BRUNO REYNELL reviews Ari Aster’s genre-defying Midsommar. Were it not for its overt title, the gloomy snow-filled landscapes that open Midsommar might tempt us into thinking that the shadows and darkness typical of the horror genre will envelop the film. What instead emerge are verdant fields, flowing robes and the midnight sun – this is to be a markedly different iteration of chilling disquiet. Indeed, Midsommar shouldn’t really be categorised as a horror film – the pre-film trailer for the sequel to It had me fearfully averting my gaze from the screen more often than the main event’s 147 minutes. It does have its fair share of violence and gore, but this is very much slow-burning psychological tension as opposed to jump-from-your-seat slasher action. Aster himself has said it is a ‘breakup movie’ and this definition feels appropriate. It is a vulnerable relationship that frames the narrative, and which, through its…Continue Reading