Written and directed by Ari Aster
Starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor and William Jackson Harper
MPAA rating: R for sex, drugs, cults and shit
Running time: 2 hours and 20 minutes

by Allison Yakulis

Hot on the heels of his incredibly impressive feature film debut Hereditary (2018), Ari Aster has returned as writer/director of the highly anticipated movie Midsommar (2019). I know it’s something a lot of my movie-loving friends have been abuzz about and, while no one said this explicitly, there was always the chance of the dreaded “sophomore slump”. I can tell you firsthand that while Midsommar might take its time unwinding on screen, nothing about it slouches. From its tense beginning moments to its final crescendo, we are treated to yet another gorgeously shot, thoroughly dramatic, unflinchingly raw piece that might be an even more satisfying watch than Aster’s first full-length foray was for moviegoers last year.