Midsommar

“In the land of the Hårga people, the sun never sets. That makes it a strange spot for a person seeking rest, but for Dani (Florence Pugh), the heroine of Ari Aster’s Midsommar, there aren’t many other options. In the movie’s first scene, psychology graduate student Dani finds out that her sister, who had bipolar disorder, has killed herself and their parents, leaving Dani all but alone in the world. The “all but” includes her long-term boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor), who’s been thinking about using his field research trip to a remote pagan community in rural Sweden with a group of fellow anthropology students as an excuse to break things off. But Dani’s tragedy means that Christian is stuck with her—and instead of leaving her behind as planned, he offers to take her along.

“Aster and cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski shoot in long, flowing takes that seem to take in all of Hårga at a glance.

“Midsommar is about the terror of being let loose, the giddy, sickening rush of freefall. You laugh at its audacity, or maybe just to keep from losing your own grip on reality.” - Slate