Midsommar (2019) : a film review by Mark R. Leeper

  In ‘Midsommar’, three friends travel to Sweden to observe the midsummer festival at the farm/commune of another of their friends. It is probably not much of a spoiler at this point to say that this film bears more than a slight resemblance to ‘The Wicker Man’, although the ‘outsiders’ here are not quite as clueless as Sergeant Howie. For starters, one of them is doing his thesis on midsummer festivals. 

  This is a 2019 movie, so not surprisingly, there is more sex and gore than in the 1972 ‘Wicker Man’. For what its worth, Britt Ekland’s dance in ‘The Wicker Man’ is far more erotic than the more explicit sex of ‘Midsommar’. There are also more special effects, though they are primarily in the service of either the gore or various hallucinations, rather than any possible supernatural elements. 

  Of interest to those who follow folk horror (see our review of ‘Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched’ in the 01/06/23 issue), but obviously ‘The Wicker Man’ (the original from 1973, not the 2006 remake) should be seen before this. [-mrl/ecl]   

Released 03 July 2019. Rating: high +1 (-4 to +4) or 6/10 

 

(c) Mark R. Leeper 2023