Toni Collette is an actress whose work has been lauded for years. But, with the arrival of her latest turn in the dramatic horror flick Hereditary, she may get some other form of praise, not the least of which should be an Oscar nomination. This is an actress who always brings her A-game and whose work have moved us exponentially. That excellence is on full display in writer-director Ari Aster’s haunting familial tale from its opening moments to its chilling conclusion.
There is a tsunami of emotive excellence that she wields in Hereditary that helps elevate the film into the instant classic category.
Collette plays Annie, a woman who we meet as she is about to bury her mother. Mom has finally succumbed to the peace of the afterlife after a painful path to that final resting place.
Annie leads an otherwise happy clan. Her husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne) is as supportive as can be, and her son Peter (Alex Wolff) and daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro) truly make her life full and blissful. In fact, she seems a bit relieved since her mother passed away.
Perhaps it was difficult to see her in such pain for so long? Or, maybe mom was the crux of all that is evil in the world?
Annie’s lighter nature quickly erodes into a paranoid-driven, horrifying, landscape for all those around her. It is particularly hard on her husband (whose patience wears thin) and her teenage son, who has his own weight to carry about halfway through the film. Peter’s demons are far from done with him and in fact, they may have been inherited from his mother as this family ascends into utter hellish chaos.
While experiencing Hereditary one thing becomes clear… you must remind yourself to close your mouth! This is a jaw on the floor type of film that never lets up for us to catch our collective breath. In fact, it is so disturbing that long after the credits roll, do not be surprised if the film has its terror talons so deeply impaled into your physiology that the film has altered your view of certain things… forever.
Hereditary raises many questions along the way while it utterly scares the daylights out of its audience such as how much are we like our parents and how much of what we inherit from them are we completely helpless to embrace?
If there is one lesson from Aster’s film is that apples do not fall far from trees and despite appearances, one can glean much from an individual by simply looking at where they originated.
It is a fear-inducing familial film on many levels and on many dimensions. That is probably what makes it so intently terrifying. Nothing like the effective use of helplessness in a horror film to enhance the terror. The audience, sitting there in the dark, is also helpless. Therefore, the scares onscreen have an opportunity to play into the dark corners of our mind. We each bring something different to the Hereditary experience. But, we all share something by the time its scary story stops… that is a deeply evocative and riveting response to the visual and aural jarring journey just completed.
Speaking of the audio and its effect on audience emotion, Aster uses sound as another sharp blade to cut into our psyche. From Charlie’s mouth clicks that seem to arrive at the most unnerving times, to the horrifying howl of a mother completely losing control—it is a multi-sensory, all-consuming movie experience. Sizzling sound accompanies Aster’s crescendo of violence, fear and the frightening expanse that is the unknown. It all adds up to film fun that feels like a head on collision. Be warned: You will be all sorts of shook up.
Collette always shines, but the Australian actress finds another level of thespian triumph with her role in Aster’s film. She is the every-mother. She is also the doting daughter, who has just about had enough when mom passes. She is the wife whose support for her husband knows no bounds, that is until she is pushed to the breaking point by internal and external forces.
There is a moment where Peter is speaking back to his mother at the dinner table and she stands up and points at him in the most pitch perfect of monologues. When she utters, “I am your mother!” it is like the entire audience is five years old again and all we want to do is crawl away to a corner.
The actress carries much of the movie on her shoulders, but what may be a surprise to many who go in only witnessing the Hereditary trailer, Wolff is charged with carrying the film in his own way. He gives a performance that is a pure announcement of talent and goes toe-to-toe with Collette every chance he gets, along with the always awesome Byrne. Now Byrne may be a bit underused, but when he is on screen, one is reminded why the guy has had such a stellar career. His role could be a bit thankless, but in his hands, he makes it something that is as integral to this terror tale as any other spoke in this scary wheel.
Hereditary will increasingly over time be seen as a benchmark of moviemaking. It has been a banner period for horror films that push the boundaries and inch into the public lexicon due to their uncanny universal appeal. Last year’s Get Out had that same influence and it appears that it has some company in the elevation of the genre department. In fact, the two would make a terrific double feature.
Grade: A