Midsommarfeels like a twisted fairytale with its vibrant color scheme and sense of whimsy. When the movie transitions from America to Sweden,Ari Astershifts the entire tone of the movie and takes the audience on an otherworldly journey. This change bears huge similarities to another classic tale of being transported to an unknown land,The Wizard of Oz. However, this comparison is more than just coincidence. In fact, Aster added hidden details to prove thatMidsommaris adirect retelling of the MGM classic.
Both Dorothy (Judy Garland) fromThe Wizard of Ozand Dani (Florence Pugh) fromMidsommaract as the key link between the two movies, with both staring disaster in the face before figuratively and literally entering the eye of a tornado. The companions that Dorothy meets along the wayparallel the secondary characters Dani visits Sweden with. However, it is a blink and you’ll miss itpicture hidden in the background that cements this connection.
‘Midsommar’ Replicates the Monochrome Style of ‘The Wizard Of Oz’
The opening scenes ofThe Wizard of Ozare all in sepia tone to represent the feeling of hopelessness Dorothy feels in Kansas. She laments at what is waiting for her “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” but feels trapped in her current situation. There is this overwhelming sense of longing and losing your sense of place. Due to the genre ofThe Wizard of Oz, this yearning feels romanticized and, whilst it feels emotional, it isn’t overwhelmingly upsetting. Throughout,there is the hope that Dorothy can find this intangible feeling she is looking for.
Comparatively, the opening ofMidsommar, whilst not monochrome, has an extremely muted color palette. It isgray and dreary to reflect Dani’s emotional state. The first scene ofMidsommaris particularly harrowing, as it shows Dani’s sister killing herself and their parents through carbon monoxide poisoning. Dani’s feeling of loss is rooted in this event, and it encourages her to ask her boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor), if she can come to Sweden with his friends in a desperate attempt to escape reality. During these visits to Christian’s home,an image of the scarecrow fromThe Wizard of Ozas well as a stuffed toy version of the character can be seen on the shelves, creating this hidden clue to the movies’ connection.
Sweden is Visually Adjacent to Oz in ‘Midsommar’
BothThe Wizard of OzandMidsommarbecome completely different movies when they move locations from their protagonists' homes to Oz and Sweden respectively. When Dani is on the plane, there isair turbulence which acts as a concealed link to the tornadothat transports Dorothy.The Wizard of Ozhas one of the most memorable transitions in cinema history when Dorothy opens the door of her house after she has been thrown around by the twister. The disorientation fades and beyond the doorthe set is now draped in color,yet the feeling of uncertainty is overshadowed by curiosity and wonder.
The shift from America to Sweden in Midsommar is much more dislocatingdue to Aster’s choice of camera movement. Initially, the shots are upside down, creating this feeling of traversing through a portal with an unsettling destination. The movie alsohas this perceived shift to color, but the vibrancy isn’t inspiring but unsettling, with the brightness feeling jarring to the eyes.
‘Midsommar’ is a Critical Reading of ‘The Wizard of Oz’
Once the visual connection is established betweenMidsommarandThe Wizard of Oz, it is easy to assign theroles of Dorothy’s companions to Dani’s fellow travelers. These three male protagonists ofMidsommarrepresentdifferent interpretations of the iconic musical characters, but it is a much more critical reading of their fatal flaws. Mark (Will Poulter) is the scarecrow, he doesn’t use his brain and acts before thinking. This oversight leads him to be disrespectful and dismissive towards the Hårga customs without rationalizing the consequences. His body also ends up stuffed with straw, similar to a scarecrow. Josh (William Jackson Harper) is the tin man, academically separating himself from the Hårga, treating them as something to be studied. His cold persona and unwillingness to treat the Hårga with a sense of humanity makes him heartless.
Christian’s counterpart is the most overt, as the end of the movie sees him dressed in the skin of an animal. Similar to the lion, he is cowardly in the sense that he is too afraid totell Dani his true feelings and break up with her, and it is his passivity that means he doesn’t stand up for himself. He just lets the motions happen to him with no sense of agency. Ari Aster added these subtle details on purpose, explaining that he seesMidsommaras a“The Wizard of Ozfor perverts”.The folk horror is a twisted version of one woman’s quest for purpose and self-acceptance.Dorothyuses the power of her ruby slippersto realize that she has a place with her family, and there is no place like home. However, Dani’s revelation is much more warped, as spending time in Sweden only serves to distance herself from home. Instead, she has a flower crown placed on her head and realizes she has created a new purpose for herself in a new home.
