear African swallows are more difficult to sacrifice than European swallows.

[@MrFallenangel2012]

I assume they break the wings first.

[@Chris-gf5yd]

You think I'd stick around after that cliff incident? I'd be 🏃🏽‍♂️💨

[@Amber_xo_133]

This film was originally given an NC-17 by the MPAA. According to Ari Aster, around 30 minutes was cut from the final film mainly due to content. The director's cut released shortly after its theatrical run restores this footage. Most of the Swedish dialogue spoken by the Hårga natives is deliberately not subtitled, in order to create the sense of isolation for the audience and especially for the foreign visitors. When the film was released in Sweden, rather than eliciting fear in the audience, many people laughed. Many Swedish critics praised the film as an excellent black comedy. Mark displays an extreme phobia of ticks, which is based on Ari Aster's real-life fear of bugs and illness. Like Mark, Aster wore two pairs of socks over his jeans to ensure he would not receive bug bites. Despite the Swedish setting, the film was mostly shot in Hungary. Dani's surname is Ardor (visible on the computer screen in several shots), Latin for "flame." Despite sharing the same title and being horror movies set in Sweden, this film and the Danish cult classic "Midsommer (2003)" are not related. Despite the film taking place entirely in sunlight, it does not contain one shot of the sun. The film's trailer contained one shot of the sun. A shot of the sun has been reinserted in the director's cut of the film. Ariana Grande is a fan of the film, calling it one of her favorite films of 2019. She tried (and failed) to buy the May Queen Gown used in the film at an auction. She also threw a Midsommar-themed birthday party for herself on her 27th birthday. Klaudia Csányi's debut. Despite being the main characters and with the exception of cries and screams, neither Dani nor Christian speak in the last twenty-five minutes. During the meal where meat pies are served, Christian has a glass of reddish juice while everyone else has yellow juice. An image earlier in the film suggests that this may be because his drink has been spiked with menstrual blood. The strange mating ritual in the movie has very little to do with actual midsummer celebration in Sweden. It is however a fact that the 9 out of the 10 most common birthday dates in Sweden are all during April. 9 months after midsummer and July, the most popular month for summer vacations, that is. This is the fifth A24 film to be released nationwide without a platform release prior. The others were The Witch (2016), Free Fire (2017), It Comes At Night (2017), and Hereditary (2018). Much to the chagrin of Swedish horror fans, the film was not released during midsummer in Sweden, but a few weeks afterwards

[@vampire_juicebox]

Honestly, the most horrifying part of watching this movie, at least for me, was that when Dani was crowned as May Queen and brought off to her throne, I actually felt happy for her. I felt happy that she was joining this awful human-sacrificing cult.

[@ashleyharris5409]

That's how they meant it. They meant for you to experience the same peace and euphoric state she was in. Really well done directing

[@Kroban_d4c]

I hated that part, she was stoned as fuck and she wasnt understanding anything at all, made me feel so uncomfortable

[@patrickburton1401]

Diego_d4c that’s basically another premise of the movie. The cult uses drugs to influence their community and control ppl into their sacrifices. They use constant psychedelic visuals through as a reminder that the characters are under the influence.

[@markhuebner9509]

she finally has found a sense "of place" in the world and it ends as on a positive note, aside from our judgement of the cult, because we (the viewers) are outsiders as she and her friends once were.

[@melody_BP]

I told my sister that the ending was happy and that's what's disturbing about it. I was smiling with Dani

[@robhulson]

Midsommar, to me, is about going from cold, isolated trauma to warm, familial insanity. It's a Grimm's fairytale about how vulnerable the traumatized individual is to a damaging collective.

[@p_roduct9211]

Great comment. It brings to mind the church gatherings where people sing in tongues en masse, and not one single person stops to ask "what is this fuckery of a ritual" they see as normal and celebratory of their sane beliefs.

[@songbird6414]

“How vulnerable the traumatized individual is to a damaging collective” Nailed it

[@fokusnikfm]

@@p_roduct9211 bad example, if its not damaging then they could mumble whatever they want if it makes them happy.

[@sigurdkaputnik7022]

Thats why cults are so seductive to vulnerable people.

[@leonamay8776]

@@p_roduct9211 I'm not even Christian but that's a very very bad example imo. Talking in tongues may seem weird to you (and me!) but it's not inherently harmful to anyone. Especially not to those uninvolved with the religion.

[@anindoanjumturzo2495]

Let me tell you guys that this cult rituals and sacrifice are far gone and rare but those toxic relationship is lurking us everyday

[@thecharredwitch]

Btw that wasn’t just a pube in his pie. She put menstrual blood too. remember the quilt with the “love story” on it?

