And there she is! I knew you couldn't stay away for too long. Although I'm one to talk, since it's been a while since I made any posts here myself.

Midsommar is, quite honestly, the brightest, most well-lit horror film I've ever seen. There's something to be said for that juxtaposition of being able to see everything happening pretty much in plain sight, and I think Aster 'gets' that particular cinematic language with near-native proficiency.

That said, I have to agree with you that he either deliberately or unconsciously never helps the audience feel close to anybody in his movies. There's something always keeping us at arms' length. I'd love to see him in the directing chair with a script penned by someone else and see what happened. :)