Script Analysis: “Midsommar” — Scene-By-Scene Breakdown

Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:

After a first pass, it’s time to crack open the script for a deeper analysis and you can do that by creating a scene-by-scene breakdown. It is precisely what it sounds like: A list of all the scenes in the script accompanied by a brief description of the events that transpire.

For purposes of this exercise, I have a slightly different take on scene. Here I am looking not just for individual scenes per se, but a scene or set of scenes that comprise one event or a continuous piece of action. Admittedly this is subjective and there is no right or wrong, the point is simply to break down the script into a series of parts which you then can use dig into the script’s structure and themes.

The value of this exercise:

• We pare down the story to its most constituent parts: Scenes.
• By doing this, we consciously explore the structure of the narrative.
• A scene-by-scene breakdown creates a foundation for even deeper analysis of the story.

This week: Midsommar (2019). You can download the script here.

Written by Ari Aster.

Plot Summary: A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown’s 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.

Midsommar
Scene-By-Scene Breakdown
By David Young
gointothestory.blcklst.com

P.1–4 DANI’S WORRIED[1] Starting with a midday shot of Hälsingland, Sweden, and its modern but unpeopled landscapes, we transition to a similarly cold and quiet Minnesota night. An old couple in bed do not stir while their answering machine records a message of concern from their fragile daughter, DANI (25), whom we see smiling in a bedside photo next to one of her sister, TERRI.

We then see Dani in her Brooklyn apartment, in a series of late-night communications that reveal how miserable her life is (and is about to become). First she reads an open, ominous email from her sister, Terri, which fueled Dani’s concern for her parents. Then she calls her boyfriend, CHRISTIAN (25), for solace, but instead gets confirmation he’d rather hang out with his bros than comfort her. She then talks to a female friend who tries to say that everyone knows Christian is a dick except for Dani. Finding no help from anyone, Dani takes a sedative, and sends an email to Terri, hoping for a reply.

P.5–8 DANI WAS RIGHT At a New York pizza parlor, Christian is with his BRO PACK: the wise-cracking MARK (26), the academically snobbish JOSH (27), and the artsy Swede PELLE (26). Mark lobbies for Christian to dump the needy Dani, while Josh expresses disdain for her as the distraction preventing Christian’s from selecting his PhD concentration. Christian’s wandering eye is on display as he flirts with the waitress. Mark reminds him of their upcoming trip to Sweden where he could find women like the waitress if he were unencumbered. Dani makes Mark’s case by continuously calling Christian. He eventually picks up, and hears her scream and cry like a wounded animal.

Through a series of cuts, we see that Dani’s worst fears have been confirmed. Two garden hoses have been taped to two cars’ exhausts. The first goes to Dani’s parents’ room. The second is more disturbingly taped DIRECTLY INTO TERRI’S MOUTH, revealing her as the perpetrator of the murder-suicide.

In Dani’s apartment, Christian sits on the couch “comforting” Dani as she cathartically cries. However, it looks like it’s Christian who needs consoling, realizing he is TRAPPED in this relationship for some time to come. Dani’s friend is right: he’s a dick.

OPENING CREDITS.

P.8–12 PARTY TALK Six months later, Dani and Christian are still together, but she’s still in mourning and he’s still got one foot out the door. He tries to leave for Mark’s party without her, but ends up bringing her. At the party, a guest lets slip that Christian and his Bro Pack are going to Sweden. Despite leaving in two weeks, Christian has not told Dani about the trip beyond “It would be cool to go.” The deception illustrates how tenuous their relationship is, and hits Dani hard. Back at her apartment, unable to talk his way out of it, and a sucker for her tears, Christian invites Dani on the trip, claiming it was going to be a surprise.

P.12–17 GUESS WHO’S GOING TO MIDSOMMAR Back at Mark’s, Dani’s addition to their trip is definitely a surprise. Mark and Josh can’t believe Christian caved. The only one halfway decent to Dani is Pelle, who tells her about their destination, his hometown of Hälsingland. He says they will be there for a Midsommar celebration, but not the usual annual one. This is a once-in-ninety-years nine-day event. He also says he feels Dani will fit in well in his town and that he empathizes with her because he too is an orphan.