[@aryp.99]

I always felt that Pelle was a devil in disguise, taking advantage of the Dani and Christian's poor relationship and also her family tragedy to tear them apart and offer them as sacrifies

[@bellamarkarian222]

you’re right. that’s what cults do.

[@human6791]

same like who would think it will be a good idea to bring someone already broken to a place where they perform such horrific cults which would probably leave then uncomfortable and disturbed, which they were

[@mcc-ru1mt]

''in disguise'' i mean i think its pretty straightforward he doesnt have good intentions

[@v1olante]

@@human6791 yeah but those kinds of people are the easiest to indoctrinate specifically because they're vulnerable

[@v1olante]

@@mcc-ru1mt yeah! He knew what would happen to all of them, it was pretty clear to us as viewers, especially on the re-watch. And he willingly pushed Christian towards mating with Maja. He wanted to break Dani completely and get him out of the way. Still, I must admit he was charming about the whole thing

[@AquaticAbomination]

The "rape" of Christian was a part not only to get new blood into the cult, but they also wanted to separate the couple. I think they wanted Dani to win the May Queen authority to further separate them. It wasn't by accident that she won the dancing contest. It was orchestrated. This is something I've noticed many commenters to overlook- they were both manipulated and sex was part of equation. The scene tried to underline this as well, while Christian was cheating on Dani, Dani was doing her own "fertility ceremony", blessing the crops as the May Queen. They wanted her into the cult, and her hating him. But the shock and the sadness of the ending is, that they both were lost people without real direction, unable to change their lives. So they were malleable to the cult. That's what cults do. The break peoples old connections to lure you in. They were there for her, but maybe only because they wanted her to join in by distancing her from him. That is left somewhat an open question. Which works. The smile in the end, I think, is great because it's about so many things: joy, liberation - but I think that in a way, it's insane. She's gone crazy, but she's free. But whether the cult is good for her or not, is left a mystery. What do you think her role would be, as a young woman? A baby making machine. They needed Christian for only for a short while. Her, they need to keep her longer...it is left open, whether she is able to make that choice herself.

[@osamudiamenamienghomwan8831]

Fantastic take!! I noticed too that the movie deliberately downplays the need to frame her smile as either totally good or bad. She smiles at the end?? So? She's joined a cult for Pete's sake.

[@alexong2542]

Definitely a baby making machine,they only need women to reproduce more offspring.

[@magentajuventa469]

Well..throughout the movie you can see Christian was also trying to distance from Dani though. I mean right at the start, he was in a dilemma: he wanted to break up with her but he couldn't at that moment since she had just lost her family.

[@louisbourbon8973]

It does seem as if they intended to recruit Dani from the start. But since her participation in the trip was all a last minute decision it makes me wonder how things would've played out for the guys if she never went.

[@GVilleAnarcho]

@@louisbourbon8973 You could argue that Pelle was recruiting Dani since well before they left on the trip. It's Pelle's job to go out and recruit. And he says to her that he's the most excited about her going. On top of that, he remembered her birthday, which was happening during the midsummer celebration and it was also the midsummer of her life, since she was turning 27(halfway through her "summer" years). So Dani was the perfect victim and Pelle knew it.

[@MrHuff05]

This film is definitely unique and deep. At first glance it just seems like a cult horror movie but there are deeper meanings and subtle nuances that leave room for interpretation. So many questions left unanswered. So many things happening behind the scenes. I can appreciate a film that has you thinking about it long after it's been viewed. Mixed emotions for different characters. Like did all the "bros" deserve their demise and is Dani truly happy and loved in the end? Did Christian deserve his demise? I mean symbolically maybe what physically happened to him was what he put Dani through emotionally. Like she was burning and felt paralyzed inside so in return he gets literally burned and paralyzed. You almost wanna cheer and cry at the end. I almost feel bad for Christian at the end of the film. This film is a masterpiece though. Hereditary is a masterpiece as well. This Director sure does know how to create wonderful pieces of work for sure.

[@milkncookie]

As a swede, I want to say we don't say "as a swede"...

[@disaster4550]

the biggest twist for me was when i realized the guy isn't played by Chris Pratt

[@dajmasta94]

I never imagined any of this to be something that represents Swedes as a whole somehow. I thought it was pretty clear that this was meant to be a pretty isolated community, similar enough films have been made that take place in the US.

