⚘ MEET THE HÅRGANS: IRMA ⚘ RIP ANKI LARSSON

 Sad news today, Anki Larsson, who performed the role of Irma in Midsommar, has passed away at the age of 67. https://www.tellerreport.com/life/2021-08-30-%22saltön%22-actor-anki-larsson-dead.ByUimqZ5Zt.html

Here is Irma

Irma is best known in the movie for her direction and narration of the May Queen dance. She is also a leader of the Hårgas and seems like a bit of a busybody, pretending to dry a dish in order to eavesdrop, and peeking at Christian through the slats of the chicken coop.

Irma is performed by Anki Larsson (Rest In Peace)

I encourage you to add your own comments here about this character (including any corrections to mistakes I may have made) or any parts of Midsommar you would like to discuss

⚘ MEET THE HÅRGANS: FELICIA ⚘

Felicia is a beautiful Hårga woman who is an expectant mother. Felicia is performed by Alexandra Lancz 

From the script:

SIV You must understand it as a great joy for them. And when it is my turn, it will be great joy for me.

We view life like a circle. Yes? A re- cycle. One thing falls and another raises. The first lady who jumped: her name was Ylva. Yes?

Siv points to a PREGNANT WOMAN:

That baby, who is not yet born, will inherit this name and also be Ylva. And if it’s a boy, he will take the name of Dan.

⚘ Behind the Scenes: Hårga Family Photo ⚘

Jarl - Tomas Engström

Inga - Julia Ragnarsson

Mats - Lennart R. Svensson

Hanna - Louise Peterhoff

Arne - Anders Beckman

Dagny - Agnes Rase

Siv - Gunnel Fred

Maja - Isabelle Grill

Ulrik - Martin Karlqvist

Ulrika - Rebecka Johnston

Ulf - Henrik Norlén

Karin - Anna Åström

Irma - Anki Larsson

Ingemar - Hampus Hallberg

Evert - Maximilian Slash Tiger Marton

Sten - Lars Väringer

Majvor - Tove Skeidsvoll

Patrik Andersson - Producer and concept co-creator

Photo Credit: Gabor Kotschy

Many thanks to Maximilian Slash Tiger Marton for helping me fill in the rest of the names on this photo. 

⚘ Meet the Hårgans: Ulrik ⚘

Here is Ulrik! He is a distinguished gentleman. Ulrik is portrayed by Martin Karlqvist, who not only acted as this member of the Hårga, but he is a psychologist who is one of the original creators of the idea of Midsommar! From an interview with Midsommar producer Patrik Andersson:

Can you tell us more about how the idea of Midsommar came to be and the development, production, etc?

I had the ambition of making a very ambitious Swedish folk horror. Much on par with "The Wicker Man", yet from the Swedish perspective as we have such an iconic Swedish pagan remnant in our Midsummer traditions. Me and my childhood friend Martin Karlqvist started to develop the idea and set out some frames for it. We wanted it to be clearly psychedelic as the genre of folk horror in itself has an even bigger luster when you go towards the world of "Valerie and her week of Wonders" for instance, and we clearly needed a myth, a philosophy and a community that took this into something completely new, yet with a rich and true background into Swedish and Scandinavian history. So we started to construct the world of the Hårga's. Deep into it we knew we needed and wanted an American writer (given that the lead characters coming to Sweden where from the US) who clearly knew how to challenge the genre and make it into something richer and new. Through LA liaisons, we managed to get in touch with writers and I got my hands on the "Hereditary" script. Ari's talent was immensely obvious. Ari was eager to make something in Europe and specifically in Sweden, being a huge fan of Ingmar Bergman and Roy Andersson. So he came. A number of times. For research together with our production designer Henrik Svensson, celebrating Swedish midsummer and of course road-tripping to Hälsingland. Ari's take on the story and world was of course connected to the huge break-up-story that is the main arch and heart of the film and he brought Dani as the guiding light into the story. And we just loved it. This made it into something new, even though being in the world of a folk horror film we had a new way into the genre.It took us years and years to make the film happen after the script was completed. Mainly due to the ambitions of the film and that we really wanted to this on an unprecedented scale from a Swedish perspective. Ari managed to step into production of "Hereditary" and the success of his first film gave us the possibility to make our film as A24 who had been tracking the project for a long time as they were the distributor of "Hereditary", gave us the means needed to greenlight. We shot the film in Hungary due to many reasons, yet mainly ability of building the complete village of the Hårga's within our time-frame and also having less unstable weather for continuity reasons. Since the film is taking place almost completely in daylight and outdoors, this was a big thing. 

