Aster loads every frame with meaning, packing symbolism into even the smallest details.
The opening shots of Annies workshop frame the aspens outside the window.
Charlies treehouse, perched among them, looks like it grew straight from their roots.
Charlie walks among the trees inHereditary(2018).
But heres the thing: aspens dont grow from seeds.
Their roots spread underground, sprouting new trunks as part of a single, massive organism.
Pando, a Utah aspen grove, might be the largest living thing on Earth.
Annie has a moment in the rain, surrounded by trees, beneath Charlie’s treehouse.
Hereditarydoesnt just use aspens to represent familyit uses them to expose the nature of cults.
Think of that chilling transition: day flips to night, revealing cult members scattered among the trees.
They blend in, their pale bodies glowing in the moonlight like little aspen trunks.
And heres the genius partonce an aspen grove spreads, you cant tell which tree was the parent.
Cults work the same way.
They dont rely on a leader; its their beliefs that take root, spread, and thrive.
The cult inHereditarydoesnt die with Annies motherit flourishes.
WatchHereditaryagain, and I guaranteeyoull never look at the trees the same way.
Its streaming on Netflix.
Go see for yourself.But hurry, becauseHereditaryleaves Netflix after April 14th.