[@ariesmry]

dajmasta94 Exactly. I think they spendt entirely too much time in this video explaining what was an accurate representation to midsommar celebrations and what was made up. Like... it’s a *fictional horror movie*, it’s already assumed that most of this is exaggerated or completely made up. It made me think that they were just adding fluff to the video to make up for the lack of analysis.

[@juliusebola9389]

Yeah but Jewish directors that are afraid of traditional and rural non-Jewish society.

[@Sternertime]

I don't think it would be as beautiful it took place in say, appalachia, lol...

[@gabbysmith3089]

I interpreted it as a cult disguised as a Midsummar

[@antra21]

People are very stupid.

[@gea8347]

This movie was brilliant. So many layers and things to unpack and it definitely stays with you. I feel like if you thought it was dumb you didn't really understand the depth of it. This film really triggered my anxiety and I almost had an attack at the end of it. It wasn't the gore and horror that was traumatic (although that was alot 😂), it was the process of grief and anxiety that had me. What I took from it was how vulnerable you are when you are experiencing grief, how the world views you as either an inconvenience (because there seems to be a time limit on how long you're allowed to grieve) or as a target to be manipulated. Also how someone experiencing grief and anxiety feels and sees the world. For me, this film was incredibly heavy but I also felt validated. It's like someone reached into my psyche and portrayed exactly how it feels to be totally controlled by anxiety and PTSD. It sounds really odd to say but I feel like the burning of the sacred temple at the end when she smiled either symbolised her releasing her grief, or she had found comfort in her insanity. Either way, I thought this movie was so well thought out and everyone can take something different from it.

[@vision-xb4fi]

Ofcourse midsommar is not dumb but a movie mentally effecting you doesn't make it deep... Ofcourse it had layers and its a great film but your reason is weird

[@gea8347]

@@vision-xb4fi weird to you maybe. Everyone one gets something different from art. I stand by my opinion.

[@bear4045]

I remember crying in the beginning, that beginning actually made me burst into tears. Ill never forget it.

[@velushiuotpir3485]

The movie shows psychodelic effects quite nicely.

[@markrobertson6664]

Szafranowy Kaznodzieja totally agree. Pretty accurately portrayed what it’s like to be on mushrooms

[@heisenberg1732]

I think people who have not tried psychedelics may not understand it

[@velushiuotpir3485]

@@heisenberg1732 maybe, I am unable to tell from my perspective, perhaps I should be more precise, I think the movie shows the visual aspect of psychodelics quite nicely :)

[@josecanal7556]

It showed also the feeling of connection with others and things quite nicely .

[@spookydonkey513]

It needed more breathing walls.

[@factoryreset855]

I like how in the movie, everytime that the characters are high, you can see the background and some other part of the picture, moving and bending.

[@CinceTheDay]

and this is exactly how it looks on LSD:D

[@Mutantcy1992]

Yeah, I think the psychedelic effects were done extremely well. In particular, when Mark starts freaking out a bit towards the beginning, they put a kind of effect on his voice that definitely felt like auditory distortions you get while tripping.

[@CinceTheDay]

@@Mutantcy1992 jep, I mean I can only speak for the 1P variant but: YEAH!

[@factoryreset855]

Yup, my experiences with shrooms tell me that this was somewhat accurate, kuddos to the person that did the effect

[@lk1590]

I can confirm the pubic hair and menstrual lore is folk magic before a couple of Neapolitan friends have brought it up in conversation when discussing some mutual female friends. Except it’s a very Mediterranean ‘love spell’ to bind a person to oneself. To find it as part of Scandinavian lore is new to me and think quite likely a borrowing to enhance the movie.

[@jodiwest23]

I've heard of this practice as a part of Hoodoo (African American folk magick, not to be confused with Voudou.)

[@truegrit7697]

I'm impressed - this was an incredibly detailed explanation of an otherwise confusing movie. Thank you, @Wisecrack!

[@corbans5796]

The hidden meaning I first noticed while watching this in theaters is FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT TAKE A FIRST DATE TO GO SEE THIS MOVIE.. WAIT AT LEAST TILL DATE FOUR

[@heathers8540]

Saw this with a guy for our 2nd date. There was no 3rd date because he didn't think the boyfriend did anything wrong. This movie saved me so much time and is a great way to smoke out assholes - 10/10 would recommend

[@msavli1069]

@@heathers8540 Hey, the boyfriend was the biggest asshole! So, you single now?

