I try to give filmmakers the benefit of the doubt. I really do. I don’t really care for a lot of Charlie Kaufman movies, but I shrug it off as me just not getting it and am happy so many people love his work the way they do. I only like one Darren Aronofsky movie. But I wouldn’t try to rob anyone of their enjoyment of them. In fact I wish I liked Requiem For a Dream as much as others do. I saw Hereditary and thought it was fine, but not half as brilliant as everyone made it out to be. But I gave Ari Aster the benefit of the doubt that I had just missed what he was going for and that everyone else who loved it is probably right and it was just a me thing.

Then I saw Midsommar. It made me angry. It was such a disingenuous movie with a message that I don’t how anyone can misinterpret as anything other than xenophobia. But I don’t have to agree with a movie to like it. I like Russ Meyer. I found myself in the very strange position of watching Nazi propaganda movies from the 30s and 40s for a college class and writing glowing reviews of the film while obviously condemning what the movies were made for. If the movie does what it’s trying to do I’ll usually like it. If a movie tries to do something but fails, I’ll appreciate the effort and try to look for what it does well. But what I truly HATE in movies is when they’re obviously trying to do one thing, and then masking that with techniques that try and make the audience believe they’re doing something else. That’s what Midsommar does. If you want to make a movie in bad taste fine. But how dare you try to convince the audience what you’re doing is boldly and artistically important when it isn’t.

It insulted my intelligence, the intelligence of everyone else who saw it, and he got nothing but praise for it. I wanted to now watch Beau Is Afraid to give the man another chance. His worst instincts got the best of him in 2019, but maybe he can make great movies now that he got that out of his system. I am very sad to say that everything that was wrong with Midsommar is still very much present in this. The movie is actually a very simple concept: all of your deepest fears are irrational and unrealistic. That ground is a fertile concept that has been done well by many many filmmakers before and mined for rich stories. According to Ari Aster, however, it is the single most profound idea that no one has ever had until he did, and the one who had that idea is worthy of praise, worldwide praise, for such a daring notion coming from the chemistry of his brain. 

This movie is an insulting punishment to sit through. Its a series of sequences that just look down the barrel of the camera and say to the audience “this is going on so long because it’s the most important message you will ever receive in your life. In fact, you’re stupid for not thinking of this ever before.” I’m not exaggerating, that is the vibe of every single scene. Phoenix is giving a wonderful performance throughout, but at 3 hours long nothing can be done to save it.

I actually started texting my friends while I was still watching this movie. I never do that to any movie. I’m glad it bombed and I hope Aster’s next movie sweeps at the razzies. He is a fraud and I don’t understand why great actors want to work with him.