After all that, you might want to participate in a late-night but still sunlit dance by the lake or, if you'd like to be that romantic sort but don't have a significant other, go pick seven different flowers and lay them under your pillow; your future betrothed is supposed to appear in a dream. Its not just creepy Easter eggs going on in the background either. further reading: Midsommar Ending Explained. Pelle lays out the life cycle ofHrgans for his friends shortly after they arrive in the commune. It's heavily implied that Pelle's own parents were sacrificed in their own time, as Pelle tells Dani that they burned in a fire when he was a child. As Dani and her fellow outsiders find out in a horrifying fashion, Hrgans who live to the age of 72 end their lives in a ritual where they jump from a high cliff onto a rock below. As Midsommar moves towards its ending, all of Dani and Christian's friends have (unbeknown to them) been killed. While the film is filled with ritualistic sacrifices and bears in cages, it sticks with you because of these central, universal themes anyone can learn from. Midsommar walks a very fine tight rope because it puts the audience in Dani's shoes as she becomes a pawn in a game she doesn't even know is being played. The May Queen herself is a personification of everything from youth and purity, to springtime and summertime, to ancient tree worship. You can see elements of this idea in Midsommar: There's the focus on ritualized feasting and drinking, a very specific dancing sequence, and a metaphorical defeat of predators (be they the natural sort like bears or the spiritual sort likes demons), as well as the big bonfire which ends the whole movie with style. We are hoping urgh, put them in a bear and burn them becomes a comforting phrase offered to those who are being mistreated by their other half. At the same time, Christian is taken away and drugged as well with the same tea. And Dani? Theres the trek to the Swedish village and the final ceremony around the Maypole. Drawn intoHrga's culture and traditions by curiosity, a search for belonging, and the hypnotic nature of the Midsommar rituals, Dani and Christian each become a central part of Midsommar's grim final ceremony. She chooses Christian. Related: Midsommar's Secret The Exorcist Easter Egg Explained. Midsommar Movie True Story: The Real Life Swedish Festival Explained Ari Aster's Midsommar depicts a terrifying Swedish commune. All that to say, the sheen of this idyllic village has worn off by then. further. Hes also written articles for sites like Cracked and Ranker. When Christian comes to his senses, he runs away naked and comes across the bodies of his friend. Midsommar: Every Death, Ranked From Least To Most Shocking - ScreenRant Swedish actor Vilhelm Blomgren, who plays Pelle, described Midsommar as "coming home" in a way. Dani staggers around in her May Queen costume, sobbing, but eventually calms down and then smiles as she watches the temple burn - which is where Midsommar ends. For example, as The Week sums up, said runes are used in literal ways throughout the film, though it helps to know what they mean ahead of time. The 5 Highest-Grossing A24 Horror Movies Whether that new path is one of freedom and hopefulness or just a different sort of cage is up to each viewer to decide. The public celebration, organized by towns, villages, and community groups, was historically held on April 30th. . However, thats not the only time Danis sister can be seen after the overture. Support our mission, and make a gift today. Singer/songwriter Ariana Grande loves Midsommar. At first we thought it was the old couple who jumped off the cliff near the start. She came toHrga with no family, and now she has a new family. Peeping from the keyhole, she didn't see the full truth. Community and Family: The Cult Indoctrination Techniques of 'Midsommar Midsommar is a trip you may not always want to take. In the end, there is a sense of. Reader support helps us keep our explainers free for all. Because although you'd probably choose to save even the nobbiest of ex-boyfriends over a murderous cult, Dani has perhaps decided that she's without family of her own and the nurturing elements of Hrga are where she now belongs. Please consider making a one-time contribution to Vox today. That doesnt make it true. Yes, she witnessed him sleeping with another girl, but by that point thats surely the least of the horrors shes witnessed that week, and to be fair, that wasnt entirely his fault. Midsommar Directors Cut Reveals From Ari Aster - Refinery29 Fury of the Gods Brings Back the "Shazamily": Inside DC's New Superhero Adventure, Scream 6's Brutal NYC Trip: "You Can't Trust Anyone" This Time, Cocaine Bear Is Not Just About a Killer "Coked-Up" Bear, It's Also an "Underdog Story", How Marvel's Wastelanders Podcast Created an Exciting Story with No Visual Safety Net, Midsommar Explained Questions and Theories. 