2ND CYCLE

ANGLO-AMERICAN STUDIES

Psychoanalytical horror in Ari Aster

Hereditary, Midsommar and Beau is Afraid under Jungian and
Freudian views

Ana Rita de Almeida Batista

M
2024
Ana Rita de Almeida Batista

Psychoanalytical horror in Ari Aster

Hereditary, Midsommar and Beau is Afraid under Jungian and

Freudian views

Master’s thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Anglo-
American Studies, supervised by Professor Mark Poole.

Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto

2024

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 Table of Contents
Declaration of Honour .................................................................................................................... 4
Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................... 5
Resumo ........................................................................................................................................... 6
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 7
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. 8
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................11
1. Ari Aster ................................................................................................................................ 13
2. Mise-en-Scène in Aster .......................................................................................................... 15
2.1. Hereditary ....................................................................................................................... 15
2.2. Midsommar ..................................................................................................................... 17
2.3. Beau is Afraid ................................................................................................................. 19
3. C. G. Jung and the Archetypes .............................................................................................. 21
3.1. The Figure of the Mother ................................................................................................... 23
3.1.1. Hereditary .................................................................................................................... 23
3.1.2. Midsommar .................................................................................................................. 31
3.1.3. Beau is Afraid .............................................................................................................. 37
4. Freud and Religion ................................................................................................................ 43
4.1. Hereditary ................................................................................................................. 45
4.2. Midsommar ............................................................................................................... 48
4.3. Beau is Afraid ........................................................................................................... 53
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 56
Appendix ....................................................................................................................................... 59
Appendix 1 - Ari Aster’s feature films ...................................................................................... 59
Webliography ................................................................................................................................ 63
Filmography .................................................................................................................................. 66
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 67

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 Declaration of Honour

I hereby declare that this dissertation is of my authorship and has not been used previously in
another course, degree, curricular unit or subject, at this or any other institution. References to
other authors (statements, ideas, thoughts) scrupulously respect the rules of attribution and are duly
indicated in the text and bibliographical references, in accordance with the rules of referencing. I
am aware that the practice of plagiarism and self-plagiarism is an academic offence.

I further declare that I have not used generative artificial intelligence tools (chatbots based on large
language models) to carry out part(s) of this dissertation, and that all interactions (prompts and
responses) have been transcribed in the annex.

Porto, September 14th 2024

Ana Rita de Almeida Batista

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 Acknowledgments

This dissertation would not be possible without the guidance, patience and honesty provided by
Prof. Doc. Mark Poole. Words cannot express my gratitude for the hours and the knowledge that
were shared with me, which opened me up to a new found passion for film studies. I would also
like to express my gratitude to all the teachers and professors that accompanied me throughout my
academic career, with a special thanks to my primary school teacher, Amélia.

I would also like to mention the emotional support given by my friends: Ju, Tiago e Deco, who
believed in my ability to write this dissertation, even when I didn’t believe it. Their excitment for
this dissertation was one of the incentives that I did not know I needed to finish it.

I’d like to recognize the sacrifice made by my parents, Cristina and Nuno, who supported me all
my life, heard and understood my fears and complications, and provided me with guidance and
love, to an extent I cannot describe. My goal in life is to make sure you are proud of me.

Lastly, I would like to thank Silvio. Your support is what pushed me to earn my master’s degree. I
am thankful for the hours you gave me, conforting me, watching horror movies, reading and
hearing my hundred editions of this work. T.S. said it better, All’s well that ends well to end up
with you.

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 Resumo

A relevância do escritor e director Ari Aster no género cinematográfico de terror deve-se à sua
forma única de contar histórias, que consiste em explorar os limites das capacidades mentais
humanas, enquanto utiliza metáforas compostas por situações da vida real. Com filmes como
Hereditary (2018), Midsommar (2019) e Beau is Afraid (2023), Aster combina uma mise-en-scène
rica com temas intensos, como trauma geracional, relações familiares disfuncionais e problemas
de saúde mental, enquanto adiciona os elementos sobrenaturais, frequentemente utilizados no
género de terror, com a finalidade de horrorizar o seu público. As longas-metragens de Aster
destacam-se no subgénero de terror psicológico, não só pela ausência de cenas com o uso excessivo
de sangue e violência, mas também pela preferência no uso de dicas subtis, com a finalidade de
criar momentos de tensão e ansiedade. Quando aplicadas, as teorias de Carl Gustav Jung e
Sigmund Freud revelaram que o trabalho de Aster é relevante tanto no estudo de filmografia de
terror moderno, como no estudo de psicologia e psicoanálise.

