Collider argues that Ari Aster’s 2019 film Midsommar remains a defining horror portrayal of toxic relationships, particularly when compared with the newer film Obsession. It says both films address men’s control over women, but presents Midsommar as the more accomplished and influential work because it combines psychological horror with a critique of gaslighting, manipulation and emotional neglect.

In Midsommar, Florence Pugh plays Dani Ardor, whose family dies in a murder-suicide while she is trapped in an unsupportive relationship with Christian, played by Jack Reynor. Christian reluctantly brings Dani on a trip to Sweden with his friends, where his lack of respect for her and others becomes increasingly apparent; the article notes that the film was Aster’s follow-up to Hereditary and is now available on HBO Max.