I always look out for a director that is known for being a visionary, whether I end up liking it or not. These types of directors usually produce the most interesting as they produce a style that you never get from a widespread mainstream release.
The trailer for Aster's latest project had me interested and the cast had many strong young hopefuls that I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing in the past.
After seeing the film, I certainly had similar feelings after I saw Hereditary. However, there was more in here for me that may warrant multiple viewings. Early on, you can already see Aster's style put to use with many impressively executed sequences that I will certainly not forget anytime soon.
Also, the deception of the trailers billing Aster's films as a straight horror with jump scares strikes again. This is definitely more like another psychological horror with the central story being more about the development of a relationship covered over by a lot of disturbing pagan-esque rituals that will have everyone relating this to The Wicker Man.
As mentioned before, the cast has many rising stars and they all pretty much delivered in this. Florence Pugh was a terrific lead and carried the film as well as the main plot well with a strong and committed performance. Pugh has had quite a couple of years breaking through into the film industry. She has given plenty of evidence to prove that she can take on bigger projects. I look forward to see what projects are lined up in the future.
Jack Reynor and Will Poulter might not have given a carrer best performance. But there was enough memorable moments in here, especially by Reynor to show that they were solid supports.
I also have to give props to to the largely Swedish cast for portraying a part of their culture with such authenticity.
The biggest strength of this film seems to be a common theme within Aster's films, and that is the cinematography and the production design. Everything about it looks great, especially within the Swedish landscape and the camerawork showcases it beautifully. Just letting the camera pan back, having lots of wide shots and just letting the content to the talking just enhances the look of the film so well. I cannot see anything else surpasses this aspect of any Aster film in the future.
While everything looks great, I think the strength of the story is not quite strong for me to give an exceptional rating. While the themes and arch of the story I felt was stronger in this then in Hereditary, the general strangeness of the imagery only had me intrigued and not often gripped.
There is plenty of disturbing and unsettling imagery, good performances and a solid story to keep you entertained. But I felt the final act, much like Hereditary, ends up being strangeness for strangeness sake. I'm afraid I'm still just appreciating Aster's work instead going nuts for the story and the characters.
It's most definitely a good viewing experience and worth watching, especially for something different outside of the mainstream formula.
Ari Aster definitely has the makings of being a masterful director. I'm just still waiting for something that I can go nuts for, champion and recommend to anyone.
Rating: 7/10
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