NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
“Midsommar”
A Reflection Paper
Submitted to:
John Paul G. Buenaventura,
MBA, CHP, PMFC, CGSP, CMIE, CLSSYB
Submitted by:
Tayao, Abigail Sarah U.
PSY192
S.Y. 2021-2022
GUIDE QUESTIONS
1. Choose a specific topic/s learned from the previous discussions, then relate the
topic/s to the film?
One of the topics that I learned from the previous discussion is about the Symbolic
Interactionalism which examines society via the subjective interpretations that people
ascribe to things, events, and behaviors. In the movie Midsommar when Dani's (Florence
Pugh) parents die, flowers are visible on the wallpaper of their home, initiating Dani's
emotional journey throughout the film. Dani selects flowers for Christian, who couldn't be
more distant when the party flies to Sweden. Finally, flowers lead Christian to the
structure where he eventually cheats on Dani. The strong examination of loss, betrayal,
and breakups, among other topics. Dani, the primary character, is so skilled at capturing
the character's feelings, whether they're barely below the surface or breaking out into
weeping emotion. I think the film's horrors, which take place mostly in daylight, are rich in
symbolism, mirroring the truth of internalized grief and how it can tear a person apart
even on the best of days. The problem is that our world is so empty of emotional
connection that a person may only find strength and solace in the most heinous of
places. In terms of religion, their own ideology impact how they behave and respond to
the commune's rites and customs, and they feel betrayed when such activities do not
align with their western values. The film's climax is satisfyingly therapeutic for Dani on a
personal level, whatever else it represents. The film depicts several aspects of masculine
inadequacy. It is evident from the start that Dani's lover Christian (Jack Reynor) is a
coward and a greedy person, even if Dani is too frail to understand it. Mark (Will Poulter)
believes he's on Sweden's version of Love Island, while Josh (William Jackson Harper)
throws morals aside in favor of scholastic ambition. White nationalism, racial purity,
eugenics, incest — there is something wrong at the heart of Western culture. She leads
us from the depths of emotional pain, through perplexing mazes of gaslighting and worry,
to dancing, play, community catharsis, and, finally, pleasure.
2. What part of the film you find most interesting? Why?
Dani tears several times throughout the film, but two sequences stick out. The first
occurs at the start, when she is crushed and curled up, crying on her lover's lap—her
silent boyfriend, who cannot provide her with the emotional support she requires and
makes her feel awful for asking him to try. The second scenario is the polar opposite of
the first. It happens near the conclusion of the movie, when she witnesses the same guy
cheat on her. Her weeping is now heard by others. She is surrounded by young ladies
who echo her every cry and groan, refusing to let her suffer in silence. We are all
susceptible to poison and yearn for something akin to the family that Dani eventually
finds. As a last thought, I believe it's fascinating what the director chose to show and not
reveal. The film is graphically violent, but only when it depicts ritualistic suicides. The
director does not romanticize murder, nor does he minimize death. That's what too many
horror films do, but this isn't your usual horror film. Nonetheless, it is scary. We want
Dani to win, but we aren't sure how that will happen. Outsiders include those who
consider the commune to be immoral, those who want to steal their culture, and those
who openly abuse it without regard for its holiness. But that's merely referring to the
film's topic of outsider/insider cultural struggle. There is still the theme of sorrow to
unravel, and this mostly revolves on Dani and how she explores it as a character
throughout the film, because the loss that Dani feels at the beginning of the film is the
worst of them all. That's how it's meant to feel. Because the severity of her loss quickly
rallies the audience to her side. Throughout the film, you can sense her agony, and as
she matures and explores her loss, so can we. The journey the Writer/Director takes us
on its wonderful because, like the ladies of the commune who moan in anguish with
Dani, we do as well. Even amid the blazing brilliance of the summer solstice, we share
Dani's sense of foreboding.
3. How did the film change your views regarding the effects of Mass Media in our
society?
My thoughts towards Midsommar haven't changed much since I saw it the other day, but
they're not going away. I've enjoyed having ideas and images from the movie float around in
my mind, I just remembered my sister who took her own life and us being unable to cope
with it, and or maybe triggered my past self being-blinded by a set of beliefs of a certain
religion which may have bound me in a traumatic experience. What makes the film so
thought-provoking for me isn't only the fact that Dani achieves success by joining a
homicidal cult. It's that we're permitted to comprehend why she'd join the cult and sentence
Christian to death. It's partly because she's at her most vulnerable. Yes, she lost her parents
and sister, but she also blames herself. She holds herself entirely responsible for everything.
She blames herself for not dealing with her sister more effectively. She even blames herself
for leaning too heavily on her partner for support while attempting to care for her sister. She
bears the weight of the world on her shoulders, and it falls heartbreakingly.
4. How can this film help you to be a better member of society?
As a Psychology major, I feel the film is making a message that society has made it too
difficult for individuals to be emotionally present and helpful. As the picture begins, we see a
sharp contrast between nature and technology. The first image we view is of a tranquil and
pure woodland. We hear a folk chant that feels extremely ancient and earth-bound. After a
few moments, we are jolted into the suburbs by the ringing of a phone. Nonetheless,
technology fails. Nobody picks up the phone. Her SMS messages are never received by her
sister. Dani's main connection with her parents and sister appears to be indirect and
artificial, mediated through the phone and the Internet. Some of Dani's troubles may be
attributed to her toxic relationship, but the film is making a far deeper point. She is prone to
toxicity since she is accustomed to emotional separation. Midsommar is a dramatic and
profound meditation on loss and the darkness it imprisons people in, but it also proposes a
mythology in which death does not have to be so bleak and may even be instructive. It is
emotionally weighty more than it is sad. The film's themes will strike you like a ton of bricks,
yet they will make you think more than they will make you sad. Dani's experience at the
beginning of the film is the saddest, but as we grow alongside her, that pain fades. I would
say that this film isn't very depressing, but it does address some serious issues such as
mental health issues, religion, sexism, and so on. This movie will linger to our thoughts
questioning things existing particularly on our society especially to be aware of the mental
issues and not to gaslight or stigmatized people enduring it.
DOCUMENTATION
Image 1: “This scene is when Dani is forced to take psychedelic substances as part of a festival rite.
She sees her dead sister.”
Image 2: “Dani broke down completely after being crowned May Queen and discovering that
Christian had cheated on her. She was carrying a lot of pain with her: her family's loss and all that
had happened during the festival. “
Image 3: “The Hårga (Swedish Pagan cult), together with nine sacrificial individuals, burns down the
temple. Being sacrificed is a source of prestige among the Hårga.”
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We also declare that the intellectual content of this facility layout study is the product
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presentation, and language or expression.
2/2/22
AsasaTayao, Abigail Sarah U.
NAME OF STUDENT SIGNATURE/DATE