Why The Midsommar Discourse Misses The Point

This here is a spoiler-filled video essay on the bright and sunshiny A24 horror movie known as Midsommar (2019), written and directed by Ari Aster.

Since its release, Midsommar has sparked some interesting debate regarding how we should interpret its ending and what it all really means. Dani's (Florence Pugh) smile in the final frames seems to communicate she's found a family of demented but authentic weirdos (known as the Hårga) that she can be happy with. However, many have also said that this family of weirdos is a cult, so Dani's been brainwashed and this is no bueno (not to mention she's smiling as her former boyfriend known as Christian burns alive in a silly bear costume... yikes). Well, in this video, we pose that these takes are just two sides of an larger truth coin (the personably emotional and the objective logical) that when considered together, give us potential for a yummy analysis that can steel man and defend both sides, because hey, the most interesting movies tend to be paradoxical in what they're communicating and how people interpret them, much like reality itself.

So, come along with us as we deconstruct, not just the ending meaning, but the entirety of this bizarrely beautiful nightmare fairy tale fantasy and how our interpretation of the horror of Midsommar can be just as accurate as anyone else's very different take on the movie. And as always, we got you on a recap of the plot, incase its been a while since you watched and all that. Not to mention that we also talk for a brief period about the themes found in writer/director Ari Aster's other two movies, Hereditary (2018) and Beau is Afraid (2023), and how all three of his crazy dark and comedic movies convey the philosophy of determinism in their own unique way. Enjoy!

00:00 - Dani's smile
01:44 - Plot recap
06:42 - The discourse war
08:05 - One way to look at it
17:33 - Another way to look at it
29:11 - In short, there are many ways to look at it

[satyrboy]

What gets me is that for some people, they think the only options are "The boyfriend sucked and deserved it and good for her" and "The boyfriend didn't deserve it and he didn't do anything wrong and she's purely insane and bad". Like the opinion that "He sucked AND he didn't deserve that, and she's found an insane joy in it that has indeed freed her from her torment but it's also horrifying due to how it got there" is too nuanced for some people. Even the final line of the script, the very last one, is "It is horrible and it is beautiful."

[blackosprey]

Put together, this is a warning that lack of loving community will push those desperate for love and acceptance right into the arms of crazy cults.

[Clemofant]

What I feel like is not talked about enough is that we have no idea what is going to happen to her. There were so many May Queens before, but they are not seen or mentioned at all.

[danila]

I was born into a cult (children of god) - thankfully there was no sacrifices, but unfortunately no magic mushrooms. What this film represented to me was how warm/inviting cult life can be and it’s true, they are loving places and that’s what’s dangerous about them in real life. New people can’t see past the simplicity and warmth and love and beauty. That’s how lost and sad people (like my parents) got sucked in.

[CorbCorbin]

Can’t believe people act like the cult was good for her, and she was happy seeing the boyfriend and friends burn.
Aster wrote right into the script, that she’s gone at the end. She’s a vegetable. They’ve traumatized her so thoroughly, that she’s a brainwashed husk.
Real healthy ending.

[Beckeroo]

i'm convinced that the people who look at this movie and say "YASSS QWEEN" are only able to watch movies for what they see on the very surface level.

[kronis]

Something I dont see talked about enough is that the boyfriend was basically sexually assaulted. He was drugged beyond the point someone could possibly consent. And that always makes the "yas queen" takes really screwed up. like his punishment for being assaulted was to be set on fire.

[DVAcme]

I think the biggest message of the movie isn't who's right or who's wrong, whether the boyfriend deserved it or if the cult was right for Dani. The main purpose of the movie is to make us understand how a cult can get its hands on people, especially people we judge to be intelligent and who "should know better."

When all is said and done, a cult thrives because of one thing: the human drive to belong. Cult members are more often than not people at a low point in their life who need a sense of belonging, of having people supporting them through hard times, and their friends and family are unequipped or unwilling to serve as that support group. A cult will identify this specific group of vulnerable people and offer them the emotional support others do not, and that's how they hook new cult members. It is literally entoxicating: the serotonin and oxytocin high of finally feeling loved, supported and belonging somewhere makes people into literal addicts for the cult.

Dani lost her entire family in a tragic and non-sensical way, and while, yes, Christian is a bad boyfriend, even if he were a GOOD boyfriend, he'd still be woefully ill-equipped to support Dani to a full recovery in his own. Dani needs unconditional support and lots of therapy, most likely years of it. The cult's rethoric and methods feed those needs Dani has, unfortunately way more effectively than Christian ever could, and by contrast Christian comes off as not only neglectful, but outright abusive. We, as rational human beings, obviously see it for the indoctrination it is, but as rational human beings, we can also see WHY it works.

Put yourselves in Dani's shoes: would YOU be able to healthily handle your entire family being mercilessly slaughtered overnight? To have the people you most love taken away from you so senselessly? Wouldn't you think the universe has it in for you, and try to find any sort of sense to it? Wouldn't you desperately try to find something, ANYTHING to fill that void?

