Midsommar

 

Written and directed by Ari Aster, Midsommar is the story of a couple who travel to Sweden for a midsummer festival in the hopes of repairing their relationship where they learn that it’s part of a big cult ritual. The film is an exploration of a couple trying to salvage their relationship unaware that the festival they’re attending is part of something bigger as it lead to all sorts of revelations and terror. Starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren, Ellora Torchia, Archie Madekwe, and Will Poulter. Midsommar is a ravishing and terrifying film from Ari Aster.

The film is about a group of people who travel to Sweden for an event that happens every 90 years in which is part of a midsummer festival where a couple hope to repair their relationship following a young woman’s family tragedy. It is a film that explore these people who are attending an once-in-a-lifetime event that is filled with all sorts of intrigue as one of them is from that world as he invites his friends to this ceremony unaware of its intentions. Ari Aster’s screenplay is largely straightforward in its narrative and structure yet he also brings in a lot of complexities not just into these ceremonies at this event in the middle of Sweden but also the people attending this event as well as the inhabitants in the small and tranquil community that is cut off from the modern world. Even as they hold certain rituals that are dark and violent that is shocking to its outsiders who would all unknowingly play a role into this big midsummer event. The film opens in the U.S. during the winter where its protagonist Dani Ardor (Florence Pugh) is trying to reach her mentally-ill sister while calling her parents only to learn that her sister had killed them and herself in a murder-suicide event that left Dani traumatized.

Her boyfriend Christian Hughes (Jack Reynor) is spending time with her despite the fact that he’s thinking about breaking up with her as he is hoping to go to Sweden for this event for his anthropology studies where he would join fellow students Mark (Will Poulter) and Josh (William Jackson Harper) for the trip as they’re invited by their friend in the Swedish student Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) who is from this remote community. Dani joins in much to the reluctance of everyone except Pelle who wants to help her with her grief as they arrive at the rural area of Halsingland in this ceremony known as Harga as they meet a British couple in Simon and Connie (Archie Madekwe and Ellora Torchia, respectively) who are the few outsiders attending this event. Yet, things do become weird that involve certain psychedelics and such while Dani, Christian, and their friends witness these events that are considered shocking and violent as it leads to all sorts of trouble. Some would want to leave only to disappear mysteriously while revelations would occur during the event with Dani dealing with her relationship with Christian.

Aster’s direction is definitely mesmerizing in terms of not just his meticulous approach to framing and compositions but also the atmosphere he presents. With the scenes in the U.S. shot on location in Utah and Brooklyn, New York, much of the film is shot on location in Hungary with some of it shot on location in Sweden to play into the Scandinavian landscape as well as the fact that there’s barely any nighttime in this world that these characters are in. The first 20 minutes is set in the U.S. where Aster creates these tight compositions that do play into Dani’s own drama as well as a scene where her family are killed by her own sister along with this unique tracking shot of Dani walking into the bathroom of her own apartment and then being in a bathroom inside an airplane where she is having an emotional episode. When the film arrives in Sweden at this tranquil and open-spaced community, Aster’s direction definitely gets broader as it is shot largely during the day.

The usage of wide and medium shots add to the scope of the commune as it include houses and such where people live but also landscapes and such for certain ceremonies. Even in how Aster would create these careful framing and compositions such as a scene where Josh is trying to get a closer look into a book that relates to the ritual as he is shown in a close-up in one room and then it cuts to the same close-up but in another room. It is among these moments that play into Aster’s style but there are also these surreal moments such as a scene late in the second act where Dani takes part of a contest that would be crucial to the film’s third act. Even as it lead to revelations about her own tragedy as well as her own relationship with Christian who would go into his own personal journey that has him playing a key role in the third act. Notably as it play into this final ceremony as there is so much at stake with everyone playing a role with Dani being the most crucial as it follows her own journey from tragedy and heartache. Overall, Aster crafts an evocative yet eerie film about a group of college students including a young couple attending an once-in-a-lifetime event that is filled with dark rituals.

Cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on low-key lights for the scenes in the U.S. in its interior settings including at the house in Sweden while a lot of the exterior lighting in Sweden that is filled with vibrant colors that are heightened with some natural lighting in some scenes. Editor Lucian Johnston does excellent work with the editing as it has some stylish moments but also some straight cuts that help play into the suspense and drama. Production designer Henrik Svensson, with set decorators Klara Alfredson Jofs Svensson and Zsuzsanna Svertecki plus art directors Csaba Lodi, Richard T. Olson, Nille Svensson, and Eszter Takacs, does amazing work with the look of the houses at the commune as well as a few places and such that serve as a sense of importance to the commune. Costume designer Andrea Flesch does fantastic work with the costumes such as the white clothing for all of the people at the commune including the casual look from its visitors.

Hair supervisor Monika Toth and makeup supervisor Katalin Jakots, with prosthetics makeup designer Ivan Poharnok, does brilliant work with the look of a key character in the film as well as the design of some of the gory elements in the film. Special effects supervisor Gabor Kiszelly and visual effects supervisor Gergely Takacs do terrific work with the visual effects as it play into some of the psychedelics the visitors take as it adds a surreal element to the film. Sound designer Ruy Garcia and sound editor Gene Park do superb work with the sound as it help play into some of the natural elements of the location as well as other sounds that help add to the sense of horror in the film. The film’s music by Bobby Krlic is phenomenal for its haunting and eerie music score that relies largely on vocals and folk instrument that play into the sense of tradition in this ritual that these characters deal with while music supervisor Joe Rudge compiles a couple of songs such as a piece of music by Freez at a restaurant early in the film and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore) for the film’s final credits.

The casting by Jessica Kelly and Jeanette Klintberg is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Klaudia Csanyi as Dani’s troubled sister Terri, Zsolt Bojari and Gabriella Fon as Dani’s parents, Liv Mjones as a commune resident in Ulla, Hampus Hallberg as a young man in Ingemar who invited Simon and Connie, Mats Blomgren as an elder in Odd, Isabelle Grill as a red-headed young woman in Maja who takes a liking towards Christian, and Bjorn Andersen as an old man who plays a key role in one of the first rituals at the event. Archie Madekwe and Ellora Torchia are superb in their respective roles as the young British couple Simon and Connie as two people who are invited by Ingemar to this event unaware of what is going on as they would later disappear. Will Poulter is fantastic as Mark as a college student who is more interested in getting stoned and getting laid where he ends up rubbing some of the residents at the commune the wrong way.

William Jackson Harper is excellent as Josh as an African-American anthropology student who is hoping to learn more for his thesis only to be at odds with Christian over who should write the thesis as he is hoping to get all of this information into the outside world. Vilhelm Blomgren is brilliant as Pelle as a Swedish student who invites everyone to Sweden for this big event without stating their intentions while is also hoping to help Dani as he too endured his own family tragedy. Jack Reynor is amazing as Christian Hughes as Dani’s boyfriend and an anthropology student who is eager to go to Sweden for his studies but is also secretly hoping to break-up with Dani where he finds himself as an object of affection for a young woman at the commune unaware of the role he’s playing. Finally, there’s Florence Pugh in a phenomenal performance as Dani Ardor as an American psychology student troubled by family tragedy as she is unaware of Christian’s intentions where she travels to Sweden as a way to escape from her issues only to deal with a lot. It is a performance that showcases Pugh at her most vulnerable as well as someone that is trying to find some form of solace and a sense of belonging as it is a career-defining performance from Pugh.

Midsommar is a spectacular film from Ari Aster that features a great leading performance from Florence Pugh. Along with its supporting cast, gorgeous locations, ravishing visuals, themes of loss and trauma, and its eerie yet evocative music score. The film is truly an intoxicating yet haunting film that explore people attending this once-in-a-lifetime event that is filled with dark rituals and violence that play into a world that is disconnected with the modern world. In the end, Midsommar is a magnificent film from Ari Aster.