51 Crazy Facts About the Movie 'Midsommar' - Creepy Catalog After watching Midsommar the first time around, you may be hesitant to watch it twice (it gets pretty gruesome after all). Though many try to escape at different points for the rest of the film, all but one are murdered and used in human sacrifice rituals. Midsommar: Burning Christian in the Bear Suit Cleanses the Harga of Sin As revealed near the end of Midsommar, the titular festival's ultimate event is the ritual sacrifice of nine human lives, four Hargans, four outsiders, and one chosen by the May Queen, who of course ends up being Dani (Florence Pugh). The artist behind Midsommar's murals on the meaning behind - Dazed Unlike Mark who wees on the sacred tree, and Josh who tries to photograph and possibly steal the sacred book Connie and Simon dont really commit any obvious transgressions. If you've made it to the end of the two-and-a-half-hour run time, you probably have some questions. We think thats Ruben wearing Marks face who kills Josh, because of some sound cues during that scene (and because he protects the book). The scene where Josh is hit in the head while reading their sacred texts, somebody walks in wearing Mark's face. The sacrifices are an offering of life in exchange for life, and every year the May Queen chooses the final and most important sacrifice. Upload images to make storyboards and slideshows. Midsommar is the story of Dani's emotional journey You can split Midsommar into a few distinct sections. But lets break it down a little further though. Dani, at the beginning of the film, loses her family tragically she is orphaned. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. The third and final section of the film starts out feeling like it will be kind of a whodunnit. Josh, who was writing a thesis on the place and studying this places Holy book, was advised not to take photos. Unless you count saying fuck a lot after the old couple jump off the cliff and wanting to go home early. On either side of her couch are two paintings: one of a series of moons (indicating the passage and cycle of time, presumably) and one rather wild-looking one that appears to be a woman running across corpses. We fact-checked the horror film. Dani . Midsommar as a fairytale. Firstly, because then we wouldnt have a movie. But I think the best way to think about whats happening in this last section is through some of the clues dropped throughout the film about Danis journey throughout Midsommar. With her sister and parents dead and her relationship falling apart, Dani is more or less completely alone when she arrives in Hrga. Flowers are seen in the wallpaper in Danis parents house when they pass away, triggering Danis emotional journey throughout the film. Mar 3rd 2023 at 6:48:31 PM. Dead Berserkers were often put in bear skins ahead of their funeral rites, so it could be a reference to that? The moons (signifying the phases of time and light and darkness). Ari Aster's new horror movie Midsommar follows a group of friends on a trip to a commune in Sweden, where the locals have some disturbing rituals. Their research included visits to local folklore museums, tours of centuries-old farms with paintings on the walls similar to those found in the movie, and traditional cultural solstice celebrations, along with studies of British and German folklore. Related:Ari Aster and Jack Reynor Interview: Midsommar. Although both films utilize matriarchal rituals, only Midsommar has a matriarchal result. Quite a straightforward tale following a group of individuals visiting a place with a culture full of disturbing rituals. Dani is the primary protagonist, and we can divide the film into three sections to track her progress. So who are the locals who are dressed up like trees? Mike Bedard is a graduate of UCLA. Ingmars all super apologetic that Connie and Simon choose to leave, but why, if theyre just going to be killed anyway? Theyre all on the couch, and Dani is seen through the mirror above, physically separated from them. Things You Only Notice The Second Time You Watch Midsommar - Looper.com But it could also just be because its a cool image. During dinner, Dani tells Christian that fellow outsider Simon left his girlfriend, Connie, behind in the village (or thats what they think of course, the reality is something quite different), and then bitterly says that she thinks Christian would do that, too. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Shes been an entertainment journalist for more than 15 years previously working at DVD & Blu-ray. Also Simon getting flowers for eyes and hung up in a chicken coup isnt not ritualistic. Others, like some of the ritualistic sacrifices, are a mixture of Aster's imagination and Viking folklore. He is asked to mate with a girl named Maja because he is astrologically perfect for her. The whole thing is set on fire; the Harga scream and yell; and the film concludes on Danis face, as she slowly, broadly smiles. Then theres the first section, which begins two weeks before the group Christian, Mark, Dani, Josh, and Pelle head to Sweden, and ends when they walk through the big wooden sunburst and into the idyllic village of the Harga.