Disturbing in the best way

Rating: 9/10 (5 November 2018)

I recently saw the movie" Hereditary", Written and Directed by Ari Aster. It being Halloween, I was in the mood for a scary movie, and I had heard that Hereditary was scary. At the outset let me say, it was not scary, most of the time. It was however harrowing. Very few films have been able to resonate and stick with me after the credits scroll. Subtle spoiler alerts ahead, no specifics.
That this movie is listed under the horror category is a moot point, The film is an examination of family dynamics, from an intensely personal perspective. That the film evolves into the horror format at the conclusion does not rob it of its power. There are hints abounding, unsettling touches throughout. The use of color in the Palette, The music and sound design. And all the while the events spiral deeper into depression.
What truly rises this movie above the standard franchises, is the brilliant acting, and the razor sharp dialogue, The unparalleled intensity present, even in the relaxed moments. The top performance here belongs to Toni Collette, playing the Mother, Annie Graham; A talented Artist and mother Her art form is Scale Models. Interiors richly detailed. They take up most of her upstairs studio workshop.. She is under pressure about an upcoming show.
Her husband is a warm and caring father named Steve, played by Gabriel Byrne. Aside from being a rational voice, I was never sure of his profession. Their oldest child Peter, played by Alex Wolff, has his normal time at his high school, the only time, one senses that he is comfortable, particularly when smoking weed with his friends. The events at the home however, leave him shell shocked. I found it very tough to watch this young man become undone. Then there is the youngest child, and a pivotal role, acted stoically by Milly Shapiro, playing a nine year old. Annie's daughter Charlie. She displays artistic talent, like her Mother, she is also a very quiet and introverted child. Seemingly living in a world of her own. Shapiro handles the complex role and plays with understanding beyond her years.
From the start, the significance of the Mothers models as analogous to the real world is apparent. It seems like a Wes Anderson touch; The opening credit camera pans through the house in miniature. it is a tour of the Graham household. The pan ends up in the bedroom where the figures are real. Befitting the somber nature of the movie, the story begins with a funeral. Annie's mother has just died. Everyone is grieving save Annie, who confesses she had no love for her Mother. Throughout the movie Annies honesty is up front. She is given to long and revealing monologues, that delve deep into the characters persona with a passion reached only in the likes of a Bergman movie.
The script is brilliant and the words ring true, they sting, but resonate. Toni Collette is riveting and due an award for her performance. I should also like to mention a side role, Ann Dowd, as Joan, a lady Annie meets at a bereavement group. Ann Dowd endows her character with such warmth that one could easily relate to her, her benign reaction to a séance, is played like someone who has just been saved. Her offer that Annie try it at home, however has sinister undertones, Such is the craft of this film, It is a nightmare after all, complete with disquieting images and unsettling events.
Yes, there are the elements of the supernatural, A book or incantations that her dead mother left hidden in a box of belongings, A makeshift séance, Annie is prone to sleepwalking and suffers Dali like visions of ants and corpses. The films conclusion comes, but without much respite; Just an explanatory visual replacing verbal exposition. It does not quite match the emotional levels the movie previously attained. There is one moment in the film that absolutely devastated me. You will know the one. This does not happen to me often in a movie. It is a credit to the Director and his skill. The editing is exceptional, by all means watch Hereditary at your own emotional risk.Nine out of Ten intense stars.