P.17–19 TRAVEL DAY Traveling to Hälsingland, Dani is still struggling, crying in the plane’s bathroom. She tries to play the brave soldier for Christian, who is more than happy to accept this superficial assessment of things. In the minivan trip from Stockholm we see Mark is here for the women, Josh is here for PhD dissertation research and Pelle is just happy to be going home. Christian seems along for the ride, trying not to take Mark’s bait about the women and still not having his PhD subject selected yet. Pelle victoriously announces their entry in Hälsingland.

P.19–24 SWEDISH MUSHROOMS Clumps of mostly blonde people picnic in a meadow, and some greet Pelle. In particular is his brother, INGEMAR (25), who is surprised to see him. Pelle introduces him to his American friends, while Ingemar introduces everyone to his London friends, SIMON (26) and CONNIE (24). Ingemar then produces a bag of mushrooms, which everyone wants to try except Dani. Christian makes a hollow offer to wait for her, but Dani succumbs to peer pressure and agrees to some mushroom tea. Josh feels ill, Dani throws up and Mark gets freaked out that it’s 9 pm but still as light as noon. Everyone trips out while Dani goes for a walk to stave off an oncoming panic attack.

P.24–30 DANI’S BAD TRIP Dani stumbles upon a young woman playing guitar for children. The woman sees Dani and stops playing. The group looks at Dani and laugh at her, causing her to cry and panic more. Ingemar sees her and tries to assure her they were laughing with her, not at her, but his mutating face does not convince her.

In an outhouse, Dani trips hard, with an image of her dead sister appearing and Dani’s skin becoming translucent. When her face becomes covered with eyes, she runs out. Meanwhile, the group is searching for her, with uninhibited Mark and Christian arguing over whether Dani should have even come. Josh is worried they aren’t connecting to the good while Pelle states that death is a necessary step for living things to become recycled.

Dani realizes she is alone in the woods, which is a revelation that she is actually ALONE in life, with no family and a boyfriend who doesn’t seem to care for her. She sees a dead rabbit being devoured by ants, a physical manifestation of Pelle’s statement[2] and her own epiphany of being alone in the universe. Christian appears and takes her back. They both see dead boars hanging from trees, but assume they’re hallucinating. They return to the others who are among the larger group of tripping Swedes now listening to loud music. Dani sleeps through the only darkness of the day at midnight. When she awakes she is sober, and realizes it’s a new day, so Christian has officially forgotten her birthday. Dick.

P.31–37 AN ODD GREETING The group makes it to the Hårga farmstead where the celebration (and the rest of the film) will take place and are welcomed by villagers in costumes that blur the lines between genders. Josh eyes the area like Dian Fossey among mountain gorillas, which is slightly insulting to the villagers. The group is overjoyed to see the return of Pelle, giving the feeling that not many ever leave Hårga. The group, led by ODD (50s), is also very welcoming of Dani, which catches the “we’re all alone” character by surprise. Mark is unsurprisingly dismissive, while Christian efforts to show more interest than Josh, annoying the PhD researcher.

Background music swells as the ceremonies begin. Ten children gives flowered wreaths to ten ELDERS. SIV (60s, female), the Elders’ spokesperson, narrates. After a toast, a boy and girl hand the two Elders with the largest crowns, YLVA (72, female[3]) and DAN (72, male), flaming torches for a rite explained by Siv: the two Elders will be blindfolded and will make three trips around the Main House, and if their torches stay lit, abundant crops. If they burn out, sick cattle. Dan’s torch goes out, which bums everyone out. Siv then deposits the torches in the farm’s eternal fire. The ritual end when Siv drinks part of a beer from a bowl and throws the rest in the fire.

P.37–40 CHRISTIAN GETS A KICK OUT OF MAJA Ceremonial rites continue as everyone is served food. Dani meets RUBEN (15), a “severely mentally handicapped and… horribly deformed” villager, whom the other villagers touch as for luck. Mark tries to eat before the elders, but Josh corrects him, showing Mark’s disregard for the locals and their traditions, and Josh’s reverence for them. Christian continues to try to out-interest Josh, and is playfully kicked by a local girl, MAJA (16), who is participating in a maypole dance. Christian is instantly smitten and jumps in the dance line because, well, you know. Pelle tries to get Dani to join, but she’s too timid. A group of boys run around ominously playing “Skin the Fool.” Ingemar sneaks a resentful look at his guests, Connie and Simon. With Christian occupied, Pelle sees his opportunity to wish Dani a happy birthday and give her a drawing of her face with a floral crown on top. She’s touched and finds herself defending Christian’s thoughtlessness once again.

