The summer solstice is an ancient holiday, which in all cultures is shrouded in a mystical halo. In a Swedish settlement cut off from the civilized world, unique rites with a centuries-old tradition are held on this day. This is where a group of young American anthropological students sets off, taking with them the girl of one of them. However, soon after arrival, friends find out that local rituals are far from harmless.

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What to expect from the film, which begins with a screen saver similar to Soviet fairy tales by Alexander Rowe? Surely you are, in the last turn, ready to see what Midsummar (A Solstice) director Ari Aster will show you …

Those who are already familiar with the director’s previous film, “Reincarnation, will experience less shock than those who are familiar with the film “head on, just as the next representative of the horror genre, which in our times, largely due to the number of films released Consumer goods in this genre do not cause awe, but just a desire to ride on a roller coaster built from screamers. Paradoxical as it may seem, it becomes warm in the soul when one comes across diamonds such as this one, continuing a series of films that critics have dubbed the concept of “sublime horror – those representatives of the genre who have psychology in their hearts and offer the viewer several interpretations of the events taking place in them which stand out as very eccentric, in a good way, and in many places even outstanding in technical implementation.

All these films are the result of the activities of the creators; directors who know exactly what they want, even if, believe it only, these are their first full-length films! The skill with which Aster attracts the viewer in Midsummer, as well as with Reincarnation, deserves great respect and even admiration.

He created a unique film. So unique that Guillermo del Toro’s Labyrinth of Faun comes to mind as a comparison – an example of uniqueness for me. Both films are stylized as fairy tales, but these tales are for adults and about adult things. They use fabulous metaphorical, illusory and “alluvious, and of course surrealism, to talk about something human. In the case of Midsummer, this is a pair break. It was no accident that Ari Astaire called Midsumar first Alice in Wonderland for perverts, and then as a drama about breaking up. By combining these concepts, you can certainly count on a unique picture, but if many directors disappointed, or, as they say, “did not reach” their ambitions, then Ari Astaire will not disappoint: be sure he will go where he is going to go. In this regard, the timing of two and a half hours pays off more than more than. And this is also not a movie that is worth watching only for the sake of ending: the process itself will give you no less pleasure, drawing parallels with another kind of human activity. All the details matter and are of interest to those who watch movies with an open mind. Well, due to the humor with which the director does not dilute the picture, but literally intervenes in it, and in all, and not just at the very beginning, it will not be boring even to those who do not consider themselves to be fans of author surrealism! Yes, “Midsummer, despite all its authorÂ’s, independent nature, will be interesting to a fairly wide range of viewers. I donÂ’t know if it can be called the “mainstream, but I would like these very films to become him in the future, at least in this genre.

The emotions that the picture evokes literally cannot be expressed in words. Even the viewer, who is accustomed to such films, in which the essence of some quite transcendental evil is manifested, has something to see here. Only a little moving away from viewing, I can collect words and write an intelligible review on it. This is a pure stream of cinema in its purest form, in which the director makes maximum use of the means available to him to engage the viewer in the narrative, and then make him look, as if spellbound, at the screen, unable to be distracted by anything else. ItÂ’s like you drank one of those tinctures, or you breathed some of the herbs that the inhabitants of the Swedish village so generously succumb to the heroes: the effect is irreversible and inevitable, the consequences are inevitable: you are sailing along the story that the director and the scriptwriter show you, only forward, where you donÂ’t know where.

All this would have been impossible without the actors who put their whole soul into the film. This is especially true, of course, for Florence Pugh / Dani, who had a difficult burden to become the next (victim) main character Aster after the brilliant Tony Collette. To write that she did it is not to write anything. Let the workers of her reincarnation be a surprise for you, I will only write that she, like all the other actors, including Jack Raynor, who got a character with the symbolic name of Christian, Will Poulter, Wilhelm Blomgren, and all the villagers without exception, especially the sinister Gunnel Fred / Siv, ideally fell into her image and revealed it in all its variety of colors.

Music by Bobby Krlic and The Haxan Cloak. This is something incredible. This soundtrack is not inferior to the music of Colin Stetson to “Reincarnation”. It perfectly conveys the mood of what is happening on the screen, and in some places even sets this mood.

Editing by Luke Johnston and camera work by Pavel Pogorzhelsky make a tremendous contribution to the atmosphere and spirit of the painting. Even the viewer who is ready for experimentation has something to be surprised at. From the very beginning of the film, you marvel at realism, with which everything is shot. Scary, terrifying realism. As one critic noted, this is like a documentary, not a feature film! At the same time, to the delight and horror, this feeling does not leave until the very end, thanks to the professional work of everyone involved in the creation of this picture.

I could write many epithets in relation to individual scenes, each of which causes a storm of emotions. Even the credits! Outstanding scenes are scattered here as generously as in the most outstanding examples of the genre. They mercilessly cut into the memory and threaten to never leave there ever. A separate pillar is the ending, which can already be called “branded” for this director, setting an indescribable aftertaste, as well as a mixture of emotions that she evokes.

Midsummar is a masterpiece that shows what horror is capable of, if taken seriously. However, this is not just horror. The directorÂ’s previous film was called The Exorcist for the New Generation. Many thought on the trailers and synopsis that Midsummer would be the Wicker Man, and it turned out to be neither more nor less the Stanley Kubrick Shine. Yes, it is with this film that it feels like you can compare this film most of all.

“Where we are going, we are not given to know …
We move and scrape bottom to bottom.
We donÂ’t need to know yet,
Where the river will take us.
Now rain, now snow
That haze from all sides,
Neither roll nor relax
Everything is more dangerous our way.
A glimmer of hellfire in the middle of the night
The approach of death prophesies to us.
Yes, the danger is growing!
Boat speed does not slow down!
DoesnÂ’t want to swim slower
Making life shorter!

When viewing the Solstice, I fully felt like a passenger of that boat from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory of 1971, when it truly seems that the gates of hell will open before you. But then you recall the famous words of Shakespeare: “Hell is empty. All demons are here. And it gets worse. Darkness no longer seems so terrible when sunlight illuminates the true face of a nightmare.

Info Blu-ray

Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265 (65.2 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.00:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.00:1

Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles
English SDH.