SPOILER FREE
“Should I be sadder?”
That’s all Annie
could say after returning home from her mother’s funeral. There’s a sense of
absence in their home after her mother’s death, but even a bigger sense of
relief. In Annie’s eulogy she even stated how manipulative and difficult her
mother can be, which can be an understatement since we find out later in the
film that her mother was responsible for Annie’s father dying from starvation
and her brother hanging himself. This is the reason why when she had her first
child, Peter, she made sure to keep her mother far away. She felt guilty
because of that and let her mother move in with them when she had her daughter
Charlie. Dementia, psychosis, torment, regret, and guilt are part of Annie’s
life thanks to her mother. You can see it all through the miniature models
Annie makes.
Charlie is a bit
peculiar thanks to Annie’s mother sinking her claws into her at such a young
age. Charlie barely speaks and she makes weird cluck noises constantly. She
sketches people in a disturbing manner in her notebook and makes her own
miniatures with trash and or dead animals she cuts up. Many people find Charlie disturbing, but she
makes Annie just guilty.
Peter lives his
life in a daze. He drifts from day to day drowning out his pain through weed.
He does this because of what Annie did to him in the past. Just the sight of
Peter makes Annie feel guilty, which is explained near the end of the film.
Steven, Annie’s
husband, is basically the only sane person in the family. He’s always trying to
end family drama and make it a more peaceful home. He attempts to care for his wife and reaches
out to Peter when he’s struggling. Steven is the only one that voices his love
for others.
Annie is at war
with herself and others around her. She doesn’t feel sad or relieved, but guilt
and well horror. Horror that even while her despicable mother is dead she is
still controlling her family through the grave. She’s like a dark spirit
watching over them and causing more pain.
Guilt plays a big
part in the film. Yes Hereditary is a horror film, but in many ways it’s a
family film. It’s about a family dealing with grief in their own way. You may
be asking, “Well when does the horror bit come in?” I’d say go watch it yourself
because I don’t want to spoil it for you. I wouldn’t call it a scary film, but
more along the lines of pure emotional terror. Hereditary delves into deep
anxieties. It’s almost like a psychological study mixed with supernatural
elements. Once the horror starts it really grabs you by the neck and doesn’t
let go. The final 30 minutes will really get your heart pumping.
This is
writer/director Ari Aster’s first feature film and he did such an amazing job.
Hereditary is in my top 10 horror films of all time. Yes it’s that good. You
should really go watch it.
5 out of 5