Palavras-chave: terror, Freud, Jung, psicoanálise, Aster.

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 Abstract

Ari Aster has risen to relevance in the horror genre due to his unique way of storytelling, which
involves exploring the limits of the human mental capacities, employing metaphors made up of
real-life situations. With films such as Hereditary (2018), Midsommar (2019) and Beau is Afraid
(2023), Aster uses a rich mise-en-scène combining it with intense themes, such as generational
trauma, dysfunctional family relationships and mental health issues, while also adding the
supernatural elements, frequently used in the horror genre, in order to further horrify his audience.
His feature films stand out in the subgenre of psychological horror, due to the absence of scenes
with an excess of gore and violence, and to the preference for subtle clues that provoke tension
and anxiety. When applied, the theories of Carl Gustav Jung and Sigmund Freud revealed that
Aster’s work is relevant not only in the study of modern horror filmography, but also in the study
of psychology and psychoanalysis.

Keywords: horror, Freud, Jung, psychoanalysis, Aster.

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 List of Figures
Figure 1 - Hereditary: Peter sitting on his bed and Annie leaning against the wall in the background.
Peter is the main focus of the shot, with the low-key side lighting (1:48:09) (Treated by the author:
+40% brightness) .......................................................................................................................... 16
Figure 2 - Hereditary: Peter, Charlie and Annie. The setting is lit up using high-key illumination,
with warm lighting. (27:34) .......................................................................................................... 17
Figure 3 - Hereditary: Peter coming down the stairs into the entry way. Low-key illumination is
used to create and add mystery and tension to the scene. (1:50:45) ............................................. 17
Figure 4 - Midsommar: Dani laying in bed, the colors surrounding her are extremely dull and
neutral (13:03) ............................................................................................................................... 18
Figure 5 - Midsommar: Dani wearing the floral dress, bright and colorful, contrasting with both
the Hårga and the setting (2:20:32) ............................................................................................... 18
Figure 6 - Midsommar: Pelle, Josh, Christian, Dani and Mark dressed in dark clothing, blending
with the setting’s dark colors (14:48)............................................................................................ 19
Figure 7 - Midsommar: The green setting makes the Hårga members, in white, and the outsiders,
in dark clothes, stand out (40:13) .................................................................................................. 19
Figure 8 - Beau is Afraid: A corner on Beau’s neighborhood (8:00) ............................................ 20
Figure 9 - Beau is Afraid: The tattooed man that runs after Beau (8:31) (Treated by the author:
+20% brightness) .......................................................................................................................... 20
Figure 10 - Hereditary: Intertitle (00:29) ...................................................................................... 24
Figure 11 - Hereditary: Tree-house shot (00:54) .......................................................................... 25
Figure 12 - Hereditary: Graham miniature house (01:55) ............................................................ 25
Figure 13 - Hereditary: Graham family’s house (06:17) .............................................................. 26
Figure 14 - Hereditary: Graham family in the house (06:32) ....................................................... 26
Figure 15 - Hereditary: Annie in the grief counseling group (19:29) .......................................... 26
Figure 16 - Hereditary: Miniature model of Annie, Charlie, and Ellen (13:04) ........................... 28
Figure 17 - Hereditary: Peter talking to Steve (08:10) (Treated by the author: +20% brightness)
....................................................................................................................................................... 29
Figure 18 - Hereditary: Peter talking to Annie (25:38) (Treated by the author: +10% brightness)
....................................................................................................................................................... 29

