Our take
You may have heard about this 2019 critic-favorite from clips like this one of a kid running to flee the movie theater during a screening. “little billy ran the f**k out the door”, the caption reads.
You will want to do the same. Recovering from losing her sister and her parents in a single incident, a young girl goes on a trip to Sweden to observe a ritual within a bizarre commune that occurs every 90 years. This cult’s idea of death and their traditions intersect with the girl’s grief to create unthinkable monstrosities.
Note: while some readers praise the movie for its depiction of anxiety, I highly recommend against watching Midsommar if you suffer from panic attacks.
Streaming arrival
What it won
Spirit Awards
1 nom
Nat. Board of Review
1 win · 1 nom
The story
Several friends travel to Sweden to study as anthropologists a summer festival that is held every ninety years in the remote hometown of one of them. What begins as a dream vacation in a place where the sun never sets, gradually turns into a dark nightmare as the mysterious inhabitants invite them to participate in their disturbing festive activities.
Elsewhere
"Florence Pugh carries the movie, and her wryly matter-of-fact commitment to the character's tenuous subjectivity is what allows Aster's storytelling to vacillate between blistering satire, broken-in psychological realism, and straight-faced ominousness."
— Madeline Whittle
"A terrifically juicy, apocalyptic cinematic sacrament that dances around a fruitless relationship in dizzying circles."
— Tomris Laffly
The details
Who picked it
Bilal Zouheir is the founder of A Good Movie to Watch. He is based in the US and a member of the Nevada Film Critics Society. He grew up in Morocco, where he learned English from watching movies. Bilal's work with A Good Movie to Watch is focused on offering an alternative to streaming algorithms, which are often used as commercial tools by streaming services.
Quick review…
WHAT THE HELL!!!
Ha, it was pretty good, I liked The Witch better because it seemed more plausible in the era it was set in. Full of WTF’s?!?! But a little to long.
Without question the creepiest movie ever set in daylight, no doubt!
Honestly…I’m not sure why this movie is as popular as it is. I thought it was an interesting concept but really just okay. It’s not a movie that I’d even want to watch again, some parts were incredibly boring! I think it honestly relied on “shock factor” to make it more interesting that it really was. I’d still recommend watching it to have in your repertoire though.
This movie was stupid ! I watched the whole thing hoping it would get better……it didn’t. Horror is my favorite genre and this moving did not fit into this category if you ask me. It was just weird and the nudity scene was used for shock value….the only reason people will remember or talk about this movie.
Loved this film – left a memory for a long while. Probably the closest depiction of what taking mushrooms feels like. I am not a horror film lover but this was artfully put togehter. Lots of WTFs and a great film.
i LOVED this film, the acting, the emotions, the editing, the stylistic choices … everything made me feel like i was in the movie.
Midsommar, VVitch & Hereditary are the best scary films all time tbh!