P.40–43 OMINOUS OBJECTS Pelle leads the visitors in a tour. He says the children are carving runic symbols on bones to put under their pillows and dream about its power. Josh conjectures at the origin of the symbols and guesses wrong. Connie asks how long Dani and Christian have been dating and the latter guesses wrong. Ingemar says he met the English couple when he was dating Connie, and she says he was wrong, showing that everyone has their own point of view on facts. Ingemar tries to hide his irritation at Simon and Connie’s upcoming nuptials, while Josh tries to hide his about being wrong.

Three ominous objects are then shown. The first is the giant triangular yellow house that Pelle says is like a sacred temple (i.e., stay out). The second is a caged bear, which at this point is ominous by association. The third is a long carpet with 8 panels showing a girl using a type of magic to get the man of her dreams, get married and get pregnant. The magic is the disturbing part as it consists of her shaving a pubic hair, putting it in pancake batter and serving the man the pancake, which is all illustrated in graphic detail.

P.43–46 THE FOUR SEASONS In the main house, everyone will sleep in a large communal room, decorated in more graphic paintings and runic symbols. Pelle then explains the hierarchy of the village, which is laid out like seasons. The SPRING of life is up to age 18, which then leads to the SUMMER for those 18 to 36, and is the time of doing a pilgrimage. Those 36 to 54 are in their FALL and are required to work. Then the WINTER is for those 54 to 72, when they become mentors. Pelle jokes that those over 72 are killed. Not a great joke. He then takes Christian aside to remind him of Dani’s birthday, and apparently give him a cake for her. Dani notices pictures of previous May Queens, whom Pelle says are the winners of the annual dance contest. A PRETTY BRUNETTE (25) makes an announcement and gives a flirting look to Mark. Christian then ushers Dani outside to give her a birthday cake while lying that he’s been trying to find time to give it to her. He kisses her, but her reluctant kiss back shows that maybe she’s not buying his BS. During their talk, four women have been trying to comfort a constantly crying baby.

P.46–47 WHAT IS ATTESTUPAN? Before everyone goes to bed, Pelle says the next day (technically later that same day) will be the first ceremony, know as Attestupan. Pelle won’t say what it is, which worries Dani, but Josh seems to know. Rather than tell everyone, Josh keeps it to himself.[4] Later everyone is asleep except for Dani and that crying baby. She looks at a mural and notices it includes a man happily opening his wrist with a ceremonial knife.

P.47–51 THE CERMONY BEGINS In the morning, Dani takes everything in: the village women collecting dew moisture; the men setting up for the day’s events; Ylva leading a dance class. She later presents Christian a bouquet of hand-picked flowers. Dan and Ylva sit in large chairs at their own table, and when they start eating, everyone else, including Mark, also eat. Josh is taking notes and Christian is watching Josh. Dani asks about the crying baby, which has rickets, and is being taken care of by local women while the birth mother is on pilgrimage. Dani is told family is a communal experience in the village and is asked about her family. When she reveals they are dead the woman that asked her is sad, showing an empathy Dani is neither prepared for or comfortable with. After the meal Ylva and Dan sing a song and are hoisted up in their chairs to be carried up a hill. Mark retreats for a nap[5] while everyone else follows the procession.

P.51–55 THINGS GET REAL Ylva and Dan are carried to the hill top, while everyone else walks to the valley below. Pelle cryptically says Dani may not want to watch, but she stays. Josh seems to know what’s coming. Siv reads a sacred passage and sings a song. Ylva and Dan rise from their chairs, cut their palms, rub their bloody hands together and put their handprints on large rune stones on top of the hill. Ylva goes to the edge of the hill, pauses as she gestures to the heavens, AND THEN JUMPS. She lands with a THUD 200 feet below onto jagged rocks. Connie and Simon freak out while Dani goes into shock. Then Dan goes to the edge, reaches up, LOOKS AT DANI, then launches himself. He lands awkwardly, mutilating himself, but not dying. Simon yells to get an ambulance while Dan moans. Ingemar says everything is okay as three men with cudgels (long-handled clubs) go to work on Dan’s head. The first blow does not kill him, but mercifully the second does. Siv chastises Ingemar for not giving his visitors a real warning about what was going to happen. She tries to explain that to them life is a cycle and the next babies born will be called Ylva and Dan. Simon and Connie aren’t buying it. Josh and Christian are excited. Dani is a mess.

