@northcoast said:

Without being too specific so as to avoid spoilers, I could see young characters like Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) being somewhat open to the idea of what happened to the elderly couple at the cliff.

So Christian was open to the idea because he said to Dani that although it was shocking, they may think the same about their society puts elderly people in a care home. But to your point, in real life I don't think the younger generation could accept seeing this in any western country (despite it being a commune). Maybe if it happened within an isolated tribe in Africa or South America, but ultimately people will either be horribly stunned or act like Simon.

With the spread and wider societal acceptance of legalized euthanasia in the Western World, and an ancient, more culturally accepting view of suicide in the East (e.g., Japan), I'm thinking a contemporary theater audience may not be shocked by what they see.

Hmm...well I would say quite a lot of people were shocked by the smashing of the old guy's head with a huge mallet.

For the most part, there is not a lot of gore in this movie. The pacing is slow-- which I liked --but with contemporary, especially younger audiences (presumably the target demographic for this movie), I think this would be another detriment to the film's success. Although, for me, this did not feel like an almost two-and-a-half hour film, I think others would disagree.

I do agree with you but I don't think this film is aimed at younger horror fans. Much like Hereditary, it's a slow burn, as you said, that is more unnerving and disturbing rather than giving jump scares (which is primarily what younger audiences want).

The scene where he urinates on the sacred tree I found interesting, from the standpoint that it reminded me that in real life, Jennifer Lawrence got chewed out for scrautching her behind on a rock held sacred by some Hawaiians while filming one of her movies some years back. Makes me wonder if the director, Ari Aster, was inspired by that real-life occurrence? Lawrence, like Mark in this film, was totally ignorant of the significance of where she chose to address a very personal issue.

I personally thought this was a red herring to us, the viewer. Same with the scene with Josh where he photographs the sacred text. Both scenes appeared to indicate that they were killed because they committed a sacrilegious act, but in fact, they were always going to die regardless.

Overall I did enjoy this; well-acted, well-directed and an amazing score. Certainly like a modern day Wicker Man.

One question though, was Simon still alive when he was strung up over the chickens? When the camera panned over him to see his back opened up, it looked like he was breathing...

cphoenix--

Thank you for the thoughtful reply. To your question-- when I was watching the film, at least, it appeared to me that Simon was dead. Perhaps he was breathing, but that could have been just an editing error (certainly, the actor was breathing in real life!:))

I'm not sure I agree with the "red herring" argument. Part of me believes that had the rest of the group just kept their mouths shut (with the possible exception of Christian, who seemed like he might've been finished either way, after he'd been chosen as the cult's "stud"), they all would've survived. One thing that occurred to me while watching this film was that, over a period of many years, this cult appears to be doomed if things continue as depicted; let me explain:

Pelle brings six "outsiders" to the ceremonies, in large part to diversify the cult's genetics. But, in the end, five of them are dead, with only Dani remaining. Pelle's sister is presumably pregnant with Christian's child, but there doesn't appear to be many other infants within the cult's compound (a few babies crying, but that's it). Combine this with the death of the elderly couple AND the incineration of a couple younger volunteers, and it would appear that over the next few generations the cult will die out (not surprising if you consider the historical practices of pagan cults, which, over time, often self-destruct, either literally or through loss of interest in their own rituals).

But, these are just my opinions; others may feel differently. Thanks again for your reply, cpheonix!

Hi @northcoast - my pleasure to reply, thanks for posting!

Re: group surviving if kept mouths shut. For sure, 4 out of the 6 would not have. Part of the ritual meant that 4 "outsiders" had to be sacrificed, along with some other combo - can't remember specifically but one was a member chosen by the lottery ball, another was a volunteer (Pelle's brother) and the other chosen by the May Queen (Dani, who chose Christian). So it seemed like Josh and Mark were destined to be sacrificed.

As for your theory about the group dying out: when Christian was asking about the commune to some member or elder, he specifically mentions if incest is allowed. The response was that they sometimes had to bring outsiders in to mate so they don't commit incest (unless they want to produce "an unclouded one" I.e. A disabled person). It was never mentioned specifically if these outsiders were only brought in during the ritual. However, I believe not, because the ritual (involving the 9 people sacrificed) only happens every 90 years.

Also Pelle brought them specifically for the sacrifice, not to diversify the genetics. Remember how surprised he was that Christian had been chosen with a "love spell"?

Thanks as well for answering my question, I guess it would make more sense if Simon was already dead...but more disturbing if he wasn't!

@northcoast said:

I'm not sure modern-day horror aficionados are going to find "Midsommar" particularly disturbing, or even all that scary.

Having seen both iterations of the Wickerman, and a movie with witches with the same premise (I forget the title, as I saw it in the 80s), my friends and I fully knew what we were getting into before seeing this film, and ended up laughing through most of the "shocking" moments.

@cpheonix said:

One question though, was Simon still alive when he was strung up over the chickens? When the camera panned over him to see his back opened up, it looked like he was breathing...

Simon's lungs were definitely moving as if they were respiring, 100%, but I think it's massively unlikely he was still alive, much more plausible that Christian was just tripping balls and they were moving in the same way as the flowers, grass, food etc., was.

Personally, I found it extremely shocking and gory, and I didn't find the pacing all that slow. The cinema was full, and other than laughter at the black comedy you could have heard a pin drop. Can't say I liked the film, but it was brilliantly well done, and I think Ari Aster is a seriously impressive director.

Right away I thought of the classic 70's movie "The Wicker Man" and I was right. Difference is that film had an engaging story to keep viewers interested. This did not.