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Figure 19 - Hereditary: Steve talking to Peter (08:11) (Treated by the author: +20% brightness)
....................................................................................................................................................... 29
Figure 20 - Hereditary: Annie talking to Peter (25:41) ................................................................ 29
Figure 21 - Hereditary: Annie being comforted by Steve (37:50) (Treated by the author: +20%
brightness) ..................................................................................................................................... 30
Figure 22 - Hereditary: Peter in the hallway, listening to Annie's cries (38:35) (Treated by the
author: +55% brightness) .............................................................................................................. 30
Figure 23 - Hereditary: Charlie's funeral (38:38) ......................................................................... 30
Figure 24 - Hereditary: Peter at Charlie's wake (39:14) ............................................................... 30
Figure 25 - Hereditary: Annie’s face contorted while she talks about her sleepwalking attempt to
kill Peter and Charlie (53:46) ........................................................................................................ 31
Figure 26 - Midsommar: First shot of the film (00:25) ................................................................. 32
Figure 27 - Midsommar: Dani's picture with flowers (02:26) (Treated by the author: +45%
brightness) ..................................................................................................................................... 33
Figure 28 - Midsommar: Dani is crowned May Queen (1:45:36) ................................................ 33
Figure 29 - Midsommar: Pelle shows Dani the former May Queen (21:11) ................................ 33
Figure 30 - Midsommar: Pelle is happy Dani is going to Hälsingland (21:17) ........................... 33
Figure 31 - Midsommar: Father Odd hugging Dani (35:43)......................................................... 34
Figure 32 - Midsommar: Dani wins May Queen (1:43:44) .......................................................... 34
Figure 33 - Midsommar: Dani's dress as May Queen (2:05:16) ................................................... 34
Figure 34 - Midsommar: Christian in the mating ceremony (2:00:57) ......................................... 36
Figure 35 - Midsommar: Dani with the Hårgan women (2:00:09) ............................................... 36
Figure 36 - Midsommar: Dani and Christian in the mirror (14:50) (Treated by the author: +40%
brightness) ..................................................................................................................................... 37
Figure 37 - Beau is Afraid: Beau nervous after Mona’s tone change (19:14) .............................. 38
Figure 38 - Beau is Afraid: Beau looks at the surveillance picture of him (2:06:37) ................... 40
Figure 39 - Beau is Afraid: Advertising sign that reads "Your security has been our business for 40
years” (2:07:06) ............................................................................................................................ 40
Figure 40 - Beau is Afraid: Beau examines Mona's picture made up of the faces of her employees
(2:08:35)........................................................................................................................................ 40

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Figure 41 - Beau is Afraid: Close up on the employees' pictures, where Roger, Elaine and other
employees are recognizable (2:09:03) .......................................................................................... 40
Figure 42 - Beau is Afraid: A boy is pulled by his mother (left), his motorized toy boat tips over in
the water (07:16) ........................................................................................................................... 41
Figure 43 - Beau is Afraid: Statue at Mona’s house looking over Beau (2:03:57) ....................... 41
Figure 44 - Hereditary: Ellen (in white) being covered in gold coins by other members of the cult
(1:34:40)........................................................................................................................................ 45
Figure 45 - Hereditary: Peter being watched, most likely by a member of the cult of Paimon, while
smoking at his window. (22:31) (Treated by the author: +40% brightness) ................................. 48
Figure 46 - Hereditary: The cult of Paimon surrounding the Graham family house (1:46:52)
(Treated by the author: +40% brightness)..................................................................................... 48
Figure 47 – Midsommar: Dani looking in the mirror, her face distorted, and her sister's reflection
in the mirror (32:14)...................................................................................................................... 52
Figure 48 - Midsommar: Dani's sister's silhouette on the trees, in the left upper corner (1:49:32)
....................................................................................................................................................... 52

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 Introduction
Horror films aim to shock and horrify the audience, usually with the anxieties of the society that
accompanies the release of the films. These anxieties change over time, as does the audience’s
ability to be shocked by their portrayals. Ari Aster’s filmography is extremely relevant to the horror
genre, given that the director chooses to adapt real life situations to the format of horror. Aster
chooses to horrify his audience by portraying people going through traumatic experiences, while
either adding the supernatural element of a demon possession to an already broken and traumatized
family, like in Hereditary (Aster, 2018), or by adding a murderous cult to the story of an inevitable
break up, like in Midsommar (Aster, 2019), or by simply letting the worst fears of an anxious
person happen, like in Beau is Afraid (Aster, 2023). His films play on the psychological issues real
people deal with, such as family trauma and abusive interdependent relationships. Aster’s feature
films became a staple for horror fans, due to his intricate ways of storytelling, and due to how
much thought he and his team put into every shot, scene and piece of dialogue.

By using numerous tools available in film making, Aster is able to depict these tragic stories
without having to be so frontal with his audience. Furthermore, his stylistic choices instantly
became recognizable to horror film audiences, and I believe that his sudden rise to be considered
a respectable director has something to do with this. After watching his films, audiences feel the
need to rewatch and discuss them, as it is very common for Aster’s films to be filled with essential
details that add to the plot. For me, Aster has found a refreshing way of exploring the family and
mental health issues, using the horror elements associated with the subgenre of psychological
horror1. What drew my attention to his films was Aster’s ability to shock and horrify without
overusing the gore techniques previously recognizable in this subgenre, as he takes preference in
stressing the audience with the lack of bloody corpses and in adding exposition and details that
leave the viewers waiting for an ending to the suffering of his characters.

