A24 A-to-Z: #85 - "Midsommar" (2019)

Scene from Midsommar

In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for years to come. 

Midsommar

Released: July 3, 2019

Release Number: 85

Directed By: Ari Aster

Starring: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhelm Blomgren

Plot: A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown's fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.

With Midsommar, director Ari Aster joined a special class of directors. Not everyone who releases a movie have returned to do business and here was a young upstart ready to go with another fantastic movie. Having produced one of their most successful films with Hereditary, Aster returned with another horror story that proved to be another hit for the studio. As A24 was gearing up for summer, they put all of their energy behind one of the biggest surprises of the year: a break-up drama hidden inside a pagan cult horror movie featuring a performance from a future Oscar-nominee in Florence Pugh. Much like Hereditary, it was a big hit and further evidence of why A24 as a brand was not going to disappear anytime soon.

It all started with a proposal from B-Reel Films, a Swedish film company that was doing a collaboration with an American studio. They had a proposal for Aster by suggesting that he make a slasher movie. The issue is that he didn't exactly have an entry point, feeling like he would need something more clever. As he began to study pagan rituals, he began to understand the ways that he could explore murder in a more devious fashion, diverting from his previous drama by making everyone seem a bit more unassuming. The pagan culture at the center of Midsommar would be unassuming, not presenting a stereotype of evil like in The Wicker Man. Instead, Aster wanted to make a horror movie that took place in the bright sunshine, calling on Powell & Pressburger movies for aesthetic references. Along with references throughout history, the film would be a dense tribute to European cultures and their ominous views of religion and cult behaviors.

That is a long way to suggest that Aster's real entry point came when he was suffering from a break-up. At the premiere of Midsommar, he presented a message commenting on it while suggesting "I'm better now." He threw most of his feelings at the time into protagonist Dani, who would be played by Pugh. From there he began to do research that would help him build a dual-level story. On one level, it was a horror movie where supporting characters were doomed for these sadistic rituals. For Dani, it would be something more glorious, finding her being celebrated. It's a story that reflected dark themes, notably of breathing and new life while having almost all murders take place off-camera. To Aster, murder was the boring part of the film, though he loved watching people try to guess what it was. It was a companion piece to Hereditary, but it was also a complete opposite.

While the story would take place in Sweden, it shot mostly in Hungary. The idea was to slowly fill the frame with color. Working with the costume designers, he created a fashion that recalled pagan history but was organic to its own world. Every outfit had a homemade quality to it, with everyone's being slightly different. As the story continued, the outfits would slowly gain more color, building to a coronation that included a flower headdress. There was some consideration of whether or not it was too big, as Pugh would complain that it didn't fit properly. The walls were lined with imagery from various pagan cultures, and the Aster-patented allusions would come up over and over, including references to The Wizard of Oz that tied into some very disturbing third act developments. There's even room for the suggestion of several invisible plots including certain characters being symbolic of Christianity.

As Aster would later claim, he designed the whole thing like an opera. He believed that the genre of music was reflective of European structure, finding themes entering and exiting while relying on mythic figures. It was his way to create layers in the film. Jack Reynor would add his own touch by recalling watching The Last House on the Left, claiming that it was time that men were ravaged with demeaning nude scenes. The issue was that by the time Aster was preparing a final cut (running almost three hours), the studio asked him to cut a half-hour. If he didn't, he would have acquired an NC-17 rating due to how graphic and disturbing it would be. With 30 minutes cut, he made a more accessible cut that would become their big summer movie.

If there was any disappointment, it was from Sweden who claimed that Midsommar was not released during their midsommar, which by comparison was an innocent and tame act. Otherwise, things were going according to plan and the film proved to be a success. This was only A24's fifth film to receive an initial wide release, following: The Witch, It Comes at Night, Free Fire, and Hereditary. Overall, the film would earn $47 million internationally and becoming the sixth highest-grossing A24 film as of 2019. While the film received divided opinions from audiences, it was another hit for Aster with many critics praising it. It was considered such a success that Aster ended up releasing the director's cut a month later, which received even greater reviews. It was the high point of A24's year so far, finding a film that everyone wanted to talk about. If there was any issue, it was that the script was released prior to its release, creating a certain hurdle for Aster that he eventually accepted.

Midsommar was also a big selling point in A24's original merchandise. Around the time of the film's release, they sold statues of bears in cages. While not a direct spoiler, the studio claimed that those in the know would find it amusing. While many debated on whether it was supposed to be a comedy or drama, they would go so far as to partner with TalkSpace for a contest where people competed to win counseling. Considering that they would later release books full of artwork, the success of Midsommar was something that most A24 movies dreamed about. Who wouldn't want a legacy that included fans like Ariana Grande? In 2020, she revealed that she was a big fan of the movie and was disappointed when she lost the big A24 auction in regards to the iconic coronation dress. It was one of many big properties that were on the lot. 

It's easy to make the argument that Midsommar was one of the most significant A24 movies of 2019, period. At every point it was at the forefront, overshadowing recent releases and establishing Aster as one of the future masters of horror. On The A24 Podcast, he shared with Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse) about his love for Ingmar Bergman. While many would continue to argue which one of Aster's films were better, it was the perfect way of establishing him as a poster-child of the movie studio, showing what unbridled creativity could achieve.

Of course, the reviews were ecstatic. On critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, Midsommar would receive 83%. It was a high point and the reviews more than spoke for themselves. Lindsey Bahr of Associated Press lead the enthusiastic crowd when suggesting "Midsommar is a waking nightmare and I mean that in the best possible way." Matthew St. Clair of Cinema Sentries seconded the opinion when noting, "Ends up being more unsettling than Hereditary and is proof that Aster is a potential horror master." The few who disagreed included Doug Walker of the defamed Channel Awesome, claiming "If this was maybe 40 minutes shorter, it might have worked. As is, everything you think is going to happen happens and it's not worth the wait." While there were no scores for the director's cut, the reviews were more enthusiastic. Siddhant Adlakha of Firstpost shared the sentiment when proclaiming, "The 171-minute "director's cut" adds a chilling night-time ritual that fleshes out the commune's deeply-held beliefs and, more importantly, a night-time argument that helps clarify the troubled state of Dani and Christian's relationship." 

Despite appearing on several end of the year Best of 2019 lists, the film failed to make much of a splash with awards season. Pugh would receive a nomination for Little Women, the result of a very good year that helped to raise her overall profile. Along with DVD's of the director's cut selling out, it became one of the studio's biggest hits culturally. It was so beloved that despite not receiving any Oscar nominations, the opening number by Janelle Monae would feature references to the coronation sequence, suggesting that The Academy needed to recognize more diversity in their nominations. It was the perfect way to remember the impact that the film had, which has only grown in subsequent months.

Midsommar was a towering achievement for A24, and one that continued to suggest that Aster has a great career ahead of him. Many would have to ask what he has next in store, and he'll tell you a more conventional comedy. That's how wonderfully screwy he is. Still, it's likely that more developments on the legacy of the film will appear, especially as fans continue to find new theories on just what the film means. For now, A24 was moving onto another high point for the studio, and one that was even more personal to its creator. The Farewell was a drama about the divide between Chinese and American identities, but it was more importantly an ode to grandmothers and their nurturing nature. It was another hit, though it too would have some issue having it proven during awards season.

Up Next: The Farewell (2019)