When I walked out of a theater after watching "Hereditary" for the first time, I legitimately wondered if writer and director Ari Aster came from a Mormon upbringing. Much of his 2018 feature directing debut was filmed on location in Utah, a state where members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints still make up the majority of the general population. Growing up as a non-Mormon in a largely Mormon small town, I gleaned what I could of devout Mormon culture from the outside, coupled with the things I learned from people who had either left the church or had largely ceased to practice the religion. So, naturally, when I saw "Hereditary" -- a horror flick about toxic familial relations and sinister cults shot in my own backyard -- I couldn't help but speculate that this was the handiwork of a former Mormon working through their disillusionment with the organization.
- 11/13/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
In "Past Lives," Nora (Greta Lee) is a happily married woman living in Canada with her husband, Arthur (John Magaro). However, after reconnecting with her childhood friend Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) online, Nora finds herself in a complicated love triangle when Hae Sung suddenly leaves South Korea to visit her in person. "Childhood sweethearts who reconnect 20 years later and realize they were meant for each other. In the story, I would be the evil white American husband standing in the way of destiny," Arthur says in the film's trailer. Once Nora and Hae Sung reunite, the pair discuss their past and wonder what would have happened if Nora had never left South Korea. "Would we have dated? Broken up? Gotten married?" Hae Sung tells Nora. "Would we have had kids together?"
"Past Lives" is just the latest emotionally stirring film from production company A24, which is the same entertainment company...
"Past Lives" is just the latest emotionally stirring film from production company A24, which is the same entertainment company...
- 6/14/2023
- by Michele Mendez
- Popsugar.com
"Hereditary" opens on a shot of a treehouse seen through a window before an ominously slow pan around the room reveals a dollhouse sitting on a table. The camera dollies in to focus on a bedroom, which as it comes closer is shown to be an actual room, tracked onto the dollhouse with VFX. This opening sequence is at once unsettling and intriguing. What does the dollhouse have to do with anything? Well, according to director Ari Aster, it's an important metaphor for the film as a whole.
The filmmaker's 2018 psychological horror involves an exploration of grief and family dysfunction, signaling Aster's desire to make something unique with his debut feature while delivering arguably more effective and long-lasting scares than most out-and-out horror movies. Aster told NPR that while he embraces the genre with which he's been most closely associated, he initially pitched "Hereditary" as, "a family tragedy that curdles into a nightmare,...
The filmmaker's 2018 psychological horror involves an exploration of grief and family dysfunction, signaling Aster's desire to make something unique with his debut feature while delivering arguably more effective and long-lasting scares than most out-and-out horror movies. Aster told NPR that while he embraces the genre with which he's been most closely associated, he initially pitched "Hereditary" as, "a family tragedy that curdles into a nightmare,...
- 2/10/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.