I mean without the body horror and cult stuff. He portrays deterioration of relationships very well. The hereditary dinner scene was better than any drama movie scene that year.
The first half of Hereditary is so good because of this.
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MIDSOMMAR - First Trailer - from director Ari Aster (Hereditary)
- Thread starter ParanoidRED
- Start date
The first half of Hereditary is so good because of this.
yeah for sure! but it was a direct result of what happened. like i don't get how you get there without it being a "horror" movie or having these circumstances in his stories.
I got super lucky with my Midsommer audience. Fairly small and deathly quite.
Unfortunately, my experiences with Heredity and Us were terrible due to the audience. I just don't think you can see arthouse horror at most theaters for most showtimes because the average theater-goer isn't looking for that kind of experience.
That said, the best way to play the odds is to go on a weekday afternoon.
Here in the suburbs of Indianapolis there's only one art theater and it's 45 minutes away from me. I've learned to avoid the more metropolitan theaters all together.
I had the absolute worst viewing experience. Couples on my left, right, and behind me whispered and commentated during the entire movie. And the lady in front of me had her hair up, so her hair was constantly creeping into my view. One couple went as far as fully extending their arm to point at the screen while commentating. *Whisper*why'd he do that. I don't know. Is he captured? I don't know. What was that. I don't know.*whisper*
I went on a Friday night because it was literally my only chance to see it in theaters.
I went on a Friday night because it was literally my only chance to see it in theaters.
I unfortunately don't have one here. I just checked my little indie theater and they are playing it there. I should have got to see it there honestly. It also sounds like the audience for this movie was collectively awful.
Yeah same. I enjoyed the first 2/3rds probably. I was consistently anxious throughout it. Then it just got weird. The dissonance was simply too much for me. I couldn't tell what I was supposed to be taking seriously and what I was supposed to be laughing at.
I actually want him to make a straight up slasher or something. He's so great displaying terror and violence, as shown in those last thirty minutes of Hereditary
I was actually thinking this in the shower last night lmao
He would make Freddy fucking terrifying
I was wondering if Scandinavians would get an extra kick out of this movie just imagining American audiences believing you've got pagan homicidal maniac communes dotting your countrysides.
I think he said a while ago that his next film (Midsommar) would be the last horror film he did for a while since he didn't want to be solely a horror director.
I think Hereditary works so well because at its heart it's a great drama. I always tell people this, too. Yeah, it has horror elements, but the most unsettling bits are what I'd call more drama than horror (the dinner scene, the decapitation scene, the overall themes of grief and resentment). Of course, one genre doesn't have to be mutually exclusive of another, but the elements that I consider more pure horror in the film are its weakest parts.
Likewise, Midsommar's strongest parts are when it deals with these interpersonal aspects, too. It just loses its footing somewhat with some of the subplots that don't really go anywhere and some of the wheel-spinning it does midway through.
Aster doing a non-supernatural/outré type of drama would definitely be interesting. Among his contemporaries (Peele, Eggar, Flanagan), he may be my favorite when it comes to slightly left-of-center offbeat sensibilities, whereas I consider Flanagan to probably be my favorite when it comes to super solid meat-and-potatoes type of horror.
Has anyone here seen The Strange Thing About the Johnsons or any of his short films? I remember hearing about the Johnsons a couple years ago as this super bizzare/darkly comedic drama, but I never watched it.
edit: It's been online for a while. May have to finally watch it tonight.
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This movie was the first viral "event" on black twitter I remember. Such a fucked up movie. can't believe he went from that to Midsommar.
All of Christian's gaslighting and Dani's reactions are what continue to stand out with me the most. Such a clear depiction of a terrible partner. By the time Christian
decided what he wanted his research topic to be
Really enjoyed this. It's more of a black comedy compared to the sheer trauma Hereditary was going for, and comes across as disturbing rather than frightening, but the pace and visuals and atmosphere are all superb, and Pugh (who was already a major up-and-comer after Lady Macbeth) gives a hell of a performance.
