Hereditary (2018)

Director: Ari Aster
Stars: Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff
Runtime: 127 minutes

Synopsis: After the family matriarch passes away, a grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences, and begin to unravel dark secrets.

Performances: 5/5
Screenplay: 4/5
Editing: 5/5
Cinematography: 5/5
Score/Soundtrack: 4/5

Verdict: Before the much-awaited "Midsommar" is released in theaters, a rewatch of Ari Aster's widely acclaimed directorial debut "Hereditary" was obviously in order. The horror movie was featured in my best of 2018 list, and my second viewing certainly cemented its place not only as one of my favorite movies to come out last year but also as one of my favorite horror movies to come out in the past decade.

Revolving around a family struck with grief and haunted by an unknown presence that's tearing its members apart, Aster, rather than throwing the main focus of the film on the supernatural elements that surround the story, chose to develop and study the family's dynamic and how each member was responding to the grotesque and terrifying events that were occurring. Exit the cheap jump scares and loud noises we've all been struggling with for years now, enter a very human, atmospheric horror film that develops in the audience a sense of constant unease instead of occasional startles. The atmospheric aspect of "Hereditary" was achieved through the utilization of a very dark color palette as well as a very slowly paced camera movement and prolonged scenes that did a magnificent job at building tension. The human aspect, on the other hand, was made effective thanks to some admirable writing that gave each of the characters enough depth for us to look at them as people instead of characters, as well as some of the best acting I've seen all year, especially by Toni Colette and Alex Wolff.

My only real issues with "Hereditary" come from the way Aster delivers some of the clues throughout the narrative, especially during the first 30 minutes. Some exposition scenes cruelly lacked subtlety and came off as a bit clumsy, even sometimes taking me out of the film's universe.

Other than that, I truly loved revisiting the first project of a director whose name is deservedly already on everyone's lips. I truly can't wait to see what other projects he tackles next, starting with "Midsommar" which is perhaps my most anticipated movie of the entire year.

FINAL GRADE: 8.5/10

1ST REVIEW:

• Performances: 10/10

Why? Not one single bad performance to point out. Newcomer Milly Shapiro is incredible as Charlie, a disturbed and complex young girl. Gabriel Byrne was excellent as Steve, the calm and collected father trying to keep his family together. Toni Collette and Alex Wolff's performances are Oscar-worthy, in my opinion. Their respective characters required a certain level of depth to work, and they provided it beautifully. The acting made me completely forget that I was watching a movie at times, and that's the biggest compliment one can give to a performance.

• Screenplay: 8/10

Why? A great horror movie, in my opinion, takes very real and scary themes and turns them into a well fleshed and interesting story with realistic characters that will elevate the sense of realism in it. "Hereditary" did that perfectly. Now obviously, the script does have some flaws, especially towards the second half where the whole thing became much more reminiscent of more commercially successful horror movies, but even then it's still a thousand times better written and cared for than your average "Insidious" or "Paranormal Activity" films. I truly believe that this movie will be remembered as a horror classic in the future, and the script has a lot to do with that statement.

• Costumes/Makeup: 8/10

Why? Not distracting and fitting with their characters' personalities. The costumes didn't play a huge role in the movie but were still handled with care like every other aspect of the picture. 

• Editing: 8/10

Why? Despite a runtime of more than 2 hours, the movie never felt like it was dragging. Every scene is given enough time for us to fully process it and take it in. 

• Cinematography: 9/10

Why? It's so nice to see a horror movie that gives a shit about its presentation. The movie looked beautiful from start to finish. The framing of scenes played an important part in the way the story was told, and the amazing camera handling by cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski helped the narrative come alive. 

• Score/Soundtrack: 9/10

Why? Simple, elegant, creepy, and not overdone. The score blended perfectly in the background and gave the film its unsettling atmosphere. You won't really notice it if you don't pay attention to it, but it definitely affects your overall experience unconsciously. 

FINAL GRADE: 9/10