Sightlines · reception
How Midsommar was received
2019 · Ari Aster · Midsommar on Sightlines
The arc
Divisive on release — it earned a notorious C+ CinemaScore from opening-weekend audiences even as critics praised it — but it's since settled in as an A24 modern classic, with the longer director's cut treated by fans as the definitive version.
What’s debated
Film fans endlessly relitigate whether the ending is cathartic empowerment or something much darker, alongside the eternal 'Hereditary or Midsommar?' ranking war.
Its footprint
Florence Pugh in the May Queen flower dress is one of the most costumed and memed horror images of its era, and the film is a cornerstone of the 'good for her' meme canon; the communal crying scene gets referenced and parodied constantly.
Where it stands
A Letterboxd darling and a defining entry in the 'elevated horror' A24 wave — a modern you-must-have-seen-it for horror-curious cinephiles.
Did you know? Despite being set in rural Sweden, Midsommar was shot almost entirely in Hungary, on a set built outside Budapest — and Aster has repeatedly described it, only half-jokingly, as a breakup movie in folk-horror clothing.
Named by the director
- The Wicker Man (1973) — Aster acknowledged the folk-horror touchstone as an unavoidable reference point he wanted to move beyond.
- Modern Romance (1981) — Aster cited Albert Brooks' breakup comedy as a key influence, saying Midsommar owes as much to it as to any horror film.
- Ingmar Bergman — Aster cited Bergman's dissections of collapsing relationships as a guiding influence on the film's breakup core.