Summer is here. I won’t say ‘finally’ because that would seem to imply that I was looking forward to it, and I was not. It’s just here and I’ll have to cope with it.
Interestingly, though, today happens to be the day in which midsummer is celebrated in Sweden, a Saturday between June 20 and June 26. What does this have to do with horror? Well, not sure if you’ve noticed but… in 2019, a horror film that’s “based” on it, Midsommar, came out and it got quite... popular.
SPOILERS ALERT! If you want to avoid spoilers, you can stop reading right now.
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| Midsommar (2019) |
Last year, a friend recommended that I watch it. And I did, shortly afterward. At first, I was reluctant to. I don’t try to go against what is popular. If you know me, you’d know that I can be quite into things that are mainstream (even to obnoxious degrees). But, more often than not, when somebody recommends a movie for being outstanding, I have to wonder if it’ll be a mad attempt to be unlike anything else and I won’t enjoy it as a result. But Midsommar was, indeed, weirder than I’m used to, and, indeed, worth watching.
Truly, Midsommar is deeply and greatly messed up. If you want to watch something messed up, I’d recommend it too. But beyond that, it also makes several points if you pay at least a little attention.
The story unfolds as a group of relatively normal people joins a rather strange community for midsummer. And although they try to start and remain with an open mind, respectful of other cultures, what this community is accustomed to is just way beyond what an outsider can be comfortable with. And yet, it is completely “normal” and okay to them. Might make you think about what messed up things that you’ve grown used to and accept could look utterly deranged from other points of view.
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| Midsommar (2019) |
But something that really caught my attention was the portrayal of unity and empathy to an extreme. Which, I suppose, the more solitary and reserved that you are, the more terrifying it would be for you to live in a place like that. I enjoy connecting with others, but definitely not like that.
And yet, it was interesting how, by joining Dani in her suffering, channeling it and expressing it more visibly and loudly, she seemed to be effectively purged from a significant portion of it. Which makes sense. The principle behind group therapy is similar, albeit constrained to tamer levels.
Furthermore, the film also displays how invasive unity and empathy can be. And if you’re tired of people pushing and prying into your personal and private affairs, whether with good intentions or not, you might find it validating.
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| Midsommar (2019) |
Much controversy around the film actually has to do with the couple in it and whether or not either of the two acted rightly and/or justifiably and whether they deserved what happened to them or not. But let me again remind you all that films, and especially horror films, are not to be taken as guiding moral compasses. When it comes to horror, in particular, it tends to be more about exploring and exposing what different kinds of people do under horrible circumstances. And we’re not our best selves when that’s the case!
Dani is not an exemplary person to aspire to be like. She basically took lethal revenge on her boyfriend because she was fed up with his neglect despite her efforts. So fed up that she couldn’t think or feel as much anymore.
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| Midsommar (2019) |
In my opinion, they should have broken up long ago. Not be strung along in an unhappy relationship. Dani had a heavy trauma to deal with and she needed someone emotionally mature and resilient enough to help her with it or be by her side as she worked through it on her own and with the aid of external support. Not somebody who’d see her as a burden. And if someone like that didn’t appear, as they are rare gems, verging on superhuman, then she might have been better off single.
From my perspective, her ending wasn’t a happy one. She was so miserable that she eventually gave in to twisted means. And was still trapped in a situation far from ideal.
Something that you can take from Midsommar is the (counter) desire to create better conditions for yourself. If you’re lonely, don’t settle for just any type of care. Have standards and have boundaries that suit you. And do what you can for yourself when you can’t rely on others.
Genuinely caring people exist - and they don’t have to be THAT messed up. You can be one, too.
Have you been a part of an unsettling community?