Dani cannot take his concern. She excuses herself from his attention and enters an apartment bathroom which immediately transitions into an airline bathroom. Her unbearable pain carries her from one moment to the next. She dare not reveal it to her friends or lover. She keeps her mental shattering away from the eyes of others.
Christian, still playing the part of the good dude, explains to his bros, “I invited Dani to come to Sweden.” Everyone piles into a car and none look too happy about it. Except maybe Ulf who has a wistful smile on his face. We hear Dani presumably state to him, “Christian says that you’ve got this special week planned.”
We get an upside-down shot of the sign announcing their arrival in Hälsingland, Sweden. This tiny county is primarily known for its large-scale goat breeding and magnificently decorated farmhouses called Hälsingegårdar. These buildings are symbols of wealth as well as a meeting place between aristocratic and historical fashions. The ordinary midsummer festival that occurs in this region involves the raising of a Maypole or Midsommarstång. Covered in greenery, the Maypole is designed to bring good fortune and health to people as well as livestock. There is pagan purpose as well, but let’s hold that thought until the end.
Ulf details the event to his ugly American friends, “It’s sort of a crazy festival. Special ceremonies and dressing up.” Nothing too weird, just a big party environment where nothing at all can go wrong.
Dani puts on her own happy mask, “That sounds fun.”
Their group along with many other young foreigners enter a community through a large gateway representing the sun and the kickoff of the Summer season. They are greeted by villagers dressed primarily in white as well as a few frolicking goats. The light is so intense/”nagging” that it bleaches nearly every frame going forward.
Christian is in awe of the visual serenity, “Unbelievable.” Angelic music crashes over the arriving group as they’re immediately welcomed by strangers. Dani smiles at their displays of warmth.
The villagers gather upon a wooden stage, designed similarily like the sun gateway. Siv (Gunnel Fred) toasts the visitor’s arrival with a shot of snaps or nubbe — not the peppermint variety, but one flavored with Scandinavian spices like caraway and anise.
As Siv cheers “Skål” our gang kicks their drink back. Well, all except Mark (William Jackson Harper) who barely pulls his head out of his phone to sip on the snaps.