Ari Aster Films: Hereditary - Beau is Afraid

© thevoid99 2022

2021 Cannes Marathon: Death in Venice

 

(25th Anniversary Prize Winner at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival)

Based on the novella by Thomas Mann, Death in Venice is the story of a composer who is entranced by the beauty of a young boy who is staying at a hotel in Venice where the composer is recovering from illness. Directed by Luchino Visconti and screenplay by Visconti and Nicolas Badalucco, the film is an exploration of a relationship between this ailing composer and a young boy that is set during the turn of the century as it explores a man’s obsession with beauty. Starring Dirk Bogarde, Mark Burns, Marisa Berenson, Romolo Valli, Silvana Mangano, and Bjorn Andresen. Death in Venice is a majestic and evocative film from Luchino Visconti.

Set in turn of the century Venice, the film revolves around an avant-garde composer whose ailing health forces him to go to the Italian city where he stays at a hotel where he is stunned by the beauty of a young boy. It is a film that explores a man coping with loss and disappointment as he is also dealing with this search for ideal beauty as he would find it in this young Polish boy while also dealing with what is happening with the city as the hotel staff and some of people in the posh areas of Venice refuse to tell him. The film’s screenplay by Luchino Visconti and Nicolas Badalucco is straightforward as it plays into the world of Gustav von Aschenbach (Dirk Bogarde) who is trying to recover from his illness as he would look back at parts of his life from his family life and his own desire to find beauty and perfection through his music that often lead to arguments with his colleague Alfred (Mark Burns).

While in Venice trying to recover from illness, Gustav sees the young Polish boy Tadzio (Bjorn Andresen) who is with his mother and sisters at the Venetian resort. Tadzio is really more of a presence and idea of what Gustav is trying to find in his idea of beauty while the script also suggests homoeroticism where Gustav often stares at Tadzio and would follow him whenever Tadzio is with his family.

Visconti’s direction is ravishing for the world that he creates where much of the film is shot on location in Venice as well as locations in Germany while much of the interior scenes of the hotel is shot at Cinecetta Studios in Rome. Visconti’s compositions capture so much attention to detail the world that Gustav is living in as there is this air of disconnect with all of the people living in the hotel resort with its open beaches and exquisite meals are unaware of what is happening in the city. Something Gustav would notice as Venice is having this season where the hotel manager (Romolo Valli) is claiming that it’s just rumors as Gustav doesn’t notice anything about what is happening in the newspapers as well. It adds to the atmosphere of the film where Gustav’s flashbacks are often seen as idyllic and dream-like in scenes with his wife (Marisa Berenson) but also filled with unease in scenes with Alfred including a chilling flashback of Gustav at his lowest. They’re presented largely in medium shots and close-ups to play into Gustav’s own sense of longing and despair as he is in Venice in this hotel where nothing feels real except for this young boy who represents this idealism of beauty.

Visconti’s wide shots really capture not just the scope of the beach as well as a room where the guests are waiting to be served in the dining room. It also has him creating some unique compositions and visuals that add to the atmospheric beauty that surrounds Gustav and Tadzio where the former watches the latter from afar who is playing a piano piece as it would have Gustav go into a flashback. It’s among these images that also include a band playing music to the people at the hotel with Gustav asking the singer about what is going on in the city. There are also some homoeroticism that occurs but it’s only in subtle bits in the way Gustav looks at Tadzio as there is a beautiful shot in the film’s final minutes as it play into Gustav’s own desires despite his ailing health. Especially in a brief moment where Gustav briefly meets Tadzio as he begs his mother to leave Venice because of what is happening as it plays into a man who is trying to hold on to this idea of beauty. Overall, Visconti crafts a somber yet intoxicating film about an ailing composer’s fascination over the beauty of a young boy.

