Heredity
Most of us think of a horror movie as being frightening, but there are a whole variety of responses we could have. Horror, as a genre, could be frightening, could be funny, could be creepy, could evoke dread, could be evocative of horror tropes. Heredity, however, is one of a handful of horror films that truly is simply horror-ful. More than inspiring fear, it made me sick, full of horror at the events rolling out in front of me. At moments, I honestly felt nauseous, not because of any grotesque scene, but because everything happening was like a number of punches in my gut.
Although the first scene places the film in 2018, the look of the presentation seemed very 70s, with a bit of fuzz in the picture and the reds a bit saturated. That is simply the beginning of the disorientation. I was jarred again and again with horrible accidents, horrible family relations, horrible mental illness, horrible spiritual events. It builds up, a pile of discomfort to a crescendo of disgust.
I honestly can't recommend this film, but I can say that it is very successful. The soundtrack, although seemingly cliche at the beginning, adds to the overall unease, along with the cinematography and acting. All excellently presented to make one of the most jarring cinematic experiences.
4/5
Post Script-- After the film, I went immediately to Facebook to get some normalcy from my friends. One of the first things I saw is that the body of a 87-year old customer of my wife was found in the car of a three-time sex offender after being missing for six days. A meme reminding me about the baby with his homeless mother having frozen to death in Portland last year. And another accusation of sexual assault against the nominee to the Supreme Court. Horror isn't just in the movies. I want to go to bed. And stay there.