After the midnight screening of Ari Aster’s Hereditary, the onslaught of freaked-out tweets began: “This movie straight up ruined my life,”… “pants-wetting unnerving,”…“horror perfection.” One Twitter post asked, “Is there such a thing as too scary?” These screams of terror are music to indie film producer A24’s ears … and proof that Aster is enjoying his watershed moment. After helming a pair of harrowing (and critically applauded) shorts, the first-time feature director has delivered a horror film that one journalist described as “pure emotional terrorism.” But beyond the devastating twists and blood-curdling jolts, Aster displays an uncanny sense of patience and exquisite attention to detail. Hereditary’s first hour is as much about establishing the film’s dysfunctional family dynamics as it is about clammy, ominous atmospherics. As if that weren’t enough evidence of Aster’s talents, he elicits top-notch performances from his entire cast—most especially Toni Collette as a deliriously grief-stricken mother. Thoughtful, beautifully shot, and relentlessly disquieting, it’s a hell of a debut. –J.M.
Toni Collette as the grieving matron Annie in Aster’s Hereditary. Photo Courtesy of A24
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Sundance Film Festival should keep the basic ideas of Robert Redford and "early on" Chairman Jack Crosby. These people wanted a Festival that allowed upcoming and young established Film Makers to show and introduce their work, new ideas towards the Creative Imagination of telling story in the "STORYWORLD" of Cinema, where many times audio and visual come together with genius people that have a different angle towards different cultures...played out by humans. "my thoughts'