Midsommar is one of the most unique and terrifying movies in recent memory, and
fans have noticed some interesting details since its release. If you're brave enough to watch the
frightening flick a second time, you should definitely keep an eye out for these moments.
Before the film begins, we see a colorful, folksy tapestry covered with intricate designs. Sure,
it looks creepy at first glance, but it's easy to assume that this was simply included to set
the mood for the movie. However, if you happen to pause the film and closely examine the tapestry,
you'd find that it reveals many important events to come.
In fact, much of Midsommar's narrative is illustrated on this incredibly eerie tapestry.
On the left, you can see the bodies of Dani's parents and sister connected by a tube,
with a skull looming above them, representing their deaths. Next up, a grieving woman and
her partner walk with a group of friends to an idyllic community, where they're greeted by a
crowd of villagers all dressed in white. Finally, there's the dance around the maypole - complete
with a few skeletons among the dancers - and the subsequent banquet. You can even spot Pelle
spying on Dani and Christian from his vantage point, two people dressed in white diving off
a cliff, and a bear near the entrance to the village. In other words, Midsommar basically
spoiled its own plot twists, but you wouldn't know it unless you watched the film twice.
Even though their deaths are integral to the plot,
we only see Dani's parents for a brief moment in the film. When Dani calls them, worried about her
sister, they're shown sleeping in their bed. On their dresser, you can see a photo of Dani,
which just happens to be surrounded by flowers. Upon a second viewing, this instantly calls
to mind the later scenes of Dani wearing a flower crown after becoming the May Queen.
Some fans have theorized that the flowers actually indicate that Pelle is responsible for the
death of Dani's family, and he orchestrated the entire tragedy just to lure Dani into the cult.
But writer/director Ari Aster says that this explanation doesn't hold up,
telling The Huffington Post:
"I can go as far as to say that it's totally incorrect. He is not [responsible]."
However, he did state that the flowers were an important symbol, explaining:
"It was our way of weaving in the idea that whatever is inevitable is bound to happen."
Although Dani's parents barely appear in Midsommar, there's a brilliant
little detail included in the moment where we see the doomed couple in bed.
“Hello, you have reached: The Ardor residence.”
When their answering machine picks up Dani's call, you can hear their
recorded message state that their last name is "Ardor." Why is this significant?
As it turns out, the Latin word "ardor" loosely translates to "heat" or "to burn." Not
only are Dani's travel companions burned in the sacrificial fire in the final scenes of the film,
this fire also represents a sort of spiritual rebirth for Dani.
Whether she descends into madness or finally experiences true catharsis
after grieving, there's no denying that by the end, she has gone through a dramatic change.
It seems like Aster chose this particular name to emphasize that Dani's path has been set from the
start. In some sense, even before she met Pelle and went to Sweden, it seems that Dani was always
destined to be the May Queen and join the Hårga. Despite the flames, it's chilling to think about.
While watching Midsommar for the first time, it's easy to blink and miss all of the clues
and symbols hidden within the background artwork. But upon your second viewing,
look closely. When it comes to Ari Aster's sets, there are no accidents,
and all of the artwork reveals hidden details about the horror that's going to unfold.
After witnessing what happened to Dani's family, we see how her life plays out in
the aftermath - she spends much of her time isolated and sleeping in her apartment.
In one scene, she's shown napping on her couch, right underneath a painting that actually gives us
a peek at what's coming later. In the painting, a girl wearing a crown is kissing a brown bear
on the nose. This symbolizes Dani and Christian's relationship, and if you've already seen Christian
meet his end in the bear suit, there's no question as to why this painting was chosen.
And similar imagery warns Christian of what's ahead for him shortly before he is sacrificed.
While he's sitting in Siv's house, he's staring directly at an image of a bear on fire.
When Dani's friends are killed by the Hårga, their bodies are stuffed and dressed like scarecrows
before they're burned. It's an unsettling sight, but even in the early scenes of the film,
there are a few very subtle hints that point towards these events. For example,
when Dani and Christian are hanging out with Christian's friends before their trip to Sweden,
a framed photo of the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz is visible on top of
a refrigerator in the apartment. There’s also a stuffed scarecrow doll sitting on top of a shelf.
Speaking with Vulture, writer/director Ari Aster said that his film was, quote, the "Wizard of Oz
for perverts," and during a conversation with The Nerdist, the director said that he noticed,
"mostly in retrospect", quite a few parallels between his movie and the Judy Garland classic.
Both are stories of young women who travel to a strange new world, along with several
bumbling sidekicks, and find themselves during the journey. Plus, the color scheme even changes
when Dani shows up in Sweden, switching from a darker tones to much brighter hues.
When Dani expresses her distress over watching the gruesome ättestupa ceremony and begins packing up
to leave, Pelle steps in and tells her that he understands why it was so upsetting for her.
He reveals that he also struggled with grief after his parents died in a fire.
