In Midsommar, Dani and her friends visit the Swedish commune called Hårga.
Ari Aster’s 2019 folk-horror film follows Dani Ardor, Christian Hughes, and their companions as they travel to Hälsingland, Sweden. They are invited by Pelle, a Swedish student who belongs to the Hårga community. What begins as an unusual midsummer celebration gradually reveals the commune’s violent rituals and rigid social customs.
Hårga is fictional within the film, although the story uses real Swedish traditions, seasonal imagery, folk costumes, music, and references to Hälsingland culture. The community’s bright daylight setting contrasts with the darkness normally associated with horror, making the film’s disturbing events unfold in near-constant sunlight.
The name is sometimes confused with the real Swedish region where the characters travel. Hälsingland is a historical province in central Sweden, while Hårga is the fictional commune. Midsommar was released in the United States on July 3, 2019, after its world premiere at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in New York City.