Style: Horror
Director: Ari Aster
Starring: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter
Operating Time: 147 minutes
Synopsis: Dani (Florence Pugh) loses her mother and father and sister in stunning circumstances, straining her relationship with boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor). However the couple settle for an invite from Christian’s good friend Pelle to go to his dwelling neighborhood in rural Sweden in time for a midsummer pageant. Upon arrival the strain between Dani and Christian intensifies as they dabble in hallucinogenics and witness the more and more troubling rituals of an remoted pagan neighborhood.
What Works Effectively: The opening pre-credit sequence resulting in the demise of Dani’s household is great, drawing on Florence Pugh’s full vary as she navigates uncertainty, loss, grief, disorientation, and doubt. The scenes in Sweden profit from sometimes attention-grabbing cinematography.
What Does Not Work As Effectively: Languid pacing, shallow character definitions, minimal plot factors, infinite scenes of staring, chanting, dancing, and hollering, and the absence of suspense decimate momentum. Author and director Ari Aster leans closely on a few stunning moments and a few gore, each fairly inadequate to justify a bloated working time that could be a good one hour longer than obligatory.
Key Quote:
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