In this episode of the Seventh Row podcast, we don’t agree on the quality of Ari Aster’s Midsommar, but do agree Florence Pugh is great in anything she does.
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Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney and Executive Editor Orla Smith welcome special guest Scott Wilson on the podcast. We discuss the film’s style over substance, poorly written relationships, questionable understanding of graduate students, and the brilliance of Florence Pugh.
About Ari Aster’s Midsommar which we discuss on the podcast
Before the podcast, Orla reviewed Midsommar, describing it as an exquisitely crafted horror with innovative sound design that unfortunately struggles to come together thematically. Here is an excerpt from her piece:
“Midsommar, Aster’s second feature… is “daytime horror,” set in a wide open field in Sweden, during the summer solstice on the hottest summer on record. This is the home of a cultish group of Swedes who are about to embark on a series of rituals that take place only once every 90 years. Our point of view character is Dani (Florence Pugh), an American backpacker who is half-heartedly tagging along with her inconsiderate boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor), and his group of friends. The terror of anticipation comes not from shadows and sharp corners, but the fear of what these foreign rituals might escalate to, something which both we and Dani are completely in the dark about. When the violence and horror does inevitably ensue, there’s no darkness to cover up; we see everything in rich, bloody detail.”
Show notes and recommended reading
We included Florence Pugh as one of TIFF 2018’s most exciting young actors to watch.
We dedicated a special issue to Joachim Trier’s Thelma, a Scandinavian-set horror film that actually does understand its character’s psychology.
This episode was edited by Edward von Aderkas.
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