Disturbed and confused by 'Midsommar'? Let the filmmakers explain
LOS ANGELES - As exacting and detailed as Ari Aster is as a filmmaker, he's surprisingly low-key about how to pronounce the title of his new film, "Midsommar." While he, as many do, says "mid-so-mar," others are going with "mid-summer."
"That's fine as well," he said. "Either way."
That atypical shot of easygoing energy also plays into the uncanny mix of restraint and chaos that gives "Midsommar" - Aster's second film, and the follow-up to his acclaimed 2018 horror hit "Hereditary" - its shocking, disturbing power. A dark tale set mostly in the bright sunlight of a secluded Swedish village, the film tells the story of a young woman, Dani (Florence Pugh), who is gripped with grief after a horrific family tragedy finds little solace from her increasingly distant boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor).
When Christian begrudgingly invites Dani to join him and some fellow anthropology graduate students on a trip to Sweden to visit a community known as the Harga, their fates are mutually sealed. They become far more than just observers, but unwitting pawns in a series of rituals and customs that play out with ultimate consequences.
