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

psychological horror Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre frequently overlaps with the related subgenr ...

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 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 count ...

''.

Plot

Cast

* Kristian Leth as Christian *

Laura Christensen Laura Elisabeth Christensen (born 26 January 1984) is a Danish actress. Biography Laura Christensen made her debut as a child actor in the film ''Min fynske barndom'' and had her first major role in '' Tøsepiger''. She is perhaps best known ...

as Trine * Julie Ølgaard som Anja * Nicolai Jandorf as Jannick * Jon Lange 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 Ja ...

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 indep ...

'' 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, won the award for Best Song at Denmark's

21st Robert Awards The 21st Robert Awards ceremony was held in 2004 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Organized by the Danish Film Academy, the awards honoured the best in Danish and foreign film of 2003. Honorees Best Danish Film * '' The Inheritance'' – Per Fly B ...

. The film also received both the Older Jury Award and Audience Award at the Leeds International Film Festival.

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