Devilish secrets take to long here

Rating: 6/10 (16 June 2018)

"Shorts" director Ari Aster steps up to the big boys chair, with this somewhat suspenseful thriller about a family plagued with death at every turn, ultimately revealing devilish secrets. Favorite Toni Collette ("United States of Tara") and staple Gabriel Byrne ("The Unsual Suspects") are parents to creepy little Milly Shapiro (watch out for this new raising performer) and conflicted young Alex Wolff ("In Treatment"). When grandma passes, and an accident occurs, a visit to grief counseling brings a mysterious friend Joannie (terrific character actress Ann Dowd "The Handmaid's Tale") into the family. Aster wears the hat of Writer here, and unfortunately gets in his own way with prolonged sequences between suspense, a haunting score that leads to little, and continued exterior shots of the house location that are supposed to invoke suspense but get old. Kudos, however, to him for the opening "miniature set" scene that starts the film, an effect not seen before on the big screen. Across the board, the leads do their best to deal with suspense and uncertainty. However, due to the weak writing, Collette's character is left begging for acceptance, Byrne has little to do, and while the camera loves Shapiro's presence and Wolff's uncertainty, the overall experience is too drawn out and falls flat at the end. Suspense films are at a low this time of year, which can only be the reason "Hereditary" is getting so much attention.