P.55–58 CHRISTIAN’S ACADEMIC BETRAYAL Dani breaks form the group, needing alone time. She breaks into a sprint and then sobs, which is followed by vomiting. Mark sees Ylva and Dan’s chairs being removed and asks without guile how the ceremony went. Josh and Christian are still excited about witnessing the Attestupan, but Josh’s excitement evaporates when Christian tells him he has decided to center his PhD work around the Swedish Midsommar ritual. Josh is livid that Christian would take part of his research from him, especially as Josh has been the one carrying him through their program. The two are now ENEMIES.

P.58–60 ONWARD CHRISTIAN SCHOLAR Mark is still processing what he’s been told has happened, while Simon and Connie are DONE with Midsommar. Christian’s anger at Josh is mistaken as anger about the violence they just witnessed. Christian approaches Maja and her friend ULLA (28) to ask about the ceremony and of course, flirt. Maja does not speak English but Ulla does. As Maja flirts back, Ulla tells him that every villager that reaches 72 goes through the ceremony, and that the villagers both grieve and celebrate the death of each elder. Meanwhile, Josh tries to keep Pelle from helping Christian, but he has already told Christian what he is now telling Josh: the elders won’t want anything written about the village and its ceremony. Pelle is frustrated being in the middle of a childish fight between Josh and Christian.

P.60–62 DANI IS FAR FROM OKAY Ylva and Dan’s corpses are placed in the Eternal Fire. Christian checks in on Dani who is still trembling and feels like she’s choking. She is concerned at his nonchalance. Men carry a bejeweled tree to start another ceremony, which Dani and Connie are in no mood to experience. Mark is trailed by the Pretty Brunette from before and Christian tries to foment hate against Josh.

P.62–65 NOT ANOTHER ONE! At the lake, songs are sung and then men take the bejeweled tree and throw it in the lake. Then Siv leads what appears to be a scripted call and response in Swedish[6] until a boy BROR (10) joins in the dialogue, adorned like the tree. The men strap weights to his ankles and carry him to the shore of the lake. They look like they’re going to toss him in like the tree when Dani implores NO! Rather than interrupting the ceremony, she is unwittingly participating in it as the villagers also implore the men not to fling the boy. He is released and runs to Siv, relieved he won’t be sacrificed to the lake. Connie asks if this is Wiccan. Siv assures her it’s not and is about reciprocity and was only presentational. Connie isn’t convinced. Dani is being stretched to her emotional limits while Christian finds it all amusing.

P.65–68 DANI AND CHRISTIAN’S FIGHT Dani implored Christian that they need to leave, but he wants to stay to do his thesis research.[7] Dani questions Pelle’s inviting them all and says that all the visitors are out of place in this pagan society (this is the “Why Doesn’t Anyone Listen To The Voice of Reason?” point of the story). When Christian refuses to leave and tells Dani she’s free to go, she realizes their relationship is likely in its death throes. Christian then reveals his narcissism by questioning the motivations of Dani’s acts of affections towards him, and calls her an altruist and himself a dick (finally!). Rather than resolve the fight, Christian walks away, leaving Dani agitated and stunned.

P.68–69 DANI’S SMOKY NIGHTMARE Still worked up, Dani gets a sleeping pill from Josh, taking the whole thing rather than half as he advises. She then has a dream where everyone sneaks off to their minivan. Pelle drives them all away as they all smile at leaving Dani.[8] As it leaves, the minivan belches black smoke. Dani opens her mouth and a huge amount of black smoke escapes her lungs, recalling her sister’s murder-suicide. A slam cut to Dan’s smashed face on the rock, which pulls back to reveal Dani’s sister and parents’ bodies smashed on the rocks. While Dani continues to sleep, Maja approaches Christian’s bed and slides a carved rune stone under his mattress, recalling a panel from the ceremonial carpet. Pretending to be asleep, Josh has watched Maya’s actions.

