I finally watched the film “Midsommar” last night. “Midsommar,” directed by Ari Aster, (an American) is a stunning and unsettling exploration of grief, relationships, and the insidious nature of tradition – not real tradition mind you, a perversion of it. Released in 2019, the film is set against the bright, idyllic backdrop of rural Sweden during Midsummer “Midsommar,” the summer solstice, which sharply contrasts with the dark, psychological horrors that unfold.
So, if you do not want to know about the film stop reading. It is a horror film that misuses Swedish culture and Norse faith and legends and symbology to make it scary. There are also a lot of people using drugs or being drugged which reminds me of certain hippy Norse Pagan groups where many of them go on “drug trips” and think they see the Gods – yeah right – the Gods come when they want not because you are on a drug trip. And so are many of the people in this film who are being drugged at first voluntarily – “Here have some mushroom tea” or later “Drink this it will make you open.” Later, well they are all just drugged by their friendly evil Swedish hosts all dressed in white embroidered linen and flowers. The filmmaker had someone advise him certainly on Swedish culture and uses runes such as Odal and even the Gungnir “Gar” rune in the end – a sacrifice to Odin – so that the film plot could twist things for its horror. The table where the Swedish cult sits as a group was set up like the Odal rune. Someone who knew enough Norse culture to be dangerous advised the director.
The film centers on a cult community in Sweden and their “nine days” of “Midsommar” and of course there are going to be nine sacrifices. So, somebody read about Uppsala. There is an interesting take on older people engaging in suicide; however, it is depicted in a violent way. There is a scene reminiscent of “The Northmen” Norse comedy show, but where two older cult community members throw themselves off a cliff. One does not die right away so they all start screaming until someone goes and finishes them off. We do know that the Norse in Iceland like Native Americans when they were old and thought they were a burden on the community would wander away. In Iceland, Helgafell was and presumably is such a place where the road to Hel is direct.
The Swedish cult community has two members who have traveled abroad – one to the UK who brings back two people and one to the US who brings back a group of four. The story follows Dani, a young American woman grappling with the recent loss of her family, who joins her emotionally distant boyfriend Christian and his friends on the trip to the remote Swedish cult village. What begins as an innocent cultural experience soon spirals into a nightmarish reality as the group becomes entangled in the village's increasingly bizarre and violent rituals. Needless to say, it does not go well for these groups of outsiders who wander around on “drug trips” or their own self absorbtion and do not realize until its way too late what is happening.
There are parodies of ancient customs from runestones to the “dark one” a devil kind of figure. Sure, there is dancing around the Maypole – all happy like – but what will happen???
The Swedish community is like a hippy cult commune led by a female priestess. Dani the main female character has a sense of foreboding, but she is not able to stop events. The British couple try to leave – not so easy. We see one of them blood eagled later in a chicken coup. Two of the American men are supposed to be graduate students working on some kind of doctorate on Midsummer traditions – they are far too curious to see what is happening.
The cult members in the village all wear Nordic-embroidered linen costumes and some people sleep in communal buildings. There is also free love practiced here – but it is not really free. There is a price. And the cult oracle – well the oracles are created by inbreeding – and they do oracle readings with finger paint - so again a mockery of traditions. I suppose there are many movies that mock Christianity so this one mocks Swedish and Norse culture, while also making it something to dread. There is even a scene somehow mocking the blessing of the crops and fields with a female pulled in a wagon evoking the Vanir.
Dani starts screaming when she finds out her boyfriend is enjoying free love with a young Swedish redhead girl who is ready to mate because her “astrological signs” align with the American boy Christian who is in a daze on multiple drug trips. What wait – astrology too? Anyway, the free love mating scene is wild because of the female bystanders and something you would not see it in a normal American film.
There also is a scene mocking Berserkir. But that does not go well. Anyway, Dani somehow survives for now and seems to enjoy it at the final "summer bonfire." If I spoiled it, it for you sorry. The horror film is an attack on Swedish summer customs and Norse traditions. Was it a good horror film – sure – I will give it that and knowing Norse traditions I can see between the lines. It was on television which is surprising because of the nudity and sex scenes, but I did not have to pay for it. Would I recommend it? Hmm – yes, but only as an entertaining horror film and to be able to defend our real traditions from idiots that saw this film and think there are real customs and real things.
Official “Midsommar” (2019 film poster) under Fair Use
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