Midsommar

“Today was tough. Are you going to be okay?”
“Are you not disturbed by what we just saw?”
“ Yeah of course I am. That was really shocking. I’m trying to keep an open mind though, it’s cultural you know? We stick our elders in nursing homes. I’m sure they find that disturbing. I think we really need to just at least try to acclimate.”
(Christian and Dani, Midsommar, 2019).

Film Facts

Despite her deep and unending grief at the tragic loss of her family, Dani (Florence Pugh) attempts to maintain her fractured relationship with her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor), as she accepts the invitation to join him and his friends, Josh (William Jackson Harper) and Mark (Will Poulter) in travelling to Sweden to visit Pelle’s (Vihelm Blomgren) ancestral commune ‘Harga’ in Halsingland for the midsummer festival.
The celebration itself begins innocently enough with gatherings, feasts and giving thanks for the harvest. But as the film progresses, disturbing elements begin to reveal themselves to the unsuspecting visitors until each of them face a violent, unexpected demise for the sake of a cultural offering.

All except for Dani who in the end, after a series of twisted and haunting occurrences, manages to overcome her struggle with grief and perpetual sadness, finding peace within a community, a family and within herself. 

‘Midsommar’ completely immerses the viewer in the experiences of the protagonist Dani (Florence Pugh), an absolute star in this film supported by Jack Reynor, William Harper, Vihelm Blomgren and Will Poulter. The beginning of the film provides the audience with a strong contextualised empathy in witnessing the horrific grief Dani experiences with the tragic death of her family, and Dani carries her pain all the way throughout the film. This emotive focus is effectively juxtaposed by the stunning palette of vibrant colours during Sweden’s bright and long lasting summer sunshine. Director Ari Aster has a substantial history in short films, however many will know him from his most recent film, ‘Hereditary’.

English composer Bobby Krlic (AKA The Haxan Cloak) wrote the score to this film which contains many conventional horror techniques while also bringing in Nordic inspired elements. Krlic is a diverse musician having written for a number of various musical platforms including television dramas, video games, progressive/experimental and of course in films. 

Track Facts

Composer 

• Bobby Krlic

Label

• Milan Records

Award Nominations 

• IFMCA Award – Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction/ Horror Film (Nomination)

Release 

• 2019

The Jam

Aster and Krlic knew each other well before production began on Midsommar, in fact, Krlic was present for the ‘Hereditary’ premier screening as he recalls, “It was at a screening in London that Ari was at too. The last 15 minutes of that film is one of the most intense things I’ve ever seen in the cinema — it really affected me. I remember turning around to Ari as the credits were rolling and I said, “Holy shit dude, this is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.” He just looked at me and said, “Let’s fuck people up even more with Midsommar.” It was game on at that point.” (Krlic in article from Larry Fitzmaurice, 1/7/19) Indeed it was game on as these two creative artists teamed up to design one of the most unique horror films from recent memory. 

Krlic designs a score which captures both the horror and serenity of Midsommar, the haunting string clusters and embellishments to the dream-like glissandos of the Harp with perfectly positioned cadences. Krlic has no problems switching to traditional orchestral compositions as this soundtrack is extremely diverse. Bobby Krlic comes from a diverse background of composition and as such brings a unique array of musical creativity. We must first recognise the opening track ‘Prophecy’ which opens up with a magical fairytale vibe, with the long glissandos of the Harp and light string harmonic layering, ingenious really on the preface of what’s to come later. From this point forward the soundtrack moves into darker levels, beginning with one of the most harrowing tracks in the soundtrack ‘Gassed’, and for reasons on screen, this works perfectly as it begins with Dani’s harrowing cry. The next track ‘Halsingland’ brings us into the world we are about to experience for the rest of the film, maintaining emotions through a deep drum as the group drive into the mysterious and isolated village, the eeriness creeps in. 

Krlic lessens the focus on the ‘Musique Concrete’ concept in the next track  ‘The House That Harga Built’ and moves to the traditional orchestral instruments. This track is absolutely gorgeous, along with the visual scene, as we are presented with a stunning Nordic style dwelling while the strings and the piano come together to create such a lovely ambience, a relief from the tension! The music to follow offers many qualities which work hand in hand with this unique horror film as Krlic chooses his weapon, sometimes leaning on his digital altered instrumentation and then moving to the traditional instruments of the orchestra subject to the content on screen. The remaining tracks offer a consistent mix of tension and peacefulness as the film moves between the two emotive themes, however, it must be stated that ‘The Language Of Sex’ is unique in it’s own way for it’s own reasons, again, right inside the aesthetic of the film. 

When discussing the Midsommar score, Krlic mentions ‘Drawing from influences as disparate as classic Disney animated films, the ultraviolet melancholia of the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, and Alexander Desplat’s score to Jonathan Glazer’s classic 2004 drama Birth. The process was often deeply collaborative between him and Aster, a mind-meld reflected in how perfectly suited the former’s music plays against the latter’s distinctive imagery.(Krlic in article from Larry Fitzmaurice, 1/7/19)   

Krlic’s score was centred on the ‘Musique Concrete’ compositional technique (the use of tape manipulation and raw sound material) which gives this score such a hauntingly emotive resonance. Krlic explains ‘I wanted it to have echoes of musique concrete. Then there’s a 16-piece orchestra with double bass, cello, viola and violins. We recorded all of that at AIR Studios’ (Krlic, Paul Weedon, 5/7/19). Krlic goes on to explain that there was a lot of diegetic music written in traditional Nordic, Scandanavian and Icelandic music concepts. The score is essentially written with a 16-piece orchestra while many of the tracks are altered through the ‘Musique Concrete’ concept, preventing the instruments from featuring in their native form.

There are many superb tracks in this soundtrack which offer a range of unique qualities, but personally I find it hard to go past ‘Fire Temple’ as the shining star. This is the final track/scene in the film and encapsulates all of Dani’s grief, frustration and sadness as the walls of the wooden temple come crashing down in flames. The warm crescendo of the strings rises up to meet us, with a harmonic development which offers both curiosity and inspiration, there remains an uneasiness yet relief. The remaining strings are introduced as the crescendo increases before moving into the final scene of the film and rebuilding the musical energy. ‘Fire Temple’ brings us close to Dani, and highlights the deep struggle of her emotional journey with a simple ostinato supported by embellishments and trills on the violins. The piece comfortably sits with a gentle dynamic swell while sticking to the same melodic phrase as vocal chanting is added to the piece before being abruptly de-railed by varying non-chordal tones. After a minute or more, the strings come back to the foreground to see Dani off into what we might assume as her renewed life. The emotion that this piece carries, particularly in a horror film, is staggering, Krlic understands both the aesthetic and the emotional value with such a connectedness, as the score reaches its height in the closing seconds, where some of us might find ourselves smiling with Dani as the curtains draw. This finishing track offers a range of qualities, all showcasing Krlic’s ability to cater his music in a sensitive and effective way. 

Soundtrack Send-Off

Krlic and Ari clearly understood each other, as each scene, each plot twist and emotional experience was accompanied by a score which brings the emotional value on screen to the surface, offering a completely immersive experience for the audience. The ‘Musique Concrete’ provided a consistently eerie score, appropriate for this horror film, but different from many other horror films was Krlic’s use of the 16-piece orchestra (specifically the string family) offering a musical depth beyond what we may have been expecting. This is not your ordinary horror film, nor your horror score, this is a masterpiece in its own right as a complete experience visually and aurally.