HEREDITARY
US, 2018, 127 minutes, Colour.
Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolfe, Millie Shapiro, Ann Dowd.
Directed by Ari Aster.
This film has received some very complementary reviews. Many have found it something of a relief, in terms of films which have horror elements, because it does not indulge in blood and gore. Rather, it is a film of atmosphere – at least until the last minutes.
This is the story of a family. The opening shot is that of an obituary, the grandmother of the family, a listing of the members of the family as well as the ancestors. At her mother’s funeral, Annie (Toni Collette) indicates that at times her mother was a difficult, secretive person. She has played a dominating role in her family’s life.
The other members of the family are Stephen, husband and father (Gabriel Byrne), the son Peter (Alex Wolfe) and the younger daughter, Charlie (Millie Shapiro). Stephen seems very normal, loving his family, going to work, sharing meals, bonding with his children. Peter also seems normal enough, a not untypical teenager, distracted at school, trying out drugs with his friends, with an eye on the girls. It is Charlie who seems a little strange, look, her manner, her drawings, hiccup, predilection for chocolate. And, suddenly, the lives of the family are changed because of a road accident.
Annie, who is an artist making miniature scenes of homes and rooms, worries that she cannot grieve as much as she ought to, becomes distraught at Charlie’s death, begins to clash with her husband, rants against Peter, reverts to an earlier habit of sleepwalking. In fact, she does go to group meetings to try to deal with her grief. There she meets a very friendly woman, Joan, who lost her husband and son (Anne Dowd) and Annie begins to depend on her.
And then, the family deteriorates further, Annie becoming interested in mediums and seances, Joan demonstrating the way, Annie trying to involve Stephen and Peter with bizarre results.
There is an atmosphere of horror in these interactions amongst the family, aggravated by mysterious and menacing dreams on the part of Annie and Peter. There are sinister sounds in the house, mysteries in the attic, strange books and photos in the box of the grandmother’s goods. Suggestions of a cult begin to appear.
And things then deteriorate, madness, family mayhem, an atmosphere of fear rather than explicit depictions. It might be said that the film is “atmospheerie�. Just as the audience might be thinking there are no explanations, some explanations come thick and fast. They may be satisfactory for some audiences but for other audiences they may seem suddenly absurd (too much detail).
So, some praise for the atmosphere, the performances, some questions about the rationale underlying the plot – and the film might be described as “Herediteerie�.
1. The title? Family and inheritance?
2. Acclaim for the film, the horror genre, the atmosphere, not relying on gore and special effects? The credibility of the plot? The explanation? The climax?
3. The list of the family at the opening, the death of the grandmother, her funeral, everybody getting ready, Annie and her speech, her being upset that she had no grief for her mother? Her relationship with Stephen, an ordinary man, Peter in his teens, Charlie and her oddities?
4. Annie, the miniature work, the small rooms, the close-ups? The issue of grief? Stephen and his work? Continuing their ordinary life?
5. Peter at school, the teacher, the classes? In class, distracted? His friends, the drugs? The invitation to the party, Annie being strict about it, Charlie to go? Charlie, her character, addiction to chocolate? Peter at the party, leaving her, the drugs? Bringing her home, the car, the crash, her decapitation? Peter, in shock, returning home silently, going to bed?
6. The accident, the grief of the family, the funeral? The effect on Annie, her sleepwalking, her outbursts?
7. Annie’s going to the movies, going to the help group, her explanation?
8. The encounters with Joan, helping, nice woman, the discussions, the issue of being a medium, the presence of her dead family? Annie, wary, going to the house, the glass moving, the chalk board and the messages?
9. The trying this at home, the effect? Stephen and his scepticism?
10. The effect on Peter, at school, his dreams, and her outburst about his being not wanted, dreams and waking? Annie and her regrets?
11. The sense of an other presence, the beams and flashes?
12. Stephen, scepticism, the issue of the diary, Annie going through her mother’s books, trying to burn the diary, on fire herself, with Stephen, his being consumed by the fire?
13. The buildup to the climax, Peter and his involvement, the books in the attic, the presence in the attic? The discovery of the cult, the books and photos, the explanations, the role of the mythical King? The female and male form? The spirit taking over? The scenes of the variety of worshippers, naked, bowing?
14. Peter as King – and a future?