[@VintageSeanTV]

@@msavli1069 lmaoo

[@PalitoSelvatico]

@@heathers8540 dodged a bullet friend

[@tylerl8934]

Heather Simmonds question though, yes, he was emotionally unavailable. Not saying he’s a good guy, not saying he didn’t deserve karma. But, did he deserve to die burning in a bear carcass while paralyzed?

[@MarieKyriney]

Not even for a single moment i thought this was something the swedes do. I think the director made it really clear that this is a small community, or accurately a cult. Deep for me.

[@D0omC0okie]

Yeah sometimes they swing and miss.

[@davidkonevky7372]

yep, I never thought this was actually a swedish thing, I just thought that it was a self-contained culture

[@FSofia-yd2xv]

We do, but we don’t talk about it.

[@Gabster1990]

That's the point. Most people wouldn't do this and I do like how a group a Swedes were chosen over let's say an isolated tribe Africa since it's very easy to assume the worst when a group of people are people of color.

[@pathoesr7872]

Its as Swedish as many cults in America are 'Christians.'

[@juanita2844]

In the foreseeing category did anyone notice Pelle saying "don't forget about all the Swedish girls that you could get pregnant in June"? Also in the car when they are talking about Josh's book, Pelle says "He [Josh] was already brainwashed when I found him". He's almost saying that he was "searching for" people he could take back to Sweden with him while he was in America. These are some more hints about Pelle's knowing all about what's going to happen way before the festival, but I didn't notice them at first.

[@wisco9er536]

I need Ari Aster to make like 3 more of these. They are addicting. I'm sad that people struggle to understand the movie, so they come here to have their opinion be influenced since they can't make their own.

[@anonymouslearner2454]

Just sometimes I miss many details and its time consuming to rewatch

[@csillakaszas7285]

The weirdest part for me: if they do the sacrifice only every 90 years, it means, no living member of the community participated in that ceremony ever. Didn't even see one as a child. A whole generation lived their lives without doing it. they have no living memory of it, not to mention routine - yet, everything works like clockwork. (yeah, I know, it's only that last part that's new, but there is a lot of murdering/preparing dead/half-dead bodies in the process, and no one seems squeamish or doubtful about it.) Plus, their religion is a living thing that grows and changes, so how come this particular ceremony with 90 years intervals is set in stone?

[@andrew_nayes]

72 year old people jumping off cliffs and the other midsommar celebrations are repeated every year, so I guess those routines could be kept alive quite easily. All the detail that we, the audience, know is essential about the 90-year-tradition is "sacrifice 9 people (including whichever 72year olds would commit suicide that year) every 90 years", everything else about the routine, such as the yellow house and bear-costume etc, could just as well be a newly interpreted routine from their books, we wouldn't know. They could have interpreted their books, say, a few years ago, and figured out their expected routines for the 90-year-tradition. Since it doesn't seem to be too much to do around Hårga, they could have prepared and practiced for a long time after that interpretation. That could give an explanation to their ever-changing dynamic religion. And since the old people of Hårga are willingly dying for their cultural tradition every year, the notion of sacrifice would not be so foreign to them.

[@rdp16rulez]

@@andrew_nayes From what I understand they hold ritual festivals regularly. The Mayfair Queen is picked yearly. Another aspect of it happens every 9 years, and another every 18. Only the sacrifice on the last day of the festival is a part of the 90 year ritual. As for how they knew exactly what to do, the elders who experienced the last one are gone, but not the children they taught it to. Their society is sustained by passing on their traditions and transcribing them in that big book. Or on the walls of their homes. Everything that happens in the movie is depicted in the tapestries and painting shown throughout. The opening credits is a bit of a spoiler warning if you're paying attention.

[@sarahlally5111]

yeah the movie doesn't really make sense in a lot of ways

[@MrkymrkWA]

I also have been trying to figure out which rituals happen only every 90 years, and which happen annually. Since the attestupa happens every year for those that reach 72, and apparently they crown a May Queen each year, and since Pelle says that his parents burned up in a fire, I get the feeling that "once every 90 years" is just a ruse to lure outsiders into "experiencing something special, once in a lifetime" whereas it's just leading the lambs to slaughter.

[@roderickreilly9666]

Yes, the math is really, REALLY DUMB, and Mr. Ginger Hippie Narrator couldn't even get that right, citing 96 years. Huh?

[@ArcadeGaymerNekopan]

You can see her dead sister's face in the trees at 3:03

[@alexanderulv3886]

Thank you! Wonder how many of these I missed, cuz I watched it twice once high and once drunk. Favourite movie of 2019 but im not sure I dare watch it sober!

