Analysis of Midsommar Directed by Ari Aster

[HopePaul]

It’s quite clear what Midsommar aims to address, but I want to try and go deeper.

At the beginning of the film, we are shown the protagonist, Dani, who suffers a trauma, losing her entire family. Dani's boyfriend wanted to leave her, but after the tragedy, he couldn't bring himself to do it. This is already interesting, as we notice throughout the film that she becomes a burden to him. We see that he is forced to invite her on his trip to Sweden; she doesn't want to get angry because he hid it from her. Dani doesn't want to be alone and goes to great lengths to be appeased, and on the other hand, he can't bring himself to tell her the truth because she seems depressed.

We reach the point where the group of friends leaves for this trip to Sweden to study a community that celebrates Midsommar, a Scandinavian festival. The community is clearly a cult. As soon as they arrive, they take mushrooms for a psychedelic trip. At first, it seems to go well, even though they have no one to guide them through the trip. In fact, the mere word "family" is enough to send the protagonist, Dani, into a bad trip. I have had the chance to experience this firsthand, and I think the director captured that sensation very well. She tries to escape, both literally and metaphorically, from the bad thoughts and sadness she carries, but without success.

The group arrives and is warmly welcomed. We are shown the tranquility and peace in which this cult lives. The cult appears to be at the Blue level of Spiral Dynamics; they have a conformist mindset, the individual is sacrificed for the good of the community, and tradition must be respected for any reason.

Trying to be briefer, I want to focus on how this cult manages to prosper, because in this case, they are very closed off; they don't accept just anyone. The cult is very selective about who their followers must mate with outside the community.

Dani is chosen as the May Queen. She is at a weak moment in her life; all she seeks is comfort, love, and a family. And that is precisely what they give her: they don't make her suffer alone, but instead, they suffer together as a single entity.

This is my analysis. Let me know what you think and what your opinion of this film is.