P.69–74 MARK PISSES OFF ULF In the morning, everyone has already risen while Dani, under the influence of the pill, continues to sleep. Meanwhile, Ylva and Dan’s ashes are collected from the fire and scatter them at the base of a Rotvälta, or large fallen tree with exposed roots. Mark belittles Pelle who is tending a garden, while Josh asks if the elders will allow his research. They will, but it must not reveal identities or their location, and it must be split with Christian. Josh is ecstatic about the first condition, less happy about the second. He then produces Maja’s rune stone and asks Peele what it is. Pelle tells him it’s used for love spells. Christian approaches and is happy with both of the elders’ conditions. Pelle informs Christian that Maja is his sister and likes him. He also feels the need to tell him she has just turned 15, which by their custom means she is allowed to have sex. Before the conversation can get any more awkward a male villager ULF goes nuts, YELLING at Mark, who has decided to URINATE at the base of the Rotvälta, the site of the ashes of all their elders. Pelle prevents Ulf from outright killing Mark on the spot, and INGA (Mark’s Pretty Brunette) says she’ll smooth things over with him. Dani emerges from the Main House and runs into Christian. They kind of make up, which basically amounts to Dani apologizing and Christian accepting.

P.74–75 ANIMAL SACRIFICE On a hill, nine animals are put in pillories overlooking a grooved set of three runic symbols. Pelle warns Dani not to watch, but she does anyway. After the usual dancing and music, the animals, which include two dogs, have their THROATS SLIT, with the blood filling the grooves to form the runic symbols. Josh and Christian exchange looks of excitement, Mark makes an inappropriate comment, while Simon questions why Ingemar, who is grinning, even invited Connie and himself.

P.75–78 PELLE THE CONQUEROR Dani starts packing her things, when Pelle enters. She asks why he would invite them and he says he wanted them to share in a tradition that only occurs every 90 years, and he was proud of his home. He also says he was most excited for Dani to attend, and asks her to smell an herb bag meant to calm her. She smells it and as they talk, it seems to work. Pelle tells her that after he was orphaned the whole village became his family, and he feels the newly-orphaned Dani deserves the same opportunity. Making his move, he points out how tenuous her bond with Christian appears to be. He says that she is vulnerable in an innocent way, which is beautiful. She asks for another hit from the rosin bag and he gives it to her to keep.

P.78–81 GOODBYE SIMON AND CONNIE Simon points out that if they do not plan to eat the animals sacrificed, then the ceremony was just cruelty. Ingemar and another villager STEN (male) argue against his position saying being sacrificed shows the animals will meet the villagers needs, whether eaten or not. Simon reiterates wanting to leave. Sten agrees to drive them to the train station, but needs Simon’s help to jump start the truck. They’re dubious, but agree that Simon will help Sten while Connie packs their things. Connie has a bad feeling about this. She comes upon Dani and Pelle in the Main House and starts packing. Odd enters and says Jan[9] is driving Simon to the train station and will come back for Connie. Odd says there’s only room for two and they don’t want to break traffic laws. Connie isn’t buying it and goes off to find out what’s going on.

P.81–83 INCEST AND MEAT PIES Ulf is still devastated by Mark’s desecration. Dani informs Christian that Simon left without Connie, but he doesn’t seem to care and questions villagers about their lives. He asks about incest and is told that sometimes cousins mate, but often outsiders are invited in to avoid incest.[10] Christian spies Josh being led into Ruben’s temple by ARNE, and is jealous. Dani realizes she might not really know who Christian is. Dani is then invited to help the women make meat tarts. She asks ULRIKA (30s) if she has seen Simon. Ulrika responds with a rehearsed answer that he was driven to the station. Maja has also made a tray of meat pies, with one specially labeled with a basil leaf on top.

P.83–85 THE RUBI RADR In Ruben’s Temple Josh and Arne stand at an altar, next to a book — the RUBI RADR — on a pedestal. The text is runic symbols and there are thousands of books like it lining the walls. Josh describes the text as “emotional sheet music” and shows that there are empty pages at the end for Ruben (the deformed boy Dani met earlier) to add to. Ruben[11] is the intentional product of inbreeding, with new ones created as needed. Arne snaps “NO” at Josh when he asks about taking a picture of the text. The tension is diffused by a DISTANT SCREAM, also heard by…

Dani in the kitchen, and…

Mark outside the triangular temple. His attention is diverted by Inga, who is eyeing him.

