MIDSOMMAR - 9 MIND-BLOWING Details You Missed | Netflix

Midsommar is streaming now on Netflix UK and Ireland, and if you're planning to watch it again, here are nine things you probably missed the first time around. The tapestry shown in the opening tells you everything that's going to happen, although without context you'd never comprehend it. You can see Dani, her sister and her parents entwined with tubes, next to a representation You can see Christian consoling Dani while Pelle watches on, sketching what he sees. You can even see the group being led to the Hårga by Pelle, this time playing the role of Pied Piper. Mark is even wearing a jester hat, marking him as the fool, something the film plays on, and we'll come back to in a bit. But the tapestry is significant in another way. When the film begins, it parts like a stage curtain, giving us a sense of theatre. This is referenced again when the group enters the village. They think they're the audience, here to passively observe an alien culture. But watch this moment again, and you'll clearly see they're the players, entering the stage for the entertainment of the Hårga. This is a quick one, but it's hugely important given the ending of the film. Look at the framed picture of Dani by her parents' bed, and you'll see it's adorned Some people take this as proof that Pelle has somehow been orchestrating the entire ritual, and is responsible for the death of Dani's family. Watch closely during Dani's crowning ceremony, and you'll notice three villagers who stay in shot slightly longer than the others. And if we look again at the chilling opening sequence, we can see that they're actually Dani's parents and sister. There's some debate over what this means. Some people think it's a symptom of the drugs she's been given. Others take it as proof they're actually there. Either way, it's still a powerful way of reinforcing the significance of this moment. Hints at Christian's fate are present throughout the movie. There's a painting in Dani's house by Swedish artist Jan Bauer, which shows a queen and a bear, representing Dani and Christian's respective fates. And when Christian is waiting to speak to a Hårga elder, he's sat directly in front of a picture of a burning bear, explicitly telling us what lies in wait for him. There are other, more metatextual references too. When the bear is killed and has its entrails removed, it forms a somewhat suggestive image which we see again in the recipe for the love potion the Hårga used to drug Christian, leading to his betrayal of Dani, and ultimately, her revenge. Everything that happens to Mark is preordained. The Hårga children are playing a game of skin the fool during the festivities, something that Simon asks about, which at the time, doesn't seem to have any special significance. But it's clear that Mark is said fool. He urinates on the ancestral tree, and generally seems to be the clown of the group. And things fall eerily into place when he disappears, only to end up worn as a dead skin suit. There are even fans who believe he was made into a pair of nabruk, quite literally, corpse breeches. The fact that he's the fool is further cemented by his representation in the tapestry at the start, and the jangling jester's hat he wears when his scarecrow is brought to the sacrificial temple at the end of the film. Audio plays a huge part in the effectiveness of Midsommar. There's the muted intro, where Dani sobs literally becomes part of the soundtrack. And there's an unnerving sense of claustrophobia and stillness when they reach the Hårga village, that comes from the reduction of ambient sound in certain scenes, such as insect noises and birdsong. Welcome to Hårga, and happy Midsommar! Audio pans are meticulously matched to camera movement, but there are other more well-hidden audio tricks you can listen for. It's hard to parse, but you hear the same scream from Conny, followed by a faint splash three times from three different perspectives. Once by Josh while he's talking to an elder. Once by Dani in the kitchen. And finally by Mark in front of the sacrificial temple. And when Conny is brought in the wheelbarrow at the end of the film, you can see she's in a weighted dress, confirming she was drowned, something hinted at, but never shown. Watch Midsommar closely, and you'll see that there are mirrors everywhere. In the opening scene, we first glimpse Dani's parents in their bedroom mirror. A crucial conversation with Christian is framed using a mirror. Even the table during the Midsommar feast is reflective, and we see Dani's sister glimpsed in a mirror in one of the film's most effective jump scares. But there are other, more subtle examples. The entire frame flips as the group drives towards the village, representing them entering an alternate world. Many of the layouts and runes in the Hårga village are reflected symmetrically, and then there's the behavior of the Hårga. They literally mirror the emotions of people in the community, weeping along with Dani, and screaming as fellow villagers burn. Aster leaves the meaning of all this intentionally vague. It could be Dani finally finding herself, or it could be an exercise in large-scale emotional manipulation by the Hårga. Keep an eye out for triangles. There are obvious ones, such as the sacrificial temple, and striking decorations that surround the village. But there are other, more subtle examples throughout the film. The shadow cast by Dani's light in the first scene. The angle formed by the finishing mallet. The way Simon's body is framed when he's turned into a blood eagle. Even the shape of Dani's May Queen outfit is a triangle. So why the triangle? Probably because it feels magical. It's a symbol with numerous meanings and interpretations across different belief systems. It's a Masonic image, representing the Eye of Providence, serving as a reminder that humanity's thoughts and deeds are always observed by God. The Wiccan cone of power can be represented as a triangle, and the image has historic associations with witchcraft. And it has provenance in German paganism. A symbol consisting of three interlocking triangles is associated with Odin. And that conjunction of three times three takes us to our final point. For our ninth and final entry, we have the number nine itself. Start to look for it, and you'll see this everywhere in Midsommar. Nine people are sacrificed. Dani is drugged nine times. The festival is nine days long, and it's held every 90 years. It's no coincidence that the name, Midsommar, even has nine letters. The Hårga life cycles are also multiples of nine. The spring season, representing childhood, includes people up to 18 years old. Summer is ages 18 to 36. People aged up to 54 are considered to be in the autumn of their life. And as we know, the cycle ends with winter at age 72. This also means that Dani, being in her mid-twenties, is literally in her midsummer. So why is it so important? Well, the number nine is sacred in Norse paganism, representing the completion of important cycles. The Norse universe has nine worlds. Nilfheim, Muspelheim, Asgård, Midgård, Jutunheim, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, and Helheim. Odin spends nine days hanging from the world tree, Yggdrasil, to gain knowledge of secret runes. Thor takes nine steps and dies after his final battle at Ragnarök. There are loads more instances in both the film and the Norse mythology. Another example of how layered and well-researched Midsommar is. Did you spot any references or secrets in Midsommar you want to share? Pop them in the comments below. And remember to subscribe to Netflix UK for more deep dives into your favorite shows and movies.