Ari Aster's 2019 horror film, Midsommar, follows a group of graduate students as they their friend for a traditional celebration in his home country of Sweden; the movie's protagonist, Dani, finds her place amongst the Hårga cultists. However, for the rest of her companions, what begins as a pleasant cultural excursion quickly descends into a terrifying nightmare for the visitors who are unprepared to commit to the midsummer rituals.
Released a year after his first feature film, Hereditary, the director's second horror venture maintained the customs and culture of the Hårga people do not escape the confines of their community. Unapologetic in their violent rituals, the Hårga embrace death in a way that baffles their American guests, who approach the ancient traditions with a dangerous curiosity.
Midsommar begins with a distraught Dani (Florence Pugh) mourning the loss of her family after her emotionally unstable sister kills herself and their parents through carbon monoxide poisoning. Though still emotionally traumatized, she decides to her boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor), and his friends on their trip to Sweden, where they will be staying at a commune inhabited by the Hårga. While initially disturbed by the group’s violent traditions and their casual acceptance of death, Dani eventually lets go of her emotional restraints and allows the Hårga community to heal her.
Why Dani Belongs With The Hårga Cultists
After arriving at the idyllic commune located in the Hälsingland province of Sweden, Dani, Christian, Josh (William Jackson Harper) and Mark (Will Pouter) are greeted by the Hårga people, the community in which their friend Pelle (Vilhem Blomgren) was raised. While Christian and Josh plan to write on the Hårga customs for a cultural anthropology thesis, Dani sees the vacation as an opportunity to escape her mourning, having recently suffered the loss of her sister and parents. It is clear that Dani is not getting the emotional she needs from Christian, who tends to her reluctantly throughout the trip and sees her sadness as a burden. The Hårga, however, encourage Dani to mourn, viewing her pain as a vessel of power and mirroring her grief in solidarity. In the wake of her tragedy, Dani finds a strange sense of peace amongst the Hårga and, while they certainly do not distract her from death, they take away her fear of the matter.
Throughout the festivities the Hårga continuously offer their guests psychedelic mushrooms, as hallucinogens play a large part in their midsummer celebration, which only occurs every ninety years. While Dani is hesitant at first, she accepts the drugs and continues to learn more about the Hårga and their intricate beliefs. Taking the time to ask questions and immerse herself in the customs of her hosts, Dani is a respectful guest, her curiosity laced with genuine care. Her interest seems to stem from an effort to understand her own grieving circumstance and the sort of escape her sister might have sought in death. Seen as an active unburdening in the eyes of the Hårga, death is not something to be mourned as it is in American culture. As Dani is further exposed to the violent customs of the Hårga, becoming more informed on their purpose and meaning, her initial panic fades and the casualness of death dawns on her.
Navigating both traditional cultural customs and the complexities of mental health, Midsommar places Dani in the hands of the Hårga, her pain finding a home in theirs. The emotional expression that she has repressed since the death of her family is finally released and Dani realizes what true feels like, knowing very well she did not receive it from Christian. The Hårga embrace Dani and help her understand the type of freedom that comes with death, showing her it is not something to fear and allowing her to find peace in the death of her family as she begins to understand how her sister may have felt. Her personal tragedy and proximity to death allows Dani to bond with the Hårga in a way the other visitors cannot, securing her spot amongst them by letting go of her own fear.
