Hereditary bothered me; should I watch Midsommar?
 

Context: I thought Hereditary was very well made and creepy, but I thought it was total despair porn and regret watching it for the awful, wallowing nature of the tragedy depicted. So, I'm wondering if Midsommar is a good fit. I assume it'll be creepy and disturbing, but the way in which its disturbing is important.

Can anyone give me a recommendation, sans spoilers, based on the above?

Re: Hereditary bothered me; should I watch Midsommar?
 

It has similarities in that regard but I don't think it wallows as much. In some disturbed (in lack of a better word, didn't personally find it disturbing per se) way it's a tad more hopeful in its approach, I guess.

Did you enjoy the original Wicker Man? if so, I find it along the same lines.

Re: Hereditary bothered me; should I watch Midsommar?
 

I've been meaning to watch Midsommar. I just found a torrent for it, so I may watch it tonight.

I've never seen it all the way through, but I know basically what happens. If it's more like that, then I'd probably be okay to watch it. I don't mind it being about cults or having those same themes, it's more the despair stuff, and whether there's just overtly torture-porn-type-stuff (even if someone objects to that phrase, they at least know what I mean by it, in this context). If it's like the stuff in Antichrist I'd just as soon pass, for example.

Re: Hereditary bothered me; should I watch Midsommar?
 

Don't want to be disrespectful, and I'm probably biased since I watch more films than 99% of society, but I guess that during the time you spent indulging in this discussion and what not, you'd already have watched a considerable chunk of the film and could answer the question yourself.

You don't disrespect me, but you do misunderstand. I’m asking because if the film is disturbing the way Hereditary was, I specifically do not want to see it, for reasons unrelated to time saving.

Re: Hereditary bothered me; should I watch Midsommar?
 

I didn’t finish the film because I didn’t like what I saw. And to me, yes, Midsommar is a lot more disturbing and far out, indulging in the horrors of both tragedy and gore.

I watched Midsommar last night. There were scenes of disgust, gore, violence, and a bizarre sex scene that reminded me of something from Eyes Wide Shut, minus the beauty queens.

Re: Hereditary bothered me; should I watch Midsommar?
 

It's a really fine line, to be sure, because I've seen very violent films and don't regret it. It's not violence per se, it's a particular type, I suppose. Shock value stuff, but deathly serious about it, focusing on particularly vulnerable individuals, stuff like that. Shock with schlock isn't a problem, nor is really sad stuff, but something about the intersection of the two--designed to invoke despair--strikes me as ugly, and I'm wondering if that's just what Aster does.

Re: Hereditary bothered me; should I watch Midsommar?
 

There was one scene in Midsommar that evoked despair, a situation where the victim knew what was happening but was completely helpless to do anything about it.

Re: Hereditary bothered me; should I watch Midsommar?
 

Thanks, that's helpful. I'll have to think about it.

Re: Hereditary bothered me; should I watch Midsommar?
 

I disliked Hereditary for pretty much the same reasons you did, and I came out of Midsommar feeling about the same way. This director makes good films, but I just don't like them. Midsommar didn't repulse me in the same way as Clair Denis's High Life, but I wouldn't watch it again, that's for sure.

Re: Hereditary bothered me; should I watch Midsommar?
 

I should add that I felt a sense of dread and anxiety throughout most of Midsommar and I found myself wondering why the newcomers didnt just get back in their car and leave; but then you realize it's just a movie, and if they had taken the obvious course, it wouldn't have been much of a movie.

Re: Hereditary bothered me; should I watch Midsommar?
 

Right. It's a fine line, too, because dread and anxiety in film are worth experiencing, there's a lot of art to it. It's just easy for it to tip over to something indulgent and irredeemable.

The thing I found really creepy about Heretitary was the silence, the total lack of sound during the most creepiest of scenes.

Re: Hereditary bothered me; should I watch Midsommar?
 

Short answer - no.

Re: Hereditary bothered me; should I watch Midsommar?
 

There’s still selective people. Like Wenders used to say: “I don’t want certain things in my memory.”

@Yoda , if you have these doubts, the best thing is to not watch it. That's all I can say.

Again I would compare it to The Wicker Man and The Wicker Tree by Robin Hardy and nothing similar to anything by Lars Von Trier. I do enjoy Lars' movies but once I get a copy of Midsommar, it will be placed along with my copies of both Robin Hardy's films.

I was excited to see this film. Hereditary was ok. I understood where it was leading. Zoroastrianism is an interesting concept but I know people who hated that film. Perhaps because they did not understand it. Both films deal with religious beliefs other Christianity and Judaism. Hey, I get that, but I'm open to reading and knowing other "religious". Most of my friends around here know that. Even religions that view human sacrifice as part of it. I have no qualms with that at all.

I saw Midsommar first a year ago, and Hereditary second, just a few days ago. Both are disturbing in the same way but if I had to pick which one was more disturbing Id have to say Midsommar because its more realistic. Im not even sure these are horror movies but a genre all onto its own, Despair movies.


I will be staying away from this directors films going forward altogether. Hes got talent, but he has a grudge against Hope.