Just might be one of the best films I have ever seen

Rating: 10/10 (24 June 2018)

Now I know that's a big statement and honestly I'm not one of those people who likes to throw a statement like that at every good film I see. But my god, I have never seen a film balance exposition and ambiguity so masterfully. It doesn't spoon feed you anything but it doesn't leave you in the dark either.
On my first viewing I thought it was a solid horror film that was refreshing in the genre but on my second viewing once I pieced together all the elements I realised that this film has so many layers especially in the characterisation department. Once I knew what happened in the ending it made the movie as a whole a lot stronger and I realised that the film gives you subtle hints without them being forced down your throat. This in turn made the first half and second half more connected for me.
This film just doesn't let up for it's entire runtime and delivers so much tension. Toni Collette and Alex Wolff amaze as if this is the last performance they ever get to do. Their presence commanded the screen so well that I was thoroughly immersed in the world of this film. Great performances from the rest of the cast as well. The cinematography is stunning and is in a class of its own. Some of these shots are like eye candy and compliment the film perfectly. The music is a cacophony of ambience and melodic creepiness just makes the film become a spiritual but terrifying experience.
The thing this film does so well is mixing horror elements with human elements. This makes the film both horrific and relatable at the same time. With a character like Peter you feel everything he feels. This makes it even more painful when his whole family due to the cult turns against him. Seeing him reverting back to a childlike state at certain points just really resonated with me. Seeing his life at home, school, the party really sells him as being vulnerable. The fact that he is the host for Paimon and never gets to tell his parents, his friends and Bridget how he really felt about who he is as a person and Charlie's death is just truly heartbreaking. This is how you write a teen character.
The film is so realistic while being out of this world. This just makes me relate to this film so much more. Ari Aster in his debut has somehow manged to understand what makes a good horror film better than a lot of his contemporaries.
Truly a refreshing film in the wasteland that is horror. No film is perfect but I'm giving this a 10 based on the emotional connection I had with it. Truly a shocking, sad, complex masterpiece.