P.85–88 GOODBYE MARK At the dining tables, Dani is eyeing Pelle, who smiles. Servers place meat pies in front of everyone, while Maja’s special basil leaf pie is placed in front of Christian. Dani asks about Connie, and Mark says he saw her running earlier. A villager JARL jumps into the conversation and explains that Simon had called Connie to calm her down. So she apologized for her agitation and Jarl gave her a ride to the station, which sounds like an even more rehearsed response than Ulrika’s. Christian buys it, but Dani doesn’t, and criticizes him for being thoughtless.[12] Meanwhile, Ulf stares daggers at Mark.[13] Christian starts to argue with Josh, but his attention turns to the pubic hair he has just pulled from his mouth. He spies Maja watching him intently, as does Dani. Mark is still shaken by Ulf’s stare when Inga asks him to come with her because “I will show you.” Mark goes with her explaining, “She’s going to show me.”

P.88–89 GOODBYE JOSH Bed time and Dani takes another sleeping pill. After everyone is asleep, Josh sneaks out to Ruben’s Temple. He creeps past a sleeping Ruben and starts taking photos of the pages of the Rubi Radr. He is interrupted by Mark, who now looks bulkier. In the light Josh sees it’s really ULF WEARING MARK’S SKIN.[14] Before this can register another villager slams a cudgel into Josh’s skull. He collapses to the ground and is dragged off. In the morning, people stir awake while Josh and Mark’s beds are empty.

P.90–92 COVERING THEIR SWEDISH TRACKS Sten makes an announcement that the 19th Book of Rubi Radr has gone missing and that the temple will be unguarded to allow it to be returned, no questions asked. Christian is sure Josh took it, and when questioned by Arne throws him under the bus. Pelle feels responsible for bringing Josh and Mark — who is guilty by association — and goes with Odd to find them. Dani is told she’ll be doing an activity with the women while Christian has been summoned by Siv. Pelle and Odd return and announce that the truck is gone, so Josh and Mark must have taken it. Pelle stares menacing at Christian.[15]

P.92–93 HAPPY DANI A drink made from flowers is prepared and the women drink it, including Dani and her new friend KARIN. Then the women, including Dani, assemble in circles around a large maypole. Dani looks down to see grass sprouting from her shoes, and realizes she is tripping from the drink. After a speech from Irma, musicians play and the circles of women dance around the maypole. For the perhaps the first time in the film we see Dani enjoying herself, dancing under the influence with Karin.

P.93–95 PIMPING MAJA Meanwhile Christian awaits Siv in her house. He notices mural art on the wall, which includes a bear being burned alive. Siv joins him and he starts to defend himself against Josh’s actions. Siv ignores this and informs him that he has been selected as Maja’s mate based on a photo Pelle had sent before they even arrived. He says he’s with Dani, but Siv assures him she would not know, and that she’s talking a one-night stand, not marriage. Christian is torn. He emerges from the house to see the dance competition.

P.95–99 THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY? Irma yells “Stop!” and the women freeze. They then complicate the dance by weaving through each other. One women falls and she’s out. Another vomits and the sound brings Dani back from her trip. She asks about Josh but Karin distracts her, bringing her back to the dancing. Maja sees Christian and flops like an Italian soccer player. She’s out. She and Christian are in full pheromone mode. The music stops, more women fall and leave the field. Irma announces that they down to the final eight, and Karin turns and gives Dani a big kiss on the lips. Christian misses the kiss but looks at Dani, giving her a smile. She does not return it. Ulrika and another woman see the ground as a blanket of centipedes and run off. Dani looks down and sees nothing, showing she’s in it to win it. Inga runs towards the maypole to hug it and slams her face. We’re now down to Dani, Karin and another woman. Karin tries to speak to Dani in Swedish, but she doesn’t understand. Instead the two then converse in gibberish, seeming to understand each other. The third woman falls and Karin falls over her. DANI HAS WON!

P.99–100 DANCING QUEEN Dani keeps dancing, thinking she couldn’t possibly have won. Irma officially declares Dani the May Queen while she is adorned in gown made of flowers. Her picture is taken for inclusion on the wall of May Queens. Asking what her duties are, she is hugged and kissed by the villagers, including her MOTHER, FATHER and TERRI, who disappear as quickly as they appeared. Pelle congratulates her and gives her a big Karin-like kiss on the lips. She is then hoisted on a gold-painted, round wooden plank. She searches for Christian, but does not see him as he is hanging back. He sees Maja and stops following the crowd. Dani seems more relaxed and accepting of her title. She looks down to see her feet and legs changing to the gold color of the plank like a chameleon.

