Illustration by me. Watercolor and dried flowers on paper (obviously). And an image of Dani from the Film
I’ve written 3 essays about Ari Aster’s Film, Midsommar (2019). You can read them separately or in order:
1: Wardrobe and Color in Midsommar
2: Private and Public Settings in Midsommar
3: Woman and Nature in Midsommar: From Daphne, to Yeong Hye, to Dani
If you only want to read one, my personal favorite is the last one about Woman and Nature. This one is also the longest, so you may prefer one of the other two for their brevity.
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DestacadoA Brief Literary History of Metamorphoses
FROM DAPHNE TO YEONG-HYE In Homer’s The Odyssey the enchantress Circe transforms Odysseus’s men into pigs. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses we see the nymph Daphne transformed into a laurel tree following the incessant, unreciprocated sexual overtures of the god Apollo. In Han Kang’s The Vegetarian we see a woman- Yeong-hye- oppressed by patriarchal forces as well;… Leer más
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An International Student Returns: An Unemployed Homeless Reptile
After graduation, you may find yourself slowly metamorphosing into a little reptile. Like a lizard looks for a stone warmed by the sun, those of us in our early twenties look for warmth too; namely- the warmth of a new home. The shitty flat we rented as students will go to someone else, the stain… Leer más
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Americanah and Mestizah: Engaging with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
I am reading chapter 31 of Americanah in a coffee shop in Evanston, Illinois- two blocks away from Northwestern University. I had just graduated from NU some months prior. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie receive a a PhD in Humane Letters, Honoris Causa at my graduation ceremony. My mother absolutely freaked out when she saw she was… Leer más
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Woman and Nature in Midsommar: from Daphne, to Yeong-hye, to Dani
Another aspect of Midsommar that seems pertinent is Dani’s relationship to nature. Before she even leaves the U.S. we see she is linked to the motif of nature- when she calls her parents and they do not answer, it pans from one childhood picture of her to another. The shot passes her mother and lands… Leer más
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Private and Public Settings in Midsommar
Continuing the theme of dark, enclosed spaces, we see how Dani often excuses herself to the bathroom when she begins to feel overwhelmed, especially at the mention of family. She runs to the bathroom after Pelle gives her his condolences, and mentions the passing of his own family; this leads to one of the most… Leer más
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Wardrobe and Color in Midsommar: A Pastoral Nightmare
Midsommar is a film comprised mainly of scenes that are brightly lit and almost flinch-inducing with their overwhelming white light. Aster does a stunning job at keeping a coherent color palette. Upon re-watching, you begin to notice little details, like the car that Pelle drives to the commune is a pastel blue itself, and thus… Leer más
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About
Why does this blog exist? Simply put, I just graduated and have a lot of time on my hands. I think a lot and speak a lot, often monologuing- my friends and family are tired of the tirades so why not write my thoughts down, structure them, formalize them and share them? I also found… Leer más
La Gringa Mestizah 