[@khaleesisnow1683]

Oh wow good catch

[@jj-hr9ue]

Wow

[@ianabocherikova54]

OH SHIT

[@TheWarrrenator]

WHOAH.

[@distressedcondiments3113]

Midsommar reminds me of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet “The Rite of Spring”.

[@Walfuz]

Its basically a modern retelling of it. Both have beautiful music too

[@iankrantz7074]

Yeah it is a metaphor for our rejection of still practiced Tradition it isn't basically a "how susceptible are you to falling in with a cult" test. Seriously the film has impressed me as to how it uses all kinds of cult activity, and psychology to such great effect that it convinced so many people that it was at least not all bad instead of horrifying on every level

[@GhostInPajamas]

the beginning of Midsommar is one of the most disturbing scenes in a movie I’ve ever seen. I almost never get upset by things in film or tv, but I felt sick during that scene, and thought about it for days after. It was just such a real depiction of grief and trauma, the music was dreadful and Florences wailing was brutal

[@michaelporlier8957]

Agreed. What a performance. A little too real, which says everything about the production and acting.

[@kristacalai9773]

When I saw the beginning of Midsommar for the first time I was in a room full of friends and I had to excuse myself to go “pee” but I really cried and sent my sister a text asking her how she was doing. I continued to watch up until the first mushroom trip and then excused myself to go do homework because I could tell I was not in the right headspace to watch the movie. Last night I decided I was and watched all of it, and holy fucking shit. I caught myself almoooost appreciating the cult for picking Dani up and then realized they almost indoctrinated me, this movie was super well done.

[@kristacalai9773]

When I saw the beginning of Midsommar for the first time I was in a room full of friends and I had to excuse myself to go “pee” but I really cried and sent my sister a text asking her how she was doing. I continued to watch up until the first mushroom trip and then excused myself to go do homework because I could tell I was not in the right headspace to watch the movie. Last night I decided I was and watched all of it, and holy fucking shit. I caught myself almoooost appreciating the cult for picking Dani up and then realized they almost indoctrinated me, this movie was super well done.

[@Mutantcy1992]

Honestly, her acting must be what distracted people into thinking this movie is good. I've never seen grief portrayed so well.

[@atin4353]

@@Mutantcy1992 yeap she was great. The beginning of this movie and the actress were the saving points

[@ironichoneybadger5066]

anyone else notice how the "meat" on the table towards the end of the movie with Dani being crowned may queen wasn't exactly normal? like, it looked like human or something. also, the guy's lungs weren't breathing during the blood eagle ritual, christian was tripping out when he saw them, and every time tripping happened in the movie, the audience trips with them, seeing plants breathe, and lungs breathing and stuff.

[@watchtheuggs]

whenever you take a drug like shrooms, or LSD (acid), people say everything around you looks like it “breathes”. a lot of things were “breathing” if you looked, the flowers on the headbands, the food (obviously), the plants, and probably more. a really nice detail that they took care to add. they’re literally on drugs 24/7 which is why this whole movie is almost like a fever dream. i’m honestly never going to forget this movie, ever.

[@ironichoneybadger5066]

@@watchtheuggs i think same, and yeah, i can speak first hand, shit breathes when you're high on lsd, lol

[@ironichoneybadger5066]

@RingaDingDoItToEm like how you would if you were flayed open like that for the 3 days he was missing, right?

[@jennajune2101]

It’s literally a Viking torture technique called “blood eagle” & they’re alive the whole time. So, he was actually suppose to be breathing. I caught that a lot of shit was breathing, but his lungs were supposed to be because he was still alive.

[@ironichoneybadger5066]

@@jennajune2101 he was missing for at least 2 days before he was discovered again. I'm not claiming that he couldn't have been alive during the ritual of the blood eagle, but I'm highly suspect of him staying alive with no eyes, being flayed open, with exposed lungs and internal chest cavity, all the while being suspended 4-5 feet in the air by his blood vessels. I mean wow, it's really cool that you could stay alive that long after suffering that ritual, but i'm claiming that the homeboy in the movie is D E A D when you see him, and it looks like he's breathing because chris was tripping balls on acid. It's not far fetched to claim that either considering we see other shit breathe that shouldn't be, like flowers, or the meat that people are eating, or whatever the fuck else. christ

[@professionallyamateur5991]

Feels like "genuine reciprocity and empathy" is a misreading of love-bombing and emotional manipulation in a cult.

[@StarOnTheWater]

Mirroring the emotions of a grieving person or someone experiencing emotional flashbacks back to them in full intensity is about as opposite to emotional support as it gets. People in this scenario need someone to coregulate with and someone who can contain their emotions.

