The short version. Midsommar meets WALL-E because it’s Swedish and many people lose their sanity during the journey.
If you’re still curious, keep reading…
In the near future, Earth is inhospitable thanks to Climate Change so millions are leaving for Mars via spaceships which can make the trip in three weeks. The main character is an unnamed Mimarobe on the Aniara. Her job is to supervise usage of the Mima Host, a machine used to calm people down by tapping into their memories of Earth’s verdant past before it became a shit show. Normally, only a dozen of the 30,000 passengers bother to utilize this due to the journey’s brevity and they’re more occupied enjoying the 22 restaurants, the night club, shopping…all the consumption responsible for Earth’s horrendous state; a point the film makes.
A week into the flight, Aniara is thrown off course by debris too small to detect/avoid (screws). To prevent immediate disaster, the Captain orders the nuclear fuel ejected but now the ship has no ability to regain its original trajectory. At an all-hands meeting, the Captain explains the situation while promising this setback will last, at worse, two years because they’ll encounter a celestial object to send them back towards Mars. The Mimarobe quickly learns the Captain is lying for her roommate is the Aniara‘s astronomer who reveals that the Captain promised the impossible to prevent the passengers from panicking.
As the weeks turn into months, the Mimarobe’s job becomes critical for scores at a time need the Mima Host to keep it together. This strains the device as the passengers’ nightmares/fears are overwhelming it. The Mimarobe asks the Captain to let the Host have a month to rest. He denies the request saying maintaining order is critical; his captaincy has transformed into a dictatorship. The Mima Host soon implodes/dies, so the Captain blames the Mimarobe and she’s assigned to penal duties with other uncooperative crew members and passengers.
The months become years. The Captain becomes even more ruthless. Cults form, namely a weird fertility one which is very Swedish: expect to see everybody in the altogether, dongs and dirty pillows galore, women hugging in the shower, etc.
Will they ever get to Mars, be rescued, return to Earth, what?
If you still want to watch this rather despair-ladened tale filled with false hope and people at their worst, check it out on Hulu. I was glad I did see it. Much like Prospect, this is Science Fiction at its best. Focusing on people reacting to the fantastic, the improbable and coping with their fate. There’s no Federation rescue starship rushing to find them and go pew pew at the evil aliens.