The Sum is Not Greater than its Parts

Rating: 6/10 (12 July 2019)

I went into this movie very excited. I thought Hereditary was a very strong movie, and I was hoping this one would be equal to it (or possibly even greater). And while many of the same great elements remain (pacing/camera work/score/mood), I felt that this film ultimately didn't deliver.
Don't get me wrong, it's still better than most of the drivel that's out there.
However, this was a narrative and it just didn't seem to hold up as such. To begin with, the characters' lack of concern for the members of their own party as they inexplicably (or barely explicably) went missing didn't seem believable. From a wider perspective, the idea that a community could lure in and murder 5/6 people from larger communities (every year or even every so often) in this day and age so wantonly doesn't seem to hold up under even the mildest inspection.
I guess we're supposed to feel that Christian is the 'bad guy' and think he deserved his fate? Really? Not the best boyfriend in the world, sure, but certainly not the worst. If he's a year deep into the slow breakup process (of a 4 year relationship), I'd say he's still being fairly sensitive for someone who's fallen out of love and is trying not to crush someone he clearly still cares about. He cheated? Yeah, well, I'd say the community did a pretty good job of ensuring that it happened. Not excusing it, but this version of infidelity is a far cry from getting drunk in a bar and having a one night stand with a random soul.
I read online that the ending smile comes from the director's own break up and a fantasy or daydream-like reveling in the destruction of the former partner. That strikes me as childish and fleeting, not something that smacks of long-term artistic merit. Clearly, time may prove me wrong on this.
Oh yeah, and like people said in other reviews, it's too close to Wicker Man.