P.100–103 DANI’S NEW FAMILY Dani is carried to the dining area. Then, when she walks on the grass, flowers emerge from the ground creating a beautiful trail in her wake. She walks up to a throne, and only after she sits does everyone else sit. She’s still tripping from the flower drink as she sees plants swell and deflate around her. She face appears wrong in the table’s reflection, however, so she looks away. Only after she starts eating does everyone else starts eating. Then she is brought a herring and told to eat it whole. She cannot, but gives it a try, much to everyone’s delight. Meanwhile, Christian is also tripping. A man then claps his hands in front of Christian’s face, which seems to send Christian further down the rabbit hole. Dani gives a brief speech of thanks and is told she is family now. Peele is drawing Dani on her throne. Christian sees Maja head toward the temple, which Dani notices. He cannot return Dani’s gaze.

P.103–106 FERTILITY AND CERMONY Dani is told she must bless the crops and livestock, but can’t bring Christian with her. She is carried in a carriage with two torches, which she lights. She is handed a vial of holy water. The carriage is pulled through wheat fields and women beside the cart waves torches to ward away spirits.

Meanwhile, a girl creates a path of scattered flowers between Christian and Ruben’s Temple. Everyone looks at Christian as he finally follows the path. In the temple, MATS hands him a white gown which Christian changes into.

Dani is instructed by HANNA to hold a torch over a hole, where grain, steak and an egg are dropped. Hanna sings a song which Dani repeats while women dance.

A man with hair covering his face hands Mats a pot, from which Mats then waves steam into Christian’s face for vitality. The hairy man then opens the temple doors. Christian enters to find Maja nude on a bed of twigs and flowers. They are surrounded by nude older women (30s to 60s) who are humming. A very stoned Christian is disrobed by a woman and he imagines himself floating toward Maja. The humming increases as he approaches her. They kiss and start to make love. One of the women is Ulrika, who places her cheek in Maja’s hand. As Maja moans, the women moan and fondle themselves. This is a group activity. Ruben is in the corner, finger painting in the pages of the Rubi Radr.[16]

P.106–108 CHRISTIAN’S SEXUAL BETRAYAL Returning to the farm area, Dani’s told she is expected in Siv’s house for a blessing. In the distance the moans from Ruben’s Temple are heard. Dani want to go there but Hanna says she shouldn’t since it’s a ceremony for the men. But the more Hanna pleads, the more drawn Dani is to the temple. At the temple door Dani peeks through the keyhole to see Christian on Maya and the women fondling themselves. A stunned Dani vomits and runs away. She is then met by the young women who are directed by Hanna to take her to the main house. Dani is placed on her bed and surrounded by the young women. Dani finally breaks down into a cathartic cry that had been building the whole time. Hanna is empathically linked to Dani and releases the same cry. The other women also cry. They are all now linked to Dani.[17]

P.108–109 SO THAT’S WHERE THEY WENT In the temple, because things weren’t weird enough, Christian is reluctant to finish his duty so an older woman stands behind him, thrusting him into Maya. After his climax, Maja announces she can feel the baby growing inside her. Seeing the toothless face of the old woman who was assisting him makes Christian ill. He dizzily shuffles out of the room.

As he exits he sees Dani’s vomit, which causes him to throw up. He approaches the main house, but hearing the crying, he changes course. He stumbles towards another building, and now sees the truck parked, and realizes Odd and Pelle were likely lying. He sees a garden in front of the building and notices a foot with a symbol painted on the sole sticking out of the ground. JOSH! In denial, he then turns and walks into a chicken coop. Inside a naked body suspended in the air, positioned like it is flying. Its ribs have been opened up to spread its lungs out like wings. SIMON! He then notices in horror that the BODY IS STILL BREATHING and the EYES HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH FLOWERS! He tries to run but slams into Odd who blows a brown powder in his face. Christian falls to the ground, paralyzed. Odd closes Christian’s eyes for him.

