Hereditary: A Review by Gordon Stamper, Jr.
Hereditary may not be the 92% horror classic that Rotten Tomatoes proclaims it to be. But in a summer of mostly franchise films, even from Pixar/Disney, it's a relief to see a solidly constructed and original movie made for adults.
The film starts with a death in the family and funeral for a grandmother who doesn't seem to be missed too much by the immediate family. Her daughter Annie (Toni Collette) notes in her service eulogy that she's surprised by the big turnout for her eccentric and surly mother, which hints at a possible double life mother has led. One attendee seems to take particular interest in daughter Charlie (Millie Shapiro), in which the young girl's response is a puzzled stare and a healthy bite off a comforting candy bar.
After the funeral dinner, the family comes back to their scenic and secluded home, complete with adjacent tree house fortress. Teenage son Peter (Alex Wolff) goes off to his room to space out and eventually get high, and dad Steve (Gabriel Byrne) seems more relieved than anything, having gone through a period of care-taking for the difficult grandmother before her time in hospice.
Annie takes comfort in her art, making dioramas of her life before her mother's death (the original CSI demonstrated this isn't the healthiest pastime). Charlie goes to sleep in the tree house, red space heater glare illuminating the nighttime yard. In fact, all go off in their own forms of being alone and isolated, ill-prepared for the existential and occultic challenges that lie ahead for them.
Three things set Hereditary apart from the average genre picture. First is the Oscar-caliber acting of Toni Collette as a frightened mother who tries various desperate measures to keep her family together, but whose mental instability may be driving them apart, and Alex Wolff as the son who responds with alternating hysteria and numbness to the central tragedy of the film.
Second is Pawel Pogozelski's cinematography. Not only does he frame the perfect angles for non-CGI suspense, but uses the Utah Rocky Mountain landscape as a setting of beautiful but foreboding character.
Finally, except for a few logic leaps in the final dream-like act, debut writer/director Ari Aster has effectively taken elements of family drama realism and supernatural thrillers of the 1960's and 70's. The result is a frightening film on multiple levels, showing us the ravages of evil attacking an already vulnerable family.
Hereditary does require attention and some acceptance of plot developments in its last half hour, but for fans of demonic and spiritual terror or just good work from a young filmmaker, they will be rewarded with some unforgettable images and acting performances.
My rating: ***1/2 out of ****.
Hereditary starring Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Gabriel Byrne, Millie Shapiro, and Anne Dowd. Cinematography by Pawel Pogorzelski. Music by Colin Stetson. Written and directed by Ari Aster. Distributed by A-24. 127 minutes. Rated "R" for violence, language, nudity, and psychological horror. As of June 13, 2018, playing in wide release.
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