This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
LegionWrex’s review published on Letterboxd:
This review may contain spoilers.
Ari Aster's feature debut, Hereditary is upsetting. It's not overtly scary, nor is it trying to be. Instead, the horror comes from the bad things happening, and oh boy are they bad things.
From it's first scene, Hereditary gives an uncomfortable vibe. The uneasy ways it lulls you in, keeps you there, and watch as a family tears itself apart is simply masterful, and Aster proves himself to be a horror maestro in every sense of the word. And while it does end going off the rails, it's an earned one, as the rest of the film is simply magnetic.
After their grandmother passes away, the Graham family deals with the aftermath. Annie (Toni Collette) had a fraught relationship with her, and is distant with her own children Peter (Alex Wolff) and Charlie (Milly Shapiro). When strange things begin happening in the household, the family must learn to adapt... or die.
The purposefully vague synopsis does justice to this film's twists and turns, of which there are many. This is a film best experienced through the blind light, one where it's secrets are given to you slowly and meticulously, and while the answers aren't necessarily what you would expect, they feel perfect for a film like this. Ari Aster plants the seeds early on, and always makes sure that each revelation is as important as the past one.
Of course, this couldn't be done without his masterful and almost inhumanly perfect direction, which is some of the best in recent horror. Using forced perspective, background events, and impeccable sound design, the film is disturbing, creepy, and makes you uncomfortable in your seat. The images are sheared into your brain, and they range from trippy and odd to disturbingly horrifying.
And while the supernatural elements are somewhat of a mixed bag, especially in the climax, the film's real strength comes from the exploration of a faulty family dynamic. With each family member being believable and realistic in their grief, trauma, and depression, the film plays around with ideas of the past, present, and future of this family, and it's enthralling.
This is all made possible thanks to Toni Collette's brilliant, brilliant performance. She really is fantastic here, possibly giving the best of her career, and it's the easy highlight of the entire film. It never feels fake or over the top either, and the outbursts feel like genuine bursts of anger, sadness, or horror. It's a remarkable performance, and one that easily tops everyone else in the film, who are also fantastic here. Alex Wolff especially holds his own, presenting a terrified boy with a guilty conscience that you can't help but feel sympathetic for. Also brilliant is Milly Shapiro, whose first film role shows a large, dynamic range that gives her a bright future ahead of her.
Colin Stetson's score is, for the most part, excellent horror fare, using ambience and dark tones to give the film the creepy atmosphere it needs. And while it's not necessarily the most original score out there, it's easily one of the most refined, and really helps add to several scenes. As a first film score, it's a damn great start.
While it's ambitions are a little murky at times, Hereditary ends up being an upsetting, disturbing, hard to watch film. It's brilliant directing and stunning lead performance by Toni Collette are worthy alone of recommending it, but it's the intricate look at a struggling family dynamic and mental illness that respects it's audience first and foremost. A fantastic debut, and one that promises even greater things going forward.
I give Hereditary 4 1/2 stars out of 5.