Hereditary (2018)

Director: Ari Aster

Starring: Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne

After the family matriarch passes away, a grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences, and begin to unravel dark secrets.

In how many ways can I describe how disturbing this film was? This horror film is not unsettling because of gore or other typical horror elements, it is difficult to watch due to the mental and psychological implications. The acting is so incredible that you actually feel the pain with the characters (and I’m again not referring to physical pain). Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro and Alex Wolff were so good, it felt like watching real life unfold in front of your very eyes. Alex Wolff in particular was astonishingly good after the unexpected car accident that shocked me so intensely that I literally froze, and paused the film to contemplate what just happened. Gabriel Byrne is a brilliant actor, but he wasn’t really given much to do in this film, as he was the only one trying to keep it (and the family) together. He was very reserved, but still played a vital role. His character was in direct contrast to the rest of his family.

The film is very, very well made and very realistic. The film gets more surreal towards the end, but remains stylish and effective. The ending might be a bit confusing and therefore deserves more viewings so you can pay attention to all the details that actually forewarn you what is to come (but you’ll only take notice of this once you’ve seen the ending). The ending might also offend a lot of viewers, but as I said in the beginning: in how many ways can I describe how disturbing this was…

The film received several nominations including Best Horror, Best Supporting Actor (Alex Wolff), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Feature Film. Toni Collette won the Best Actress Award.