A Film Student's Delight

Rating: 10/10 (19 September 2018)

A Film Student's Delight
First, I am aware that this movie might not be enjoyable for all audiences. The subject matter is a little touchy and some of the shots can be deeply unsettling for those who have experienced any family tragedies, recent or otherwise. People of different tastes might find the pacing in particular to be a deterrent. One thing you should know before seeing this film is that it is a slow burn. It prioritizes the building of atmosphere and tension over producing jump scares and images of cool/scary looking monsters. Just to be clear, there's nothing wrong with jump scares or cool looking monsters. They can be great and memorable if they're done right. However, for those who don't find that kind of horror to their liking, you should consider this movie as a viable alternative.

Now, on to the fangirling. If you study cinema or consider yourself a movie aficionado, you would do well to watch this film. You would do even better to watch it twice. I find it nothing short of impressive how Ari Aster is able to convey so much information about his characters in the little, intimate scenes that pepper the movie's beginning. Quietly, deftly, he establishes plot points and motifs, foreshadowing events to come. The actors bring these scenes to uncanny life, imbuing them with a disturbing sense of believability. I would like to praise the work of Alex Wolff and Milly Shapiro. They made the best of the screen time they were given. Their performances were subtle, appropriately restrained, and it makes me sad to think that they will be almost entirely overshadowed in future discussions about the film's acting cast by Toni Collette, although she fully deserves the praise given to her.
The camera work was spellbinding (pun-intentional). The indoor shots of the house were especially haunting. I was surprised (and slightly intimidated) to find out how they achieved the doll house aesthetic for those scenes. For anyone wondering, they constructed the sets on a stage to achieve the zoomed out look.
Honestly, I could be ordered to write a three page paper on this film by next Tuesday and I wouldn't even be mad. There's just so much to talk about and praise.

I don't normally leave reviews of movies online, especially not full blown novels like this, but my director's spirit wouldn't let me rest until I gave this film the commendation it deserved. Looking back on what I've written so far, I still feel like I should have said more.