[@rpsyco]

"The people at the library looked at us weird." As a reference librarian, I can tell you that what you were researching was not the strangest thing I've ever had to look up for someone.

[@Nanda-ku2yw]

What was it?

[@PepperDogg]

Even 6 months later I lowkey want to know.

[@MariaGarcia-cx7nw]

Can we please know? Lol 😅

[@buttonscasper]

TELL US

[@EdithEsquivel]

Tell us, please

[@AnjanaBSubba]

This movie, for me, was scarier than Hereditary because I found myself feeling strangely happy...which I didn't realise untill the credits started rolling. When I did, it disturbed me deeply. I was kinda ashamed for feeling that way. So, deep for me. But I can understand why people dislike this film too. It's slow-paced and subtle horror. Imo it's a very niche film, not everyone's cup of tea.

[@pyametra]

You're a female. Twisted women will get a rise out of seeing a dumb boy get burned to death.

[@strafer8764]

I think the practical effects during the cliff scene are terrible. A multi million dollar movie should not have b movie effects. Maybe it was intentional for some weird reason.

[@Emma-uw2vp]

I too felt rather happy after, and for me it was about the ritual of validating her emotions in a way her "boyfriend" never did

[@JFAOwner]

I'm guessing you felt disturbed because Dani found what she was looking for after all these horrific things happened. Basically, she not only accepted the horrific killings and goings-on, but she also embraced them and helped them along in order to finally feel the connection of family she desperately wanted. I'm guessing she never got that from her own real family. Why this is particularly disturbing is because we do this too, though maybe not to this degree. In order to find our own happiness and sense of family, there are things that we accept that could be, at the very least, disturbing to others who view it from the outside. Feeling ashamed about being strangely happy at the end means you have the empathy to see beyond your own comfort. That's my take on it.

[@PravusTheKid]

Its interesting in the prospective of the viewer, as someone who's been in a relationship and subconsciously not invested but also doesn't have the strength to break up with said partner due to her depression and in a way, being the only person she can cling to/ depend on; I felt sympathy for Christian. It's an internal struggle of caring for said person but also fighting for personal desire and needs. You don't want to hurt the person cause you still care for them, but in the end you're only making it worse.

[@PotatoPothado]

For those who seem to be at odds about the role of Pelle, my theory is that Dani was predestined to be May Queen, even if community members bringing travelers may have had identical intentions. In Ari Aster’s reality, as long as the rituals are followed, they may not need to know who the May Queen will be. They simply trust that she will come. That’s why all of the near-misses -the absolute uncertainty of Dani even attending juxtaposed with Pelle’s eagerness feels so unsettling, IMHO.

[@KatiePasta]

For the lung eagle thing, I assumed it looked like the lungs were still breathing because Christian was tripping.

[@kyletexxas]

As someone who’s gone through a really bad break up WHILE also grieving over a tragic death, I can tell you this movie is very accurate of all the emotions you go through when dealing with that.

[@LozzyMorgan]

Kyle Texxas damn me too, made me think back and actually you’re right

[@Cranberrycheesecake1]

I also think that somebody that has never experienced such strong emotions or is not really an empathetic person, probably does not like/get the movie as much.

[@giuseppegaribaldi7272]

Ya I think that's what made the movie very disturbing and sickening to me thinking about how easily that could have been me if I were in this situation. It brought me back to a completely empty feeling and uggh this movie really gets to me

[@justynea7171]

Same!!

[@jaysirify]

If Ari Aster ever shows up to a horror con or some other convention, I just want to ask, "So....how was your childhood?"

[@justGBD]

He'll probably regale you with a long winded story that takes at least an hour to actually start.

[@bellamarkarian222]

@@justGBD BAHAHAHA

[@roxirock5455]

Small detail probably no one noticed, Conney and her fiance are the ones who "insulated" the cult by their reactions, their disgust, their panic and their "rude" comments, wich made the elders mad, so their deaths are horrendous. The blood eagle is a painful torture method that basically keeps you alive until your lungs slowly decay. Conneis death is less noticeably gruesome, you need to pay attention to get it. Throut the movie, after she lives you can hear in surthen scenes her scream on 3 occasions, and the characters react to it, but not the Helga people. This means she didn't just drowned, she drawned *slowly* and painfully.

[@urb0tay]

There's no way there is only one part to this. It's so full and he's said that there are more days. I really hope we see the rest of the days. Loved this movie.