Cinematographer Pasqualino De Santis does amazing work with the film’s cinematography with its sunny look of Venice in the daytime along with lush colors for a few of the flashback scenes as well as some unique lighting for the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Ruggero Mastroiannni does excellent work with the editing as it does have a bit of style in a few jump-cuts yet much of it is straightforward to play into the drama of Gustav’s obsession. Art director Ferdinando Scarfioti does brilliant work with the look of the hotel interiors with its spacious dining and waiting rooms as well as the room that Gustav stays in.

Costume designer Piero Tosi does incredible work with the costumes from the sailor-like clothes of Tadzio to the suits of Gustav including a white suit he would wear in the film’s final moments. The sound work of Giuseppe Muratori and Vittorio Trentino is superb for the atmosphere that is created including scenes in the dining hall and the way the city sounds in its quiet yet unsettling moments. The film’s music from Armando Gill as well as pieces from Ludwig Van Beethoven, Gustav Mahler, and Modest Mussorgsky is phenomenal as its usage of classical music with Mahler being the dominant force in the film while Gill provides some of the operatic pieces as it adds to the rapturous tone of the film.

The film’s marvelous cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Dominique Darel as an English tourist, Mascia Predit as the Russian tourist, Marco Tulli as the man who faints at the train station, Leslie French as a travel agent warning Gustav about what is going on in Venice, Nora Ricci as Tadzio’s governess, Franco Fabrizi as a barber in the film’s third act, Sergio Garfagnoli as a boy that Tadzio befriends, Luigi Battaglia as a peasant performer named Scapegrace who gives Gustav a slight clue of what is happening in Venice, Carole Andre as a young prostitute that Gustav meets in a flashback, and Romolo Valli in a superb performance as the hotel manager who tries to shield the truth about what is happening in Venice from Gustav. Marisa Berenson and Silvana Mangano are fantastic in their respective roles as Gustav’s wife and Tadzio’s mother with the former being an object of simplicity and joy in the former via flashbacks while the latter is someone that is unaware of what is going on in Venice.

Mark Burns is excellent as Gustav’s colleague Alfred as a man who is seen via flashbacks as someone questioning Gustav’s ambitions and aims while also vilifying him for his faults. Bjorn Andresen is incredible as Tadzio where despite his lack of dialogue where he is just this object of beauty. Andresen is still this astonishing presence where he provides an innocence but also someone who is aware of his beauty despite not really knowing who Gustav is. Finally, there’s Dirk Bogarde in a phenomenal performance as Gustav von Aschenbach as an avant-garde composer who is coping with ailing health as he is transfixed by Tadzio while dealing with what is happening in Venice as well as coping with his own past, failures, and loss where Bogarde maintains a restraint in the way he gazes at Tadzio as a way to deal with the fact that he is possibly dying and is hoping to connect personally with this young boy.

Death in Venice is a tremendous film from Luchino Visconti that features a sensational performance from Dirk Bogarde as well as an entrancing appearance from Bjorn Andresen. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous music soundtrack, its intoxicating look, and it study of obsession and longing. The film is a somber yet exhilarating film about a man’s fascination for a young boy and his search for beauty in a city that is unraveling from afar. In the end, Death in Venice is a spectacular film from Luchino Visconti.

Luchino Visconti Films: (Obsessione) – (Giorni di gloria) – (La Terra Firma) – (Bellissima) – (Appunti su un fatto di cronaca) – (We, the Women) – Senso – White Nights (1957 film) - Rocco and His Brothers - (Boccaccio ’70-Il lavoro) – The Leopard - Sandra – (The Stranger (1967 film)) – The Witches (1967 film)- The Witch Burned Alive – The Damned (1969 film) – (Alla ricerca di Tadzio) – (Ludwig) – (Conversation Piece) – The Innocent (1976 film)

© thevoid99 2021