It’s been a hectic few weeks at the movies. Amid some heavy hitting summer blockbusters, a fair amount of films managed to deliver quality alternatives. While I have fallen behind on writing my reviews (thanks in large part to State of Decay 2), I’m going to do my best to get back on track. My goal is to post one per day until I’m completely caught up and that will cover a lot from the last month or so.
One of the films on my radar for months was Hereditary. The trailer did a magnificent job building the hype by disguising exactly what the movie was about but still showcasing a haunting essence, earning a couple of nominations at from the Golden Trailer Awards in the process. It was exceptionally creepy and early opinions painted it as this generation’s The Exorcist. While that isn’t entirely accurate, the comparison is more about the feel of the film than the subject matter. At any length, this is one of those films that is going to stay with you long after you leave the theater.
Generally speaking, horror films tend not to be the most well made pieces of cinema. Of course there are always exceptions, and many classic entries managed to be both terrifying and visually stunning, but it feels like that has been mostly absent from the genre for a long time. The Insidious franchise, The Conjuring universe, The Purge trilogy, endless Saw installments and a pair of Sinister films all feel the same. They are all boring and predictable, rely almost exclusively on jump scares or gore and are comparatively inexpensive to make. So, the studios keep churning them out because they are cheap to produce and people keep forking over money to see the same thing over and over again. I often wonder how those kinds of movies keep getting greenlit by the studios, then I go to the movies on a Friday night and see the whole audience jump during a trailer for The Nun (yup, the latest in the Conjure-verse) while I remain completely still. Those kinds of movies peddle in cheap scares and I simply have zero interest in that. Thankfully, Hereditary is not one of those.
The quality of the filmmaking is evident right away. Writer/Director Ari Aster wrote a strong script that focuses on the psychological nature of fear and uses particular moments to enhance that experience, rather than merely waiting for something to pop out at you. Thematically, this is a story of grief, how overwhelming it can be and the toll it takes on the people involved. The story begins with the death of a family’s matriarch and gradually slides into darker, more disturbing territory. Aster wrote some intense scenes and vitriolic dialogue to go along with it, pushing his cast to fire away at one another during the film’s pivotal moments. It’s the kind of stuff that is likely drawn from personal experience and will resonate with those who have experienced loss. For a first full length feature, this was a herculean effort. The young filmmaker has a vast understanding of craftsmanship and artistry that certainly exceeds his years. He’s already working on his sophomore effort, Midsommer, and with any success he’ll have his pick of litter with any future projects.
This kind of story needed a strong cast to bring it all together and Jessica Kelly delivered just that. Toni Collette is one of those actresses who works a lot and is almost always good in the roles she takes, but she is rarely in the spotlight. United States of Tara was probably her most prominent role and it showcased her range and her depth as a performer. Both of those attributes came in handy here playing Annie, a mother and wife who is burdened by tremendous guilt and sadness surrounding the death of her own mother….and plenty of other strange, horrible shit that happens down the line. In this instance, she gave a powerhouse performance that elevated the film far beyond its station. She was truly spectacular in this role and at her best during the moments of greatest frustration and despair. Of the films so far this year, Collette’s was one of only two great performances I’ve seen from leading a leading actress and I have her as one of the favorites to take home some hardware during awards season. As much as the performance was hers, she had the benefit of a strong script and a good supporting cast to lean on.
Although Collette was the lead, this was ultimately a story about family. It’s made evident throughout the promotional material that there is something strange about Annie’s daughter Charlie, played by newcomer Milly Shapiro. Their relationship serves as the major catalyst for the plot and serves as an asymmetrical example in comparison to that of Annie and her own mother. Shapiro has a unique look about her that begs some questions about the nature of her character and how that ties into the plot, but her haunting portrayal stands on its own merit. Never really all the way in or out, Charlie is clearly troubled by something and Shapiro did a great job capturing that feeling. For a Hollywood newcomer, and even a seasoned child actor, she accomplished quite a bit of heavy lifting that plays a major part in setting the stage for the major events of the film.
Alongside her was Alex Wolff, playing her older brother Peter. The two have a working, but limited, relationship as Peter prefers the company of his bong and considers his younger sister to be something of a burden on him and his social standing. I had my reservations about him from his roles in the Jumanji remake and My Friend Dahmer last year, but he surprised me. As much as anyone, he is central to the functionality and execution of the narrative. Peter is kind of stuck in the middle and has a valley of self loathing to navigate. Wolff did a great job finding that hollow place and the filmmakers were wise to force the audience to go there with him. He’s featured in some really haunting moments that linger and I think much of that can be attributed to his performance.
Trying to hold it all together is Annie’s husband, Steve, played wonderfully by Gabriel Byrne. As a husband and father, he is trying to play peacekeeper while still being as supporting as he can. He has a certain stoicism surrounding him that not only fits well, but was was much needed under the circumstances. Many of the characters around him are falling apart in someway as he steadies the course, the proverbial rock of his family unit. His performance gave credence to the extremes being exhibited by those around him and elevated their performances with his foundation.
The family is the focal point of the story, but Emmy Award winner Ann Dowd was the only other major player. She played Joan, a friend of Annie’s mother who offers her assistance in grief counseling but also harbors some information that carries heavy ramifications for the family. She’s very good at being very unassuming, understanding and calm despite the maelstrom of bizarre occurances around her. If the family unit was the sundae, then Dowd was the cherry on top.
What makes Hereditary a great horror film, is the quality of its component parts and the attention to detail. Cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski shot a beautifully dark and disturbing picture. The shot selection is captured with such an intricate eye for framing which subtly enhances each scene. The visual communication is one of the strongest elements including some very creative camera choices and practical effects shots that lend credibility to what the audience is watching. Brian Lives put together some excellent set pieces, particularly in the family home and Annie’s workshop upstairs where she crafts miniatures. It’s a tiny world where the creator silently reflects on her own pain and that aesthetic mirrors the character beautifully.
And if things weren’t already creepy and disturbing enough as is, Colin Stetson crafted some wonderfully eerie original music to accompany this feature. It has a certain resonant quality that combines modern synthetic sounds while drawing inspiration from Tuvan throat singing techniques, cultivating a sense of both importance and reverence. Trust me, it’s creepy. He hadn’t composed anything high profile but, because his music plays such a large part in building atmosphere in this film, I’d be surprised if this effort didn’t open some doors for him in the near future. It was one of the better scores this year and probably the most functional.
Like I said earlier, the strength of the movie rests in its well rounded quality but it’s a slow burn. Two hours and seven minutes is long, especially for a horror film, and much of the groundwork early on leaves you wondering exactly where everything is going. It’s a good hour or so before things are in full swing, but the early foundation work sets the stage for the story’s climax. The ending is probably going to leave a bad taste in people’s mouth as well. After all the waiting, the narrative gets more and more confusing as the film picks up steam down the stretch. As the audience is beginning to get a grip on what’s really going on, the pace is constantly accelerating and the exposition becomes more cloudy. With a story such as this, there is a strong desire to have things expressed more clearly. The explanation is pretty straight forward, but it felt like the plot went from A to B, skipped C and went straight to D. In hindsight, it was more satisfying after leaving the theater and sitting on it for a while but I could still see audiences feeling disappointed at the end. Notwithstanding, Hereditary is a masterfully made work of horror that will take its place in the annals of film history.
Recommendation: If you’re a fan of real, psychological horror classics (The Shining, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, Suspiria) this is a must see. If you like scary movies at all, this is worth your time. It’s a bit heady and may not appeal to the broad horror audience, but even they should see it. Simply from a filmmaking standpoint, there is a lot of cool stuff going on that is worth your time.