P.110–112 I CHOO-CHOO-CHOOSE CHRISTIAN Christian is slapped awake. He cannot move. He cannot speak. He is in a wheelchair facing a stage with Dani engulfed in flowers on her throne. She is physically there, but appears to be miles away. The elders stand with Dani while everyone else is behind Christian, including Maja who now wears vivid red lipstick. Siv announces it is the day of their deity of purification and that nine humans must be sacrificed: four villagers, four visitors[18] and one chosen by the Queen. Sten announces the four villagers. Two are elderly corpses who have been adorned as trees, while the other two are volunteers, Ingemar and Ulf. The former looks ready while the latter looks nervous. Pelle is thanked for having good judgment in bringing the new May Queen into the village. For the final sacrifice, a ball from a bingo cage is selected: Dag. Sten tells Dani she must choose between Dag and Christian. Christian’s eyes plead to Dani, but hers are glass. When they do meet, a cloud of intense emotion waves over Dani’s face. She selects Christian, whose muffled internal screams are useless.

P.113–115 LOSE YOURSELF Connie’s corpse is wheeled into the triangular temple. She is bloated from being underwater and wears the same decorations as the tree that had been tossed in the lake. Mark’s skin has been stuffed with straw. Both bodies are propped up against the temple walls. The two elder corpses are placed with their most-prized possessions. Josh’s corpse is covered in dirt, his mouth stuffed with paper from the Rubi Radr and a stack of books on his lap. Simon’s body sits next to his. Outside Ulf and Ingemar are being embraced by villagers while inside of another building a dead bear[19] is being gutted. After being emptied, Christian is fitted inside the carcass, which is sewn up with a hole remaining for his face. Christian is seated on a hay stack in the temple, and a man dressed as the Swedish god of vengeance swears an oath at him. Mats and Ulf are also surrounded by their possessions. Mats gives Ulf yew tree liquid to quell his fear. The hay is lit and Christian’s internal screams show his terror. He catches fire and is boiled alive in the suit. Ingemar continues to smile. Ulf then catches fire and screams. Outside, villagers echo his screams until they cease. Inspired, Ruben paints. As the villagers sing, Dani is hit with a wave of conscience, and transforms from horror to shame. Dani cries as the temple is engulfed in flame. Dani starts to moan and scream and then breaks. Is she crying or laughing? She is hoisted on her throne and carried. She cycles through emotions and finally embraces pride and contentment. A smile breaks over her face,[20] and she is embraced by insanity. Losing herself has finally set Dani free.

“It is horrible and it is beautiful.”

FOOTNOTES

[1] Scene titles are mine, not the screenwriter’s.

[2] Although Dani did not hear Pelle utter this statement.

[3] Ylva is initially and at times labeled as a male, while at other times as a female. Since the character was portrayed as a female in the film, I assume the male references are uncorrected artifacts from previous script versions.

[4] It’s unclear whether Josh felt the need to keep it from Christian or just found perverse pleasure in knowing.

[5] No real reason is given.

[6] The villagers speak a lot in Swedish with no translation. The reader can make some contextual guesses, but some dialogue is indecipherable to us non-Swedish speakers.

[7] And likely research Maja.

[8] The dream obviously referencing her immediate feeling of abandonment by Christian.

[9] He might have meant Sten, but I’m not sure.

[10] Aha!

[11] My guess is Rubi Radr means something like Ruben Reader and perhaps each generation of new inbred scrivener is called Ruben.

[12] Christian notices the first evidence of backbone in Dani.

[13] The Ulf remembers.

[14] Remember earlier that the children were playing “Skin the Fool.”

[15] Menacing stares are a signature move of this village.

[16] This is thankfully not a euphemism.

[17] This scene is a bookend to the one in Act One where Dani’s is uncontrollably sobbing while Christian is thinking how this affects him. The women’s empathy is on the same level of magnitude as Christian’s disinterest. While many terrible things have happened to Dani since that time, she has reached a point in her journey where she is now getting the emotional support she needs and realizes now she deserves. She truly has found her tribe and her family.

[18] Simon, Connie, Mark, and Josh

[19] Unlike “Lost” there is a payoff for the earlier bear setup.

[20] Mirroring her smile in the phot on her parents’ nightstand, where she was also overlooking a scene of mortal horror.

Writing Exercise: I encourage you to read the script, but short of that, if you’ve seen the movie, go through this scene-by-scene breakdown. What stands out to you about it from a structural standpoint?

To download a PDF of the breakdown for Midsommar, click here.

Major kudos to David Young for doing this week’s scene-by-scene breakdown.

For 100+ movie scripts broken down scene by scene, go here.