And here's the kicker: this isn't even exclusive to cults, and it's not necessarily unhealthy either. Look at the deep bond of brotherhood between soldiers. Look at "accepted" religious groups. Look at professional fields like nursing. Fellowship is a natural human drive, and when healthy, can form bonds that are unbreakable and foment growth for everyone invokced. Unfortunately, cults exploit this human need in the most nefarious way possible.

By the way, just to end it with no doubt, I fucking love this movie.

[vsnrm]

I've always liked the theory that the flowers being present in the suicide is a sign that the cult orchestrated the whole thing from the start, especially since it's the exact same flowers they later use in the "celebration" at the end (as far as I can tell from studying the scenes side by side). I work as a flower decorator, and thus a flower nerd, and a interesting note is that icelantic poppys, which were present both in the suicide and at the end when she's covered in flowers symbolizes sleep, peace and death. Do with that information as you will.

There's tons to analyse when just looking at the meanings of the flowers in general, like Pelle's crown of asparagus fern, symbolizing growth and protection, and enhancing emotional well-being (like he's trying to achieve with Dani). I think Ari Aster knew what he was doing with the flowers and their symbolisms, and that's really cool to see for nerds like me

[flibber]

The cult didn't just happen to find Dani. The cult sends people out on missions to bring back victims. She, and the rest of them, were hunted down. They even congratulate Pelle at the end for the especially good job he did. He brought back a new May queen, AND new blood, AND sacrifices. Pelle is excited to hear Dani is going on the trip because he knows she is exactly the kind of person they need The movie even provides the motive. The cult is not sustainable with reproduction by members only. They require new blood. They HAVE to bring in outsiders, and they have to kill them because they can't allow their cult activities to be discovered. In light of all that, I don't see how the events portrayed are in any way positive for Dani.

[blutroyale]

Dani went from _a_ toxic relationship to _the_ toxic relationship par excellence that is a destructive cult.

[xMatthewStar]

One of my favorite details is the flowers that Dani wears becoming more and more heavy as the film goes on. A small flower, then the entire crown, and then finally the dress that completely weighs her down and consumes her. It’s like a metaphor for the cult entering her thoughts and body until she’s consumed by it and can’t live without it.

[gabrielafonseca]

One thing many people ignore is Christian wasn't unfaithful to Dani: he was drugged and raped, of course she doesn't know that but we, the audience do, so we cant add that accusation to his general assholery.

[FTZPLTC]

I think one of the most interesting things about Midsommar is that it takes cult indoctrination tactics and effectively presents them from the perspective of the person being indoctrinated - that it seems wonderful, or at least balances the horrible with the wonderful, most of the time.

Very often, when cult indoctrination is portrayed in fiction, the audience gets a rather artificial, detached perspective, in which the target seems to have the same thoughts that an outside observer would have, up til a certain point when they change. This is usually because they will want the target to "snap out of it" before the end, but more generally, it just doesn't really show us the difference in perspective that someone will have when they're the target.

A big part of cult indoctrination revolves around finding those who are depressed, and validating the depression, taking the frustrating unbidden thoughts literally and agreeing with them. Yes, the world is rotten, and yes, we need a drastic external change to improve that world so that we'll be able to feel better. In Dany's case, it is finding someone who feels tremendous guilt, and responding with forgiveness, rather than encouraging her to realise that there's nothing to forgive.

[Jurgan]

The visual symbolism of the cult being awash in light suggests she’s happier there, but also that the happiness is temporary. If this movie were set in midwinter, it would be dark all the time. She’s bought into a short-term fix, and then a few months later she will be living in freezing misery, having to do backbreaking manual labor to keep the community running. And that’s how many people react to depression- bouncing between quick fixes that ultimately fail to satisfy.

[totezmcgotez]

Midsommar is the women’s version of Fight Club or A Clockwork Orange. If you find yourself idolizing the main character, you’ve grossly missed the point.

[Allanfallan]

I noticed this the first time I watched the movie and it hit me like a truck. Dani smiling at the end really really stands out because it's the only time she smiles the entire movie. Brilliant.

[dreamer]

Seriously, Cult are scariest thing imaginable.

Especially how they lure in the most vulnerable with promises of happiness and companionship.

[scarymonsterzz]

18:46 Dani's dead parents appear in the crowd of Harga. Her dad winks at her and her mom stares at her as she walks by. That moment punched me in the gut. It's both so emotional and chilling.

[samanthawilliams]

I grew up in a high control group (read: a cult) for most of my life. I know what that thought process looks and feels like. For me, the horror hits me right at the end with Dani’s smile. Because it means they’ve got her. I only left my group because I wasn’t happy. But I know people who still happily live their lives there and are so removed from reality they might as well live on another planet. If I weren’t unhappy, I probably never would have had a reason to go. That smile means Dani feels happy and that means she will probably never leave. It is horrifying that after everything we’ve watched happen to her, we understand how she ended up here and that she barely stood a chance of not being led to this exact moment. And now she is in so deep that she has been completely lost.