''Midsommer'' (English: ''Midsummer'') is a 2003

psychological horror Psychological horror is a genre, subgenre of horror fiction, horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and Mental state, psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre frequent ...

film directed by Carsten Myllerup and written by Rasmus Heisterberg. The story revolves around a group of Danish students who celebrate their graduation in a Swedish forest, when they encounter a supernatural presence seemingly connected to a friend who recently committed suicide. Six months after the film's release in 2003, the film rights were purchased by

Bill Block William Hunt Block (born April 2, 1954) is an American film producer who has been CEO of Miramax since April 2017. His producing credits include '' W.'' (2008), ''District 9'' (2009), '' Fury'' (2014), ''Bad Moms'' (2016), ''Dirty Grandpa'' (2016) ...

for an American remake. The American version was reset to a Louisiana bayou and released in 2007 with the title ''

Solstice A solstice is an event that occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21. In many countr ...

''.

Plot

Cast

* Kristian Leth as Christian * Laura Christensen as Trine *

Julie Ølgaard Julie R. Ølgaard (born 29 September 1981 in Copenhagen, Denmark) is a Danish actress. Career In 2000, Ølgaard relocated to Los Angeles, where she trained as an actress at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. After three years, she retur ...

som Anja * Nicolai Jandorf as Jannick *

Jon Lange ''Jon Gudmand Lange'' (born March 28, 1980 in Søborg) is a Danish actor. Jon Lange is the son of public school teachers Gerd Lange and Troels Gudmand Pedersen. He is the brother of television organizer Camille Lange. In 2013, he married Mette Ma ...

as Mark * Lykke Sand Michelsen as Sofie *

Tuva Novotny Tuva Moa Matilda Karolina Novotny Hedström (born 21 December 1979) is a Swedish actress, director, and singer. She was born in Stockholm, and was raised in Åmot, Brunskog, outside Arvika. She is the daughter of Czech film director David Jan N ...

as Linn *

Per Oscarsson Per Oscar Heinrich Oscarsson (28 January 1927 – 31 December 2010) was a Swedish actor. He is best known for his role in the 1966 film ''Hunger'', which earned him a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. Early life Oscarsson was born, along ...

as Persson

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews from the Danish press. The ''

Berlingske Tidende ''Berlingske'', previously known as ''Berlingske Tidende'' (, ''Berling's Times''), is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen. It is considered a newspaper of record for Denmark. First published on 3 January 1749, ''Berlingske'' ...

'' awarded it 4 out of 6 stars, praising the films lighting, acting and effectiveness at providing surprising moments of fright, but criticized the rushed and confused quality of the film's latter half. The ''

Politiken ''Politiken'' is a leading Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1884 and played a role in the formation of the Danish Social Liberal Party. Since 1970 it has been independe ...

'' appreciated the filmmaker's success in elevating the film beyond the typical teen horror flick but found the abundance of mysterious happenings to be over-the-top.

Awards and nominations

A song from the soundtrack, "Transparent and Glasslike" by

Carpark North Carpark North is a Danish electronic rock band. The band was formed in Aarhus, Denmark on 28 July 1999 by Lau Højen (vocal, guitar), Søren Balsner (bass, synthesisers) and Morten Thorhauge (drums). The name "Carpark North" was created from th ...

, won the award for Best Song at Denmark's 21st Robert Awards. The film also received both the Older Jury Award and Audience Award at the

Leeds International Film Festival The Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) is the largest film festival in England outside London. Founded in 1987, it is held in November at various venues throughout Leeds, West Yorkshire. In 2015, the festival welcomed over 40,000 visitor ...

References

External links

* * * {{Danskefilm, TYPE=f, 1064 2003 films 2000s Danish-language films Swedish horror films 2003 thriller drama films Danish thriller drama films Swedish thriller drama films Danish horror drama films Holiday horror films 2003 drama films 2000s Swedish films