Horror film 'Midsommar' takes viewers on disturbing, audacious journey

“Midsommar” - ★ ★ ★

“Midsommar “ is a waking nightmare and I mean that in the best possible way.

For over two hours you will be transported to a beautiful village in a foreign land where the sun never seems to set and everyone wears ornate flower crowns. The details of why you're there will seem fuzzy and dubious. But you go along with it.

You will eat strange food and drink strange drinks. You will take drugs you don't want and be subjected to ceremonies and rituals and a language you don't understand. You will witness some of the most disturbing things you've ever seen. And even though you will barely comprehend what's going on, you won't be able to leave or look away.

Writer and director Ari Aster is to thank, or blame, for this extraordinary experience that's equal parts befuddling and enthralling. It's only Aster's second feature film following the terrifying family drama “Hereditary” and it's clear that the talent and deranged verve he teased there was no fluke. But enter with caution: “Midsommar” is hazier and harder to grasp. This is an experiment in escalating uneasiness absent any release or catharsis.

As in “Hereditary,” a family tragedy sets an ominous tone. We meet Dani (Florence Pugh) while she is frantically trying to contact her family to make sure her sister is OK, but no one is responding. It's the worst possible outcome.

Unfortunately for her the only person she has for comfort is a boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor), who has already broken up with her in his mind but hasn't gotten around to communicating that to her just yet. Too bad for Christian and his unsympathetic friends (Will Poulter, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren) Dani's family crisis makes the split all but impossible. So, Dani, a haunted shell of a human, becomes a permanent fixture at Christian's side, even going so far as to accompany the four guys on their bro trip to a Swedish commune for a midsummer festival that happens every 90 years.

Aster literally turns the camera upside down as the five travel to this blindingly bright area. It helps you arrive a little queasy and disoriented (although not as much as the characters, who've ingested psychedelic mushrooms).

Still, the drug-induced visions are nothing compared to what they will experience as clear-minded tourists in this village, which at first seems like a quirky novelty. But unfathomably grotesque violence and brutality lurk underneath the Instagram-worthy aesthetics.

“Midsommar” is audacious filmmaking and totally transfixing despite its runtime. Yet it might not actually add up to anything especially satisfying, or coherent, in the end.

But the journey is fascinating. And by that point you'll probably just be grateful that you're allowed to wake up.

<b>Starring:</b> Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren

<b>Directed by:</b> Ari Aster

<b>Other:</b> An A24 release. Rated R for violence, strong sexual content, nudity, drug use and language. 140 minutes