Ari Aster: “‘Midsommar’ is a joke”
The director of Hereditary and the forthcoming drama Beau Is Afraid, Ari Aster, has come out to state that his 2019 film Midsommar “is a joke”.
Speaking in an interview with The New York Times, the filmmaker discussed how he infused comedy into much of his work, stating that for him, “Midsommar is a joke”. Telling the story of an American psychology student traumatised by the loss of her parents and sister who goes on a retreat to a Swedish midsummer festival with her friends only for horror to ensue, Aster’s 2019 movie was a critical and commercial hit.
“It’s working toward a punchline,” Aster said of the disturbing movie, explaining: “I remember reading a couple of reviews where people were like, the sex scene is unintentionally funny. I got very defensive. That was supposed to be funny”.
Aster also found comedy in his hit 2018 horror movie Hereditary, stating, “For me, the film is like a big Jewish comedy, and that’s the first thing to go in the pot,” about the film which follows a family with a sinister family history of occult activity.
Within the same article, the publication also spoke to the star of Midsommar, Florence Pugh, who candidly stated that Aster was “a stand-up comedian at heart”. Continuing, she added: “Once you laugh at one thing, he will try and make you laugh at all the other things. He’ll keep going and everybody will be crying in fits of laughter”.
Take a look at the trailer for the hit horror movie Midsommar, starring Florence Pugh, Will Poulter and Jack Reynor, below.
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