As a movie fan, many people will go see certain films simply based on who is involved in it. Even though I try to go into each and every film I see, there can be a bias (both good and bad) that gets into my head from time to time. The last time I saw a film by director Ari Hester, it was last year’s “Hereditary,” which I did NOT enjoy, so going into “Midsommar,” I was a bit apprehensive, but I still did my best to go in with a clean slate.
In this two-hour-and-twenty-minute tale, Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) are a couple struggling, which is made worse after tragedy strikes Dani. Christian does not really want to leave her alone in her time of need, so he brings her with him and his buddies, Josh (William Jackson Harper), Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren), and Mark (Will Poulter) to an annual summer festival in Sweden, which Pelle is actually from. With Josh wanting to go and work on his thesis, the boys are not really keen on Dani joining them, but they go along with it, but as the story unfolds, this is SO much more than just a festival.
I am not going to waste your time or mine here: the ONLY thing I liked about this film was Poulter’s performance. His constant wisecracks kept me watching, but THAT IS IT. “Midsommar” is WAY too long and slow, with half of the first hour alone worthy of hitting the cutting room floor. Keeping this thing family friendly, there is so much to this that is simply disgusting that it is too much: like incest, strong nudity, sexual situations, extreme violence, and even more I can’t unsee. I don’t care if they are going for art here: it is over the top and overly intentional in its gore and violence that I can only compare to the old “Faces of Death” films. I am not kidding when I write that I wanted to walk out multiple times as it reminded me of “Deliverance” in different outfits. I cannot in good conscience recommend this film in ANY way, and I PROMISE that this will be in the medal round of my least favorite films of the year!