Between this and Colette in Hereditary, Aster has a knack for getting scenes of raw grief out of actors that outstrips every other director I can think of except Lynch?
Easily my favourite film of the year so far.
Between this and Colette in Hereditary, Aster has a knack for getting scenes of raw grief out of actors that outstrips every other director I can think of except Lynch?
Easily my favourite film of the year so far.
Saw it the other day. You can see the foundations for all of Aster's style and techniques that would define Hereditary and Midsommar, and it's as fucked up as both of those, maybe worse in its own way
you pick little things up the second time. like the sharp inhales and the piles of books. I'm still not sure who she saw in the outhouse.
Oh shit, didn't know about this. The comments on YouTube have me thinking this is some fucked up shit. I'll watch it when I'm less groggy lol
i thought it might be her dad but it could be some random dude i guess.
Are you talking about the scene at the beginning when she starts to have a bad trip and goes into the outhouse? If so I'm pretty sure that was an image of her sister with the hose still strapped to her face. Here's the scene from the trailer that I'm thinking of.
Thinking about seeing this sometime this week, but I'm afraid the local theater I usually go to will be full of the typical suspects ruining horror films for others.
The closest Alamo Drafthouse is 30 minutes away. My best bet would be a super early showing I think.
The closest Alamo Drafthouse is 30 minutes away. My best bet would be a super early showing I think.
I loved this, thought it was brilliant. Truly disturbing.
My only light criticism is the best scene in the movie(IMO) comes fairly early on.
Such a feeling of dread and awful anticipation in this scene. The music swelling at the perfect times, it's just completely bonkers in the best way. The end as well, just sort of sat there stunned through the credits. Aster is so good with relationships and 'real life' horror, the first 10 mins certainly set the tone. I was immediately onboard. The image of the sister through out are absolutely haunting.
Saw it at an AMC on a Saturday night and somehow got lucky with the audience. Was anticipating some walk outs, but I think everyone stayed.
I see a lot of horror films, this is one of my favorites in some time.
My only light criticism is the best scene in the movie(IMO) comes fairly early on.
The cliff scene
Saw it at an AMC on a Saturday night and somehow got lucky with the audience. Was anticipating some walk outs, but I think everyone stayed.
I see a lot of horror films, this is one of my favorites in some time.
I'm wondering what the point of having such a heavy emphasis on drugs throughout the whole film is.
Everyone is on something in every scene.
- Dani's sister kills herself and their parents via exhaust inhalation.
- Dani takes a pill to calm herself in the beginning.
- The mushrooms they take at the commune when Dani has a bad trip.
- Dani takes sleeping pills.
- The cult gives Christian an aphrodisiac.
- The paralyzing drug used on Christian.
- The pain drug used on the voluntary sacrifices... Which seems to be useless.
- Dani takes a pill to calm herself in the beginning.
- The mushrooms they take at the commune when Dani has a bad trip.
- Dani takes sleeping pills.
- The cult gives Christian an aphrodisiac.
- The paralyzing drug used on Christian.
- The pain drug used on the voluntary sacrifices... Which seems to be useless.
Everyone is on something in every scene.
I think this was a
anxiety/fear reducing drug
Saw this today. Lucky with the audience, except one very... "full frontal" scene later on which had half the theatre laughing - but it wasn't a bad thing.
Pretty amazing work! Aster is insanely skilled at dread and pacing.
On the whole in terms of energy it's nowhere near as good as Hereditary - but it's more consistent and the themes tie together better in the end, without weird hamfisted exposition (which works thematically but not dramatically). In Misdommar you keep waiting for the escalation to really happen and it never quite does, as much as things are intense in the end. There's not quite enough gut-punch brutality like the notorious early Sweden scene, which was masterful.
The opening 15 minutes of this movie, man... How is Aster so fucking good at that. It's like some peak Lynch/Irving/Carver stuff, or something. Proper domestic horror.
