By The Keystone Newspaper It’s On Us Week of Action
By Alice Frank
KU’s Feminist Majority Leader Alliance (FMLA) held its weekly meeting on Oct. 28 in recognition of the “It’s On Us” Week of Action to end sexual assault by dissecting the relationship between the two main characters in the 2019 cult-horror film, “Midsommar.”
The group enjoyed cookies and cold brew while analyzing various clips of dialogue between characters.
The discussion examined the cycle of toxicity, manipulation, emotional abuse and victimization repeatedly occurring through the characters’ interactions in the film, and the influence of external forces, such as friends, peers and strangers.
Hannah Wolfe, President of FMLA, led the group through the dissection of interactions between characters, initiating conversations about red flags in relationships and the wariness they assume.
“Midsommar can stand as an accessible point of entry to conversations that are hard for some people to begin talking about,” she said. “It’s an accomplished film that has garnered a very wide audience, and it is important to be literate about what we consume.”
Directed by Ari Aster, “Midsommar” follows the story of Dani, a psychology student, played by Florence Pugh, as she tags along on a trip to Sweden with her boyfriend of four years, Christian, played by Jack Reynor.
This isn’t any ordinary vacation, for Reynor’s character is traveling with his colleagues to their Swedish friend and peer’s rural and isolated hometown to celebrate its midsummer festival. In doing so, Christian hopes to complete his graduate thesis in Anthropology.
Dani, consumed by the traumatic events of her past, joins Christian to escape her current reality and in hopes of salvaging what’s left of their deteriorating relationship. The seemingly harmless trip turns into a violently horrific progression of rituals that shock the foreigners as they interact with what turns out to be a pagan cult.
FMLA finished its discussion with a game of red flag, green flag, yellow flag by going through different scenarios and potential characteristics of a partner/relationship, raising a colored index card to express whether or not it is viewed as a red flag, a green flag, or a yellow flag. This opened up the floor for discussions of greater depth, allowing group members to gain new perspectives and reflect on the experiences of others, not just those portrayed in the movie.
“What Dani goes through in her relationship is very real,” Wolfe said. “The toxic dynamics are not fiction. Many individuals watching Midsommar may see themselves in the character, and their stories deserve to be acknowledged.”