The first time you see Midsommar, it's easy to assume that Pelle does genuinely relate
to what Dani's going through. Clearly, he lost his parents in a tragic accident, too, and he's
just trying to empathize with her, right? But when you watch this particular conversation with
the knowledge of the Hårga's traditions of fiery human sacrifices, it opens up new possibilities.
Was Pelle telling a half-truth when he talked to Dani about his past? Perhaps his parents really
did die in a fire... but what if their death was part of a sacrificial ceremony, like the one we
saw in the film? Alternatively, Pelle could have been bluffing about his family history entirely.
After all, he clearly knew what the rest of his community had in store for his friends,
and he was obviously attracted to Dani. Maybe he was trying to exploit her vulnerabilities
and convince her that she could trust him. Either way, the conversation takes on a whole new tone.
Not long after arriving at the village, Dani and her friends watch the Hårga children play
a game they're unfamiliar with. When they ask Pelle, he tells them that the game is called
"Skin the Fool." Their friend, Simon, jokes that it sounds "precious," and the moment
is quickly forgotten. It isn't until later that we realize the significance of this line.
Mark, one of Christian's friends, doesn't come across as particularly bright, and he's often the
butt of the joke. It's no surprise that he's the first of the group to disappear, and for a while,
viewers are left wondering what happened to him. It all makes sense when Josh sneaks
out in the middle of the night to secretly read the Rubi Radr, one of the Hårga's sacred texts.
He's shocked when Mark shows up, too... but upon closer inspection, he realizes
that it's not Mark at all. It's a villager by the name of Ulf, wearing Mark's face as a mask.
As it turns out, "skin the fool" wasn't just a children's game.
Before committing suicide, Dani's sister sends her a message, saying that everything feels
"black." She felt like there was no way out from her suffering,
and upon her death, that suffering becomes Dani's burden to carry.
And no matter how far she runs, Dani cannot escape the tragedy that befell her family.
But there's an interesting callback to this line just before the May Queen dance kicks off.
When Irma announces the beginning of the dance and explains the purpose of the tradition,
she states that it's performed in defiance of "the black one,"
which is likely some sort of evil spirit that the Hårga believe in.
“Now, in life-holding defiance of the Black One, we dance until we fall.”
Dani appears liberated as she dances, and she's embraced by the Hårga women. Dancing doesn't free
her from her grief entirely, but for a while, she's completely absorbed in the competition.
Perhaps this is the first time that she's able to forget the darkness
that has engulfed her, if only for a little while.
Throughout much of the film, the characters are under the influence
of some serious psychedelic drugs, which makes for some interesting visuals.
The walls bend and waver, the ground breathes, and the grass grows through Dani's feet.
And sometimes, unwelcome "visitors" show up. After arriving at the festival and taking shrooms,
Dani looks into a mirror and sees her sister's face lurking behind her, and it's not the
last time that her sister's "ghost" makes an appearance in Sweden when she's hallucinating.
After the May Queen dance, Dani is the last woman standing, and she's welcomed into the fold.
However, she's still haunted by the tragedy that befell her family, and the visuals indicate that
her grief lingers on. At this moment, all eyes are on Dani and the procession behind her, so
it's all too easy to miss what's going on in the background. But if you look past the procession of
the Hårga and into the woods, you'll see the face of Dani's sister clearly visible among the trees.
Midsommar's lack of subtitles
While the American and British characters talk to each other in English, the Hårga mainly
speak Swedish throughout the film. After all, among Dani and her friends (except for Pelle),
no one knows a word of Swedish, and there are plenty of times when conversations take place that
they simply can't understand. While bonding with the Hårga women during the May Queen dance, it
seems like Dani might magically attain command of the Hårga’s language, but this moment is fleeting.
But the Swedish conversations are rarely subtitled for the benefit of the audience.
On your first viewing, you may not have realized just how much Swedish dialogue is
never translated, but when you see the film again, it becomes obvious that this was a purposeful
choice on behalf of the filmmaker, intended to create a feeling of isolation in the viewer. The
characters don't know what the Hårga are saying, but as the audience, we're not in on the secret,
either. We're just as confused and alone in this strange new community as Dani and her friends.
It can be difficult to accurately perceive the passage of time in Midsommar.
The fact that nearly the entire film takes place in sunlight makes it hard to keep track of how
long the group actually stays with the Hårga. But remember, the festival is supposed to last
for nine days. And although the days seem to blend into one another, Aster confirmed
to Digital Spy that the human sacrifice doesn't mark the end of the Midsommar festival. In fact,
he's stated that there are still several more days of "celebrations" to come.
On your second viewing of the film, you might find it easier to separate when one day ends
and the next begins, which opens up new questions about what happens after Midsommar's fiery ending.
Who knows what kinds of festivities are in store for Dani? Will she find
a home with the Hårga for the rest of her life? Or is she still in danger?
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