Pretty amazing work! Aster is insanely skilled at dread and pacing.
On the whole in terms of energy it's nowhere near as good as Hereditary - but it's more consistent and the themes tie together better in the end, without weird hamfisted exposition (which works thematically but not dramatically). In Misdommar you keep waiting for the escalation to really happen and it never quite does, as much as things are intense in the end. There's not quite enough gut-punch brutality like the notorious early Sweden scene, which was masterful.
The opening 15 minutes of this movie, man... How is Aster so fucking good at that. It's like some peak Lynch/Irving/Carver stuff, or something. Proper domestic horror.
Been pondering this for a few minute and the one thing I can think of in a short time:
Without doing some in-depth analysis is:
The use of drugs allow us to dissolve ourselves from our outside/external world and focus on the internal/spiritual trip. The big focus of the film is watching a relationship deteriorate until it finally 'turns to ash.' Throughout the film, Dani was influenced by numerous factors effecting her inner self – abandonment from her family, fear of abandonment from Christian, and Christian's manipulation. This 'trip' to Midsommar is like one crazy drug-ride in which by the end – Dani finally finds her spiritual awakening and is able to expel her negative external factors; freeing her to be herself and tend to herself.
The use of drugs allow us to dissolve ourselves from our outside/external world and focus on the internal/spiritual trip. The big focus of the film is watching a relationship deteriorate until it finally 'turns to ash.' Throughout the film, Dani was influenced by numerous factors effecting her inner self – abandonment from her family, fear of abandonment from Christian, and Christian's manipulation. This 'trip' to Midsommar is like one crazy drug-ride in which by the end – Dani finally finds her spiritual awakening and is able to expel her negative external factors; freeing her to be herself and tend to herself.
Not sure the first one on your list really counts as "drug", but yeah if you wanna talk poisons I guess it counts.
About the pain drug:
I looked it up, in the script they say it's the
yew tree, which is notoriously toxic to humans. It's used in a lot of quack medicine as a potential cancer cure... so that detail could have been a dig at "alternative therapies". They gave the yew toxin to the guys to make it painless; is still painful as fuck.
If I recall correctly, early on the Swedish friend says they're into homeopathy and alternative medicines at the community.
If I recall correctly, early on the Swedish friend says they're into homeopathy and alternative medicines at the community.
I hated this movie and Hereditary but I agree, the opening to this movie was very strong and just filled with dread in a way that few horror filmmakers are capable of. Mostly not a fan of Aster but he's got some talent for sure.
Did you feel the same about Hereditary's notorious scenes? (From the first half of the movie.)
I totally sympathise with not liking his stuff. I love it because the highs are so high and the ideas, themes and symbols are always so potent and well structured. But I think he has a long way to go dramatically and in terms of pace.
The commune also "dissolves" the individual into part of the whole so there's a major element of ego death to the film. The way they treat death as giving back to the community, the way they share joy and pain, etc.
I'm not sure which is better, but Hereditary and Midsommar definitely make for good companion pieces. Hereditary derives its horror from the fact that we have no say regarding the family we're born into, and then Midsommar finds its deranged joy in the fact that we have the ability to find a new one.
wow you're right! it's so fast i thought it was a beard. that was such a great scene. all it took to take her from a potentially good place to a really bad place was the word "family" 😣Are you talking about the scene at the beginning when she starts to have a bad trip and goes into the outhouse? If so I'm pretty sure that was an image of her sister with the hose still strapped to her face. Here's the scene from the trailer that I'm thinking of.
I can't even imagine how awful and immersion-breaking it would be having waiters slinking up and down the aisles and hearing people slurp their food and clink their forks against plates.
My showing was incredibly modest - around five people in total including myself - so I almost felt as if the universe was making up for the horrendous audience at Hereditary last year. But there was still one guy several rows down who seemed to be constantly eating throughout the film.
When the old folks committed suicide he was shoveling stuff into his mouth nonstop. Didn't even pause for a second when the woman's face turned to chunky tomato sauce.