In Ari Aster's 2018 horror masterpiece, "Hereditary," viewers are plunged into a dark exploration of grief, familial dysfunction, and inherited trauma. Through a psychoanalytic lens, this film can be dissected to reveal how unconscious fears, repressed emotions, and the shadows of our ancestors shape our identity and destiny.
The Superego: The Legacy of Ancestry
"Hereditary" delves deep into the concept of family legacy, but not in the traditional sense of inherited wealth or social status. Instead, it explores the psychological inheritance of trauma and mental illness. The Graham family, under the matriarchal shadow of Ellen, exhibits the Freudian concept of the Superego, where the moral conscience and the inherited ideals of our predecessors dictate our actions and beliefs. Ellen's pervasive influence over her family, even posthumously, is a manifestation of the Superego's power to shape behavior and psychological disposition across generations.
The Ego: The Illusion of Control
Annie, the protagonist, represents the Ego struggling against internal and external chaos. As she navigates her grief and the unraveling of her family's dark secrets, Annie embodies the Ego's attempt to maintain sanity and control in the face of the unconscious drives and the external demands of society. Her journey reflects the human struggle to balance these forces, ultimately highlighting the fragility of our perceived autonomy and the ease with which it can be shattered by the weight of our inherited past.
The Id: Primal Fears and Desires
The horrific events that unfold in "Hereditary" are symbolic of the Id's primal urges and the unconscious. The grotesque and unsettling imagery—decapitations, spontaneous combustion, and supernatural occurrences—can be interpreted as manifestations of repressed fears, desires, and aggression. The Id operates on the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification without regard for consequences. In the context of the film, the demonic cult and its rituals can be seen as the embodiment of the Id's darkest aspects, where the pursuit of desire (in this case, supernatural power) leads to the destruction of the self and the family.
The Oedipal Complex: Maternal Bonds and Familial Strife
At the heart of "Hereditary" is the turbulent relationship between Annie and her children, Peter and Charlie. The dynamics within the Graham family can be viewed through the lens of the Oedipal complex, where conflicting emotions of love, jealousy, and resentment intermingle. Annie's complicated grief over her mother and daughter's deaths, coupled with her strained relationship with Peter, showcases the complexity of maternal bonds and the cyclical nature of familial conflict and trauma.
Shadow Archetype: The Inheritance of the Unconscious
Carl Jung's concept of the Shadow archetype—representing the unknown dark side of the personality—is vividly portrayed through the film's exploration of hereditary curses and the unconscious mind. The Graham family's history of mental illness and tragedy is a physical manifestation of the Shadow: an inheritance that is both inevitable and destructive. The film suggests that facing and integrating our Shadows is a terrifying but necessary process for psychological wholeness.
Conclusion: The Horror of Inheritance
"Hereditary" serves as a chilling allegory for the psychoanalytic theories of Freud and Jung, where the horrors of the film are not just supernatural but deeply rooted in the psychological. It portrays how the past, especially the aspects we try to repress or deny, haunts us, shaping our actions and futures in ways we might not realize. Aster’s film is a poignant reminder of the power of inherited trauma and the dark recesses of the human psyche, making it not only a masterpiece of horror but also a profound commentary on the human condition.