⚘ Meet the Hårgans: Mats ⚘

The truly evil Mats. He is the hammer boss, the roofie giver, the bear butcher, and the fake comfort pusher. In the director's cut, it's said that he did his pilgrimage as doctor. Mats is performed by Lennart R. Svensson  who kindly pointed out: "And he is making the drugs! Can you spot the scene were he has the mortlar and testing herbs?" Yes! 

⚘ Meet the Hårgans: Jarl ⚘

We first spot Jarl in the field outside of the village. Pelle explains that he, along with Ulrika and Majvor, are "younger people from my village. Everyone’s returning from their trips outside." Jarl is the one who lies to the group that he drove Connie to the train station to meet Simon. He also places Mark's skinned corpse into the fire temple. Jarl is performed by Tomas Engström.

⚘ Meet the Hårgans: Sten ⚘

Meet Sten, who likes to stand up and give a speech. He seems to place great importance on traditions and rituals of the community. (He also sings a song in the Director’s Cut!) Sten is performed by Lars Väringer.

⚘ Meet the Hargans: Odd ⚘

Father Odd welcomes the visitors to the village and receives a compliment from Dani about the dress he's wearing. Later, he upsets Connie by telling her Simon left without her. In the chicken coop, Odd blows some powder into Christian's face leaving him paralyzed. Odd is performed by Mats Blomgren.

⚘ Meet the Hårgans: Evert ⚘

This is Evert. He is my favorite villager, even though he doesn't say a word. Evert is clearly a devoted Hårga member - he can be seen helping out the community in the background of many scenes. He delivers the final hammer blow to the elder in the ättestupa, leads the spreading of ashes on the ancestral tree, and carries an elder effigy into the fire temple. He even helps out in the kitchen! You can see him bidding farewell to Ingemar before the end. Evert is performed by Maximilian Slash Tiger Marton.

⚘ Meet the Hårgans: Ulrika ⚘

Ulrika is the woman who leads the singers laughing at Dani during the visitors' first trip. Later, she invites Dani to "help join us" making meat tarts, and she is the one who sings to Maja and Christian during the ritual mating scene. Ulrika is performed by Rebecka Johnston. 

⚘ Meet the Hårgans: Dani's Sisters in Hårga ⚘

The young women rush over to Dani. They surround her, touching her, rubbing her. Dani CAN’T BREATHE. She’s panicking. Hanna directs the women to LEAD Dani to the Main House. They all hurriedly guide her in that direction.

The young women usher Dani to her bed. They sit her down, gathering intimately around her. Dani struggles increasingly to breathe. Hanna HOLDS Dani’s FACE in her hands. She locks eyes with Dani and affects DEEP BREATHING. Dani’s eyes, unwilling to settle at first, gradually become FIXED to Hanna’s. Hanna continues to affect deep, measured breathing. Dani struggles to follow her. Her breathing trembles to meet Hanna’s example. Finally, Dani BREAKS DOWN into tears. Everything she’s bottled up, all the emotions that she’s labored to stifle - it all comes BURSTING out. She falls into deep, anguished SOBS.

Still locked onto Dani’s gaze, Hanna also breaks down. She SOBS DEEPLY along with Dani. They are sympathetically connected. It’s remarkable, and very unsettling. The surrounding women have also started CRYING, although not as intensely as Hanna, who has absolutely fixed herself to Dani. The crying is infectious, and the deeper they go, the greater the outpour.

It has become a circle of hysterical, weeping women. They moan and scream and cry. It’s positively TRIBAL.

Dagny - Agnes Rase @agnesrase

Ulla - Liv Mjönes @mjonesliv

Hanna - Louise Peterhoff @louisepeterhoff

Inga - Julia Ragnarsson @juliaragnarok 

Karin - Anna Åström @annaastrom2

Kajsa - Kati Dombi @kattidombi

Majvor - Tove Skeidsvoll @toveskeidsvoll

⚘ Meet the Hårgans: Hanna ⚘

Here’s Hanna! She seems to be in a leader of the May Queen activities. In the later parts of the movie she wears an ankle brace and doesn’t participate in the dance contest. She feeds Dani a herring, and she leads the harvest blessing ceremony. She’s one of the wailing handmaids. Hanna is performed by Louise Peterhoff

⚘ Meet the Hårgans: Arne ⚘

Arne, explainer of the Rubi Radr and bingo ball lottery picker. I think he's the masked lead torch carrier too. Arne is performed by Anders Beckman, does he have an Instagram?

⚘ Meet the Hårgans: Inga ⚘

The most mysterious handmaiden - Inga!!! She is putting on Austin Powers for the kids, entices Mark to his death, shows up with a beat-up face and a red pepper pecker on her dress(!!!) and, cries and gets comforted by Ulrika outside the bear hut. I really want to know what her story is! Inga is performed by Julia Ragnarsson