[@rghmf]

dani's arc is so perfect her finding a family in the end was very satisfying even tho it's creepy as hell

[@DrGregoryHouseIT]

She doesn't though.

[@aceacevedo6269]

Gregory House she thinks she has though and that’s what makes it scary. it’s also a movie about indoctrination

[@cloudxhunter]

Sure Christian was such a dick, but him being burned alive was a bit too far

[@xanybodycaresxp6991]

Party Boi yeah the ending was dumb

[@ericsnyder6837]

uh yeahhhh...totally satisfying. My thought exactly.

[@cmonman3639]

The most horrifying and repulsive moment was the ginger-on-ginger action.

[@seltzergrrrl]

why doesnt this have more likes

[@arunhazarayou1]

Do you also think they were tryin to conceive another oracle

[@Passportlass]

Totally agree

[@slima7823]

So ginger...phobic

[@shantishalom1]

Yea

[@VedicaArya]

When my uncle cheated on my aunt and left her for another, my aunt would say the other woman practiced occult and fed my uncle her menstrual blood to keep him under her control, to justify his shitty behaviour. So maybe the period blood thing is not just Sweden but maybe it’s a folklore thing everywhere.

[@danielpohl2014]

I think the deepest part of this film is how it brainwashes its audience just as much as the cult brainwashes Dani. By the end of the film, we have witnessed members willingly sacrifice themselves, we've seen outsiders murdered and blood eagled. we've seen Christian drugged and more or less raped, and yet at the end of the film, a lot of us were smiling with Dani. I actually teared up a little when Dani was crying her eyes out and the women surrounded her to cry with her. Knowing the evil parts of this cult, part of me still wanted to join them. Instead of showing a film about indoctrination, Aster made a film that is indoctrination. That makes us experience the same horror that we are seeing.

[@sasshole8121]

His drink was spiked with menstrual blood? I just thought he ordered the raspberry lemonade.

[@AshDub86]

🤣

[@anarzoljargal8485]

I know right? Movie relies on a quick dolly shot that shows the not very comprehensible drawing panels meant to explain the whole love spell thing. Interestingly, in the original script, instead of that, there is a scene where the love spell is demonstrated on a short film, which the Harga people screen for Dani and company.

[@jquiznos2283]

I didn't know that either...

[@veleo6935]

Shirley temple?

[@khinlop]

He is a yelp reviewer so he got a special treatment. (south park)

[@runsfromelk509]

At 7:08 when we see Simon strung up into a Blood Eagle, he is NOT breathing and alive. He is dead. Very dead. Christian was still tripping balls and his mind was seeing that, just like Dani seeing plants move and flowers breath

[@TraceguyRune]

The script says he was very much alive

[@shadowmoon7821]

i think he’s *barely* alive

[@hockeyfan1539]

Nah he is barely alive. The blood eagle tactic is used for a slow painful death and I doubt the filmmakers would have a blood eagle without making it the most scary. (Having it alive while Christian seeing it)

[@hockeyfan1539]

Obviously everybody knows this is not how Swedish midsummer is. But I love how they actually implemented a lot of small things that’s actually real. Such a well made movie

[@NoGods999]

Dumb is a polite way to describe it. Ari Aster needs to get the hell out of the movie business!

[@DarkLordGanondorf190]

Honestly, as an introverted and deeply private person, having a whole group of people surrounding me and compulsively sharing my feelings makes me cringe in my skin. Horror movie, indeed ':D

[@josecanal7556]

If you are in sober state for sure but if you take some drugs that allow you to low your guard and let go fear , you'll probably end up dancing ,singing, crying if necesary around people that in some way accept you like in the movie .

[@RealMexFoodShouldntGiveUDrrhea]

Same. I absolutely hate not knowing where I’m going and what’s happening. And all the touching. Ergh

[@5050TM]

Even for extroverts, that would be freakish irl.

[@DrGregoryHouseIT]

@@josecanal7556 That manipulate you, you mean.

[@wrathford]

As an introverted and private person, I'd like to experience a whole group of people surrounding me and compulsively sharing my feelings. Might be interesting and informative idk

[@rocklynxa2510]

When they rolled out the bingo ball I was screaming , idk why but that moment was so funny to me.

[@AnnoyingAsianWitch]

I laughed at it too.

[@vanessamercedes7675]

Same. I felt like it didnt fit into the movie

[@katec708]

It immediately made me think of The Lottery, which I read once in 6th grade and idek how I remembered it lol

[@abbiegordon5703]

you laugh when taken by surprised fright, i do too

[@aquariusmoon6174]

@@vanessamercedes7675 I thought it did. You never read the story " The Lottery" when you were in middle school?

