Top 100 Most Anticipated American Independent Films of 2019: #6. Ari Aster’s Midsommer

Midsommer

The current title might not stick, but media outlets are probably circling Ari Aster’s Midsommer as the most anticipated sophomore film project for the new year. Arriving rather quickly after his insta-classic Gotham Award winning Hereditary (sits at an 87 score on MetaCritic), Aster went into production in Hungary last July with William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth stand out Florence Pugh being surrounded by Jack Reynor, Will Poulter, Vilhem Blomgren, William Jackson Harper, Ellora Torchia and Archie Madekwe. Reteaming with cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski, this production is in conjunction with Lars Knudsen who was also on Aster’s horror debut.

Gist: Written by Aster, this is about a couple travels to Sweden to visit their friend’s rural hometown for its fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.

Release Date/Prediction: The sky is the limit with this sophomore film, and while Sundance were likely clamouring for seconds, A24 pegged this with a August 9th release date. The big question is: will they forgo a Cannes premiere after David Robert Mitchell’s Under the Silver Lake received a less than stellar premiere?