Hereditary

Here is a true rarity for me - I saw a film twice on its initial cinematic release. It's not often, if ever, I end up doing this, unless I am seeing, say, a Marvel film with two different sets of friends. I had a couple of reasons I wanted to re-watch A24's latest horror release, Hereditary, again. One, our original screening was ruined by what was quite possibly the worst audience I have ever endured a film with (which will be outlined in an upcomoing article) which largely ruined the atmosphere the film was masterfully building up. And two, I think it's a film that demands a second viewing anyway - even if my original screening Hereditary wasn't ruined, I imagine I would have had an itch to see it again. Armed with my Cineworld Unlimited card and a spare evening, I thought why not and I willing ventured back in its creepy and unnerving world. So, how does Hereditary hold up on a second viewing? 

After the death of her elderly and often very difficult mother, miniature-model artist and mother of two Annie Graham (Toni Collette) begins to settle into a world without this domineering matriarchal figure in her life. While Annie feels revealed that her mother has passed on, she is having a hard time reconciling the legacy she has left behind. With an awkward, distant and pot-smoking teenage son, Peter (Alex Wolff), and an insular younger daughter, Charlie (Milly Shapiro), it's not exactly the best environment for Annie to come to terms with all of these varying emotions. However, another tragedy strikes as Annie begins to question if something more malevolent is stalking her family which only intensifies her increasing list of woes... 

Hereditary is a thoroughly depressing, and rather brilliant, piece of cinema



Hereditary succeeds at creating this constant sense of mood and dread over the course of its 2 hour run time. It is a film in no hurry to reach any kind of conclusions and revels in the horror that is slowly unfurling in front of our little family. This is the debut feature film from Ari Aster and he employs a style that can only be described as a cross between Stanley Kubrick and Wes Anderson. The long, drawn-out takes of Kubrick can be felt as we creep around every corner of the home while the perfectly framed symmetry (not to mention the prominent use of miniatures and doll houses) has a distinct flair of Mr. Anderson. As such, the film is unflinching in not letting its audience escape the unfurling family drama on screen. Aster just lets the camera rest on his characters and it becomes almost unbearable at times - Annie unloading about her traumatic childhood in front of a grief counselling group, the look on Peter's face at the end of an ... interesting drive home, Annie trying to convince her family to join in a séance etc... It's great stuff and if you enjoy slow-paced horror, Hereditary is definitely a film for you.

The cast is absolutely stellar. Wolff and Shapiro are both completely convincing as down-in-the-dumps siblings and Gabriel Byrne manages to make something out of Annie's husband - an everyday kind of guy stuck in a nightmare world. The show completely belongs to Toni Collette though who is both sympathetic and slightly terrifying in her portrayal of a mother slowly unravelling. The sustained takes of her face embellished in sheer horror are unforgettable and it's a truly standout performance from a slightly underrated actor (I loved her in the comedy-horror/Christmas staple Krampus from a few years ago). Due to the strength of the cast and the brilliant filmmaking technique, Hereditary never feels its two hour plus running time. The way the film slowly teases out character details and reveals is quite something.

Hereditary has a stellar cast and some standout filmmaking that makes the two hours fly by



Ok, so I'm keeping the review a little light here mostly because it's a film that just needs to be experienced but I do have to talk about the ending, which has been causing controversy in some circles. Again, I don't want to go into it too much for fears of spoiling it, so I will keep my thoughts brief. I love the audacity of it and it's something I appreciated more on a second viewing, as there are plenty of clues throughout the film leading up to it. I think what undoes it slightly is due to a few unfortunate shots which I can only describe as comedy shots. They are unintentionally funny and there's one that got the audience both times we watched it. Now all that said, thematically and story-wise, the film does plant a lot of these ideas very carefully throughout the run time so I think it's definitely a film you need to see twice. 

So, despite a few technical mis-steps in the finale, I actually do rate Hereditary really highly, perhaps even Top 10 films I've seen this year territory. While I don't think it's quite as strong or rich as A24's other horror masterpiece The Vvitch, Hereditary is a very absorbing film that truly succeeds in getting under your skin. It has a stellar cast, perfectly sustained mood and has the power to disturb and terrify even the most hardened horror fan. Hereditary can join an increasingly long line of new horror classics.  



So we initially saw the film on a Saturday night which proved to be a disaster due to the impatient audience (more on that in an upcoming article). So, me and my partner's plan was to see it on a week night and hope the theatre was empty. To our shock, the cinema was full again for our second screening despite this! I was a bit disheartened at first but the audience was fine They only laughed at the parts I expected them to and even then it wasn't to the same volume as the guffawing from last Saturday...