'Midsommar' and avoiding the sophomore slump
Last year’s terrifying “Hereditary” established writer/director Ari Aster as a daring filmmaker willing to subject his audience to near constant distress. His second feature, “Midsommar,” is another horror movie, though it noticeably lacks dark spaces and traditional jump scares. Even with deliberate similarities to pagan horror films like “The Wicker Man,” Aster makes some bold, likely divisive choices with “Midsommar.”
Both “Hereditary” and “Midsommar” could be classified as slow burns, with “Midsommar” clocking in at just under two-and-a-half hours. Fans of movies like “The Conjuring,” “It” and other relentless jump scare machines that are commonplace at multiplexes don’t seem as enthusiastic with Aster compared to the critic community, with audience exit polling scores faring much worse than other mainstream horror titles.
I don’t consider myself a mainstream horror fan, though I definitely appreciate the craft on display in the recent “It” and some of the “Conjuring” entries. I prefer horror that takes its time to build to something dreadful, at least compared to movies that serve empty calorie jump scares at random intervals.
I mention this as a primer to how I felt about “Hereditary,” which I found deeply unsettling. Credit goes to Aster’s compelling direction, as well as Toni Collette’s Oscar-worthy performance (she wasn’t even nominated, and though it makes no sense, I’ll go ahead and blame “Bohemian Rhapsody” for it).
At face value, “Midsommar” seems like it could be the ambitious and pretentious mess that befalls many exciting filmmakers on a sophomore effort. Weird cults. Two-and-a-half hour runtime. A plot that’s begging for a Nicolas Cage in a bearsuit appearance.
A notable example of a filmmaker’s sophomore slump would be Richard Kelly’s “Southland Tales,” which followed his indie breakout “Donnie Darko.” People of a certain generation love “Donnie Darko,” while a few sort of remember The Rock and Justin Timberlake being in a weird movie that one time.
“Southland Tales” is hardly a disaster though, and I’d almost rather prefer talented filmmakers reach too far beyond their capabilities rather than take the paycheck and make a generic superhero movie.
Earlier this year, “Under the Silver Lake” debuted with little fanfare. Though technically a third feature, “Silver Lake” was the anticipated follow-up to David Robert Mitchell’s excellent horror breakout, “It Follows.” A noir mystery/sorta-comedy, “Under the Silver Lake” definitely wasn’t what many were expecting from Mitchell, and it definitely lacks the cohesion and dramatic spell of “It Follows.” Still, you have to appreciate the ambition.
I’ve even heard rumblings from some who found “Us,” Jordan Peele’s follow-up to the Oscar-winning “Get Out,” as a sort of sophomore slump. That’s nonsense, of course, because even though “Us” may not be as cohesive as “Get Out,” Jordan Peele’s skills behind the camera (as well as a gift for ratcheting tension alongside surprising bursts of humor) are significantly enhanced throughout his second effort while still reaching for more ambitious thematic ideas. I would also argue that skill matches his intentions with the movie.
Back to “Midsommar.” I saw the reaction of some folks leaving the theater. It’s a brutal, emotionally taxing experience, and the bright, sun-soaked imagery and gore on display definitively bests even the most jarring moments in “Hereditary.”
I loved every minute of it. The movie’s length serves to cast a spell as a group of college students, including a recently grief-stricken woman played by Florence Pugh and her emotionally-distant boyfriend (Jack Reynor) attend a pagan festival in a remote Swedish village. You can obviously guess where things are going, which makes Aster’s ability to build the movie into such a disturbing adventure all the more impressive.
“Midsommar,” for all its weird cult unpleasantness, exists mostly as a relationship drama and specifically how men of a certain type can’t seem to overcome their more primal urges and emotional shortcomings. Pugh and Reynor are incredible here, as is a supporting cast that pumps the movie with more intentional humor than one might expect (as opposed to the more unintentional “THE BEES!” moments of “The Wicker Man” Cagemake).
Aster’s “Midsommar” has been haunting my dreams for days now, much like “Hereditary” did last year. I suspect some moviegoers will disagree, but this certainly isn’t the case of a sophomore slump. If Aster had one, it was probably the last 10 minutes of “Hereditary” itself, though, again, that’s more of a personal preference.
Stay tuned for more related sophomore slump discussion with this year’s release of “The Lighthouse,” which hails from “The Witch” director Robert Eggers. Not much known about it for now, but he will at least have future Batman Robert Pattinson and current treasure Willem Dafoe on his side.
•••
Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com