Kaisersoze’s review published on Letterboxd:
Hereditary is remarkable for two reasons. One, it is a feature film debut. That anyone could make such an accomplished, visually arresting, thought-provoking, thematically challenging film with their first outing is unbelievable in concept and stunning in practice. That Ari Aster also wrote the film, meaning everything seen on screen is most deliberately his, is even more staggering.
The second reason Hereditary is remarkable is that the hype around it has only been slightly overblown. Which is to say it is not a horror genre game-changer; nor is it the scariest film of the last ten years. But it is genuinely unsettling, tense, and dread-filled. It also features a couple of wonderfully creepy moments, which sit square alongside some of the better scenes from last year's It.
Telling the story of the Grahams, a family which has just lost their matriarchal grandmother, Hereditary initially starts out like a slow-burn exploration of grief and mental-health issues. Toni Collette - who is amazing throughout - sells her character Annie's complicated grief incredibly well as she veers between uncertainty, fear, and relief that her mother is now beyond the mortal veil. Attempting to be supportive of her is husband, Steven (Gabriel Byrne), who's softly spoken approach often comes across as weak or at least overly placating. Then there is son, Peter (played incredibly impressively by Alex Wolff), who is stuck in a cycle of sadness and drug use, and young sister Charlie (Milly Shapiro), who had an especially close bond with her grandmother, and who seems plagued by mental health issues of her own.
After another traumatic event sends the family spiralling, Annie reaches out to the spiritual world in an attempt to find comfort, guided by new friend Joan (the great character actor, Ann Dowd). At this point, the film takes off in a different direction, and though some may not like the change in tone, it absolutely worked for me as a pay off for the slow-burn build of the first two acts.
Because make no mistake. Some will not like this. Many have made comparisons to the A24 distributed The Witch from a couple of years back. But where that film was (for me) laborious through its opening two acts, Hereditary is wholly engaging due to a combination of Aster's direction, the cast's performances (especially Collette and Wolff) and Pawel Pogorzelski's truly stunning cinematography. Some of the tracking and dolly shots in this film are sublime, with a particular trick of cutting between Annie's miniatures and the actual sets proving suitably disorientating on occasion.
But it is the sense of foreboding dread which infuses most every frame of Hereditary which is what it should be most lauded for. Be it through the shots which linger on reactions for a second or two too long, or the slow way the camera dollies across to another character hanging just out of frame, only for them to stare impassively at what we have just seen, Aster displays a sure grasp of subverting what audiences expect to see.
Thematically, Hereditary eventually mines ground that has come famously before it, updating said themes for the modern age, without sacrificing the impact they once had. There are some confusing moments in the film, for sure, but these would likely be clarified in a second viewing as Aster refuses to pander to his audience, spoon-feeding them every detail in easy to follow exposition. Instead the audience is allowed to connect certain dots as they infer various conclusions. It is bold, impactful film-making, and hopefully other writer-directors will heed what Aster and co are able to achieve here.
So though it initially sets itself as an exploration of grief and mental health issues, horror fans take heart: Hereditary insidiously burrows under the viewers' skin as it metamorphoses into the stuff of which nightmares are made.
4 Unnerving Clucking Tongue Sounds for Hereditary.
Listen in for a more detailed review on Episode 167 of The Countdown: Movie and TV Reviews podcast.