Embracing the Horrific Other: Problematizing Identification, Cultural Relativism and Empathy in Ari Aster’s Midsommar (2019)

Abstract

In Ari Aster’s Midsommar (2019), Dani (Florence Pugh) is the locus of the viewers’ identification. The film encourages viewers to empathize with her as she undergoes a traumatic experience and must then deal with a failing relationship. Yet the viewers’ identification with the protagonist is challenged when the character eventually joins an archaic community intent on murdering foreigners, and even finds solace in participating in the ritual sacrifice of her ex-boyfriend. This article argues that by reworking the generic trope of horror opposing normality to a monstrous other, Midsommar aims at questioning the process of cinematic identification as well as the very possibility of embracing the worldview of others. In so doing, the film proves symptomatic of post-horror cinema’s tendency to challenge traditional understandings of cinematic identification.