An Awful Ending to a Terrific Film

Rating: 7/10 (14 September 2018)

"Hereditary" is truly one of a kind. It's a dramatic thriller that stands out for its intriguing plot, powerful performances and well-achieved cinematographic elements. However, that ending... OMG! What the hell were they thinking with that nonsense twist at the end?? It even made me laugh! It felt like "Rosemary's Baby" was plagiarised for absolutely no reason. It's a shame considering how good most of the film is.
"Hereditary" is extremely effective as a tension-builder. It's depressing, intense and mysterious. Very few films can create authentic atmospheric horror while developing their characters so well. Toni Colette is simply amazing and even surpassed her previous roles, such as her acclaimed performance in the "Sixth Sense". She deserves, at the very least, an Academy Award nomination for Best Leading Actress. Other standouts are the score, production design, cinematography, sound mixing and screenplay (again, with the exclusion of that ridiculous ending). I can imagine this film having nominations in any of the abovementioned categories.
Nevertheless, it can be said that this film is (possibly) the biggest disappointment of the year. "Hereditary" should be used as an example on what to do (and particularly not to do) with a screenplay. Most importantly, it is fundamental not to betray the audience especially when it has been carried out such a long way! A film with such potential, regardless of any technical qualities it may have, must always seek coherence in narrative and originality from beginning to end. There really was no need to use so many (cheap) supernatural elements to give the movie a decent ending. This film, even surreal at times, was already more than terrifying before it reached climax. Even when the story is complex and dark-toned, prioritising simplicity throughout the whole plot will always be far more efficient than any "shocker" ending.
Score: 6.5/10
FJ Medina