Bloody Perfect: Time Of The Season
Isaura Barbé-Brown brings us the next post in her new monthly column, Bloody Perfect.
Good weather has officially arrived, so this edition of Bloody Perfect is dedicated to the ultimate hot girl summer film.
If you’re not familiar with Midsommar (2019), there is entirely too much plot to get into right now, but here’s the gist: Dani (Florence Pugh) is dating the worst man in the world, Christian (Jack Reynor). Dani's sister suffers from bipolar disorder, and one night during a particularly bad episode, takes her own life and the life of their parents. This leaves Dani without a family and with Christian, the human poo stain, as her only support. He and his equally terrible friends reluctantly let Dani tag along with them on a research trip to a small community in Sweden, where their friend Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) is from. After a pre-game mushroom trip, they enter the (incredibly Aryan) community, the Hårga. Initially, it seems idyllic despite the whiffs of uncanny valley and culty oddness. Every moment is filled with the music of soft chimes, orchestral tones and choral voices, that sound like siren song luring hapless travellers to the cliffs. Many, many things happen after that. The visiting group, including two Brits invited by Pelle’s brother, witness violent bloody suicides, flirt with the local girls and take part in odd ceremonies. Christian continues to be a steaming pile of manure and Dani cries a lot. It’s a heady mix of drugs, sex, dancing, death, ritual and almost unending sunshine that takes it’s toll on all of them.
As Americans, the group are often loud when they should be quiet and disrespectful of the traditions they are now surrounded by. Mark (Will Poulter) urinates on a sacred tree. Josh (William Jackson Harper) takes pictures of a sacred book…. Dani is the only one who doesn’t seem to be rubbing anyone the wrong way, and slowly but surely she is drawn away from her boyfriend and his friends and closer to the people of Hårga. Pelle asks of her relationship with Christian - the walking, talking turd “Do you feel held by him? Does he feel like home to you?”, as he explains why this community are all the family he needs.
It’s understandable that Dani would be seduced. Even before the death of her family, Dani was isolated and completely unsupported. As weird as the community is, they are without a doubt connected. Pain and joy are shared by all in Hårga, regardless of who is directly affected. So when Dani, the newly crowned May Queen, sees her turd of a boyfriend having sex with one of the fresh faced girls of Hårga she is, quite understandably, on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Immediately, the other May Queen hopefuls surround her, and rather than give her meaningless platitudes, they keen and cry with her.
It’s an incredibly emotive scene. It is full and satisfying, despite the fact that this community is somewhere I, as a Black woman, would never hope to find myself. All these women, flowers in their hair, dressed in white, kneeling on the floor, holding on to each other, screaming for Dani and with Dani. Sharing her pain, betrayal and loss. Women who don’t avert their gaze from her inconvenient or embarrassing emotions, but look her directly in the eye. Dani is finally being held. She is finally home.
The wailing of the May Queens, like other scenes of women supporting each other in grief or vengeance, will always give me feelings. It’s the quickest way to get me on board. Their howling says “men are trash” and “let’s burn Christian in a bear carcass” without saying anything at all. Sure some fucked up things have happened, and she’ll probably never get the image of a caved in face out of her head (I know I won’t) but it’s hard not to feel happy for Dani by the end. If I am ever unfortunate enough to date someone as feckless as Christian, the King of Craptown , I will ask myself “do I feel held? Does he feel like home?” and if the answer is no, I am going to gather the girls for some scream therapy and revenge.
Isaura Barbé-Brown is a Hackney born and based actress. She studied at AADA in New York and BADA in Oxford. She has written for The BFI, Black Ballad UK as well as The Final Girls/Bloody Women and been a guest on The Final Girls podcast and the Evolution of Horror podcast. She has done talks at the BFI for their Squad Goals event and during their Love season with the Bechdel Test Fest on race in romantic films. Isaura has also been on panels for BFI Future Film, The Watersprite Film Festival and The Norwich Film Festival. Her acting work covers theatre, film, tv and voiceover. She has also written for short film, TV and theatre as well as short stories and poetry. You can find Isaura on Twitter and Instagram.
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