Ari Aster's "Midsommar" is the film of the decade for THAT scene alone.

Let me start off by saying I did NOT know what I was getting myself into when I decided to watch Ari Aster's Midsommar..  Picture this, it's 2019 and I'm getting cozy on the couch with my brand new boyfriend, I choose to put on a horror movie (of course) for one of our first movie nights. After the first 10 minutes of the film, I knew it wasn't going to be a “Netflix and Chill” kind of night. The film starts off light enough with some intriguing relationship drama but quickly takes a turn for the worst (and best) with a graphic scene that depicts the aftermath of a suicide, this sets an uneasy tone for the rest of the film.  

The storyline revolves around the protagonist named Dani (played by Florence Pugh), who has an emotionally abusive boyfriend and has just lost her family from her sister committing murder-suicide. While in the midst of grieving, she over hears that her boyfriend, Christian (played by Jack Reynor), is going to Sweden for a couple weeks with his friends to celebrate a mid-summer festival. Dani is completely unaware of this plan since Christian purposefully never told her. Seeing as earlier in the film it was made clear that his friends are not fans of Dani and Christian had been debating breaking up with her. Although Christian loves playing the “nice guy” so he reluctantly ends up inviting her along. It was around this point in the film that I felt like either a dramatic fight was going to happen or an intense break-up. Something was brewing and I could feel it in my gut in a way no other film has made me feel.

So far the film presents itself as dark and moody as horror films tend to do. Fast forward to Dani, Christian and his friends arriving at a secluded commune in Sweden. From this point on, the film is visually turned on its axis. The small commune in the middle of the forest is bright, colourful and trippy. Quite literally, the group decides to take mushrooms and then one of the most convincing trip scenes in a film plays out. The scenery and faces breathe and swell with psychedelic life. The characters act on waves of anxiety and Dani's feeling of isolation is magnified. I felt physically uncomfortable and emotionally invested, I was along for the ride with Dani. After experiencing this scene I realized I was in for a very special film (although this isn't THE scene). 

As the film goes on,  a series of disturbing pagan rituals and ceremonies occur and it is made clear that this commune wants Dani to be the newest member of their cult. Surprisingly, Dani goes along with this as she finally feels a sense of belonging and care since her family died. Many scenes transpire between Dani and the women that belong to the commune that contain beautiful imagery and give a sense of affection. I was happy for Dani and as convinced as she was that maybe this commune was the place to be. Meanwhile, members of the cult have decided that Christian's fate is to mate with a young woman within the cult to produce more offspring for the commune. He is taken to a large wooden building to complete the deed. Concurrently,  Dani is caught up in festivities with her new friends when suddenly she passes by the large wooden building and makes a devastating discovery. 

Dani crumbles to the ground with unbearable misery at the sight of Christian's explicit betrayal. As she gets up to stumble away, the women of the commune move with her in unison. The women begin to huddle around Dani, kneeling in the same position as her as well as cry in synchronous with her. The women collectively express Dani's pain, encouraging her to show her emotions and validate them. The only sound in this scene is an orchestra of screaming and crying, no music or ambience. This moment is extraordinarily beautiful and complex, on one hand Dani is being manipulated into a cult but on the other she is being given the strongest support system she's ever had. This film had many memorable moments but THIS scene is one of the most unique and captivating scenes I've ever seen in a film. It sent a chill down my spine and left me absolutely astonished and I won't EVER forget it.