Saw Hereditary in theater several times. One of the most unsettling films of all time.

First two that come to mind are Mass and Manchester by the Sea. Both very recent films.

Idk I may be missing the hype with Aster, but his movies to me are just painfully pretentious bores. I think Hereditary is probably the strongest movie he's made so far, but Midsommar is genuinely a pointless bore.

Haven't seen Manchester yet but it's on my list. Haven't heard of Mass though I'm looking into it now thanks mate

I honestly mostly agree with you there I just think he really gets the most out of his actors, especially Collette

Much more of a Robert Eggers guy myself when it comes to the whole quality of a film

I found midsummar to be the much more interesting of the two.

Important to underline is that neither is bad in any way.

In Hereditary, the theme is worn on its sleeve and becomes very easy to hone in on the concepts of generational trauma, which it explores beautifully.

In Midsommar, the exploration seems to be more focused on contemporary reaction to trauma and the dichotomy between a Western individualistic approach compared to the more communal approach of the cult.

The protagonist is constantly being told to basically just suck it up by the people around her until she gets to the commune, where they share in her pain as a group. The scene with all the women screaming and sharing her pain is a perfect illustration and counter to the boyfriends cold detachment.

Furthermore, I really enjoyed a movie that made the concept of joining a cult seem like the more logical choice, a genuine story point. Most movies jump right into condemning the whole cult thing, but Midsommar seems more interested in asking why people join to begin with, which I found to be very unique to a movie.

I think thatAntichrist, and Melancholia from Lars von Trier do a great job at diving into the depth of depression and grief

The downvotes are due to redditor knee jerk reactions. Yours is a thoughtful thesis and personally, I agree largely. Both movies are largely about grief and the sudden incapacity due to loss control over life condition.