[@ghostboys8161]

I don’t remember the scene playing at 9:05 was it cut out or?

[@sepultura7771]

It’s a deleted scene

[@chillyflame383]

Ngl I wouldn’t say this movie is a horror movie, it was more of a thriller that makes you uncomfortable and at times grossed out, no down right scared with a bunch of killing and blood everywhere and jump scared galore.

[@MarkWijsman]

Not sure why it isn’t immediately mentioned this film is about a break-up

[@kailaleegibbons6143]

Because this channel isn't particularly deep.

[@Bejunckt]

How so?

[@MrSkelanimals]

​@@kailaleegibbons6143 literally Ari Aster says it himself that this is a breakup movie on at least 5 different interviews, anyone with a single brain cell and google will be able to find that quote in a minute?? And i'm sure that if they fact checked swedish and norse mythology to this extent, they'd know he said that. It's also implied when they explicitly said Dani chose these people over Christian. You guys don't sound very "dEeP" rn lol

[@Jazzmaster1992]

@@MrSkelanimals "chose these people over Christian" are you sure? It seemed to me like the implication was that she got revenge for being cheated on.

[@anna-gj1jb]

Ian Lindo it’s more about how Christian wasn’t a positive and supportive person in Dani’s life after her family died. It’s not about revenge, it’s the cycle of grief and what kind of support a person needs at that time, in this instance- Dani’s relationship with Christian was toxic and stagnant, so in the end when the Swedes were mimicking her cries (plus the effect of the drugs) it gave her a false sense of family and comfort. Listen to Dead Meat’s podcast on this, there was SO much I missed from this

[@FUBARChicken]

The lungs breathing is a psychedelic affect, often when hullicatining colours and objects pulse, very similar to what you see in the food on the table scene.

[@alexsilva28]

And the flowers on Danny's dress

[@DeweysGuitar]

The Blood Angel was a real form of torture where the victim would be alive as the take his or her lungs out of their back to make "wings", so I think he actually was alive.

[@spookydonkey513]

He was supposed to still be alive. I can attest to seeing inanimate objects breathing while on hallucinogens though ;)

[@anglerbrook6713]

It’s actually called blood eagle, and no he is not alive. Your diaphragm is what allows your lungs to take in air, when the lungs are removed you can no longer breathe. It’s just a hallucination.

[@fyodorbocalbos7997]

@@anglerbrook6713 big fax. Lungs wont work outside of the provided negative pressure inside the body

[@tinamoul]

My thoughts after they weren't all trekking past that arch after the first sacrifice was "welp, I have absolutely no sympathy for anyone who dies at this point" Because, I would have just calmly packed my shit, asked for a ride into town, and if I didn't get one physically started walking back the way I came, they would have had to physically stop me from leaving. Honestly my cult meter would probably have been going off long before that first ritual sacrifice. Only Connie and Simon are the only ones that get my sympathy, they honestly should have cleared out the day of the first sacrifice, once they died I was done, the only two people that showed a lick of sense. I wouldn't even have spent the night, I would have cleared out about 5 seconds after the lady jumped head first and everyone news like "that's cool"

[@kyshawnkelly8118]

I am so glad you actually went into the symbolism of this film. I’ve seen 3+ reviews that are basically summaries. This is a true deep dive.

[@valmarsiglia]

Sometimes I bemoan the fact that I'm bald. Then I see certain haircuts and breathe a sigh of relief.

[@KingCraze22]

Topcliffe a shaved head is a sign of confidence so don’t feel too bad about it.

[@valmarsiglia]

@@KingCraze22 I like the way you think :)

[@ceceruben6113]

@@lunarcat632 LMAO TRUTH

[@bryanconyers7970]

Lol! Cruel but hilarious!!!

[@jacobiec47]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@sunsmeller5836]

Upon watching the film for the third time you notice little details...like how when the group was introduced to a Harga elder, he shakes everyone’s hand, but embraces Dani and says “Welcome Home!”. Yikes...boned from the start.

[@marknesium]

I'm a big fan of Stanley Kubrick and especially The Shining and Ari Aster's movies remind me a lot of Kubrick's style, but in Aster's own unique way! Midsommar was delightful and horrifying to watch!

[@sandipansaha1296]

One thing I don't agree that's said in this video.. He didn't pressure her to take those hallucinogens at all..he rather resisted it It was eventually Dani's decision and she decided to keep the matter simple