These essential details are what make analyzing and studying the films so relevant and interesting
to modern audiences. For me psychoanalysis aids this analysis and study, as it allows for the films
to be deconstructed and analyzed, while also exploring the possibility of the films’ lessons to be

1 Some examples of psychological horror films may include The Babadook (2014), Mother! (2017), El Hoyo (2019), and Smile
(2022).

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applied to real life. What brings Aster’s films and psychoanalysis together is exactly the simplicity
of it being relatable to everyone who either watches the films or studies psychoanalysis. Upon
watching and rewatching the films, I was intrigued by the amount of psychoanalytic work Aster
has applied to his films, whether it be purposeful or not. With this dissertation, I attempt to identify
some of the motifs Aster uses to carry out his message and applied Carl Gustav Jung and Sigmund
Freud’s work to it, eventually showing the depth of Aster’s filmography and how they can be used
in metaphorical depictions of mental health issues and the deconstruction of the family element.

The choice to use Freud and Jung came from the knowledge of the mentorship Freud provided
Jung with, even recognizing him as a possible successor in the field of psychoanalysis. Jung
studied the existence of a universal unconscious, eventually steering away from Freud’s insistence
on repressed sexuality as a motive for unconscious desires and thoughts. Although Freud believed
Jung had taken a different direction in the study of psychoanalysis, both psychoanalysts were
focused on investigating and decoding the unconscious, their concepts and ideas on the subject
blending with each other. Using Jung’s archetypes, more specifically the mother archetype, and
Freud’s theories regarding religion and the unconscious mind aids in attributing meaning to the
techniques and motifs Aster choses to employ, adding to the meaning that the director already
attributed to the films, using mise-en-scène.

With this dissertation I will be deconstructing Aster’s feature films Hereditary, Midsommar, and
Beau is Afraid. In the first chapter I will provide a brief biography about Ari Aster and his
inspiration for becoming a writer and director. Then I will move on to the second chapter where I
will be analyzing some of the mise-en-scène techniques used. In the third chapter, I will use the
Jungian archetypes and the concept of universal unconscious to analyze the mother archetype and
the figures associated with it in the films. And in the fourth chapter, I will employ Freud’s theories
on religion and the repressed, or unconscious, mind. Finally, I will lay out my final remarks,
hopefully proving that Aster’s feature films can and should be studied as a staple for
psychoanalytical horror.

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 1. Ari Aster
Ari Aster was born in the state of New York, on the 15th of July 1986. Being a long-time fan of
films and the art of making them, the director has always felt more drawn to horror films. Although
the art of writing screenplays appeared more appealing to the director, Aster tells The Verge, “the
life of a screenwriter would probably be a painful one for me”. While attending the American Film
Institute Conservatory, Aster concluded that he would also have to take up the task of directing,
fearing that he would have to “relinquish control, and give the movie to somebody else, who then
realizes it to their liking. And so I think it was in undergrad that I realized I definitely needed to be
a director as well.” (Bishop, 2018).

After graduating from Santa Fe University of Art and Design, Aster went to the American Film
Institute Conservatory where, as he says to Alibi, “I graduated and got my MFA and made a lot of
shorts and wrote a lot of feature screenplays, hoping to get one of them off the ground.” (O’Leary,
2018). Whilst studying in the AFI Conservatory, Aster started writing and directing many short
films, such as the 2008 short Herman’s Cure-All Tonic, “The earliest artifact of Aster’s pet themes
and obsessions”, that follows the son of a pharmacist that uses his father’s body to make a product
that cures all diseases, cementing from the beginning his love for portraying the taboo and the
uncomfortable, (Querol, 2023). Following this debut, the director came out with seven more short
films, dabbling in other themes, such as the complexity of romantic relationships, the occult as an
opposition to conventional religion, even taking inspiration from some of them to expand his
feature screenplays, such as Beau is Afraid.

Aster gained attention and recognition after his 2011 short, The Strange Thing About the Johnsons,
where the director really shows his appreciation for exploring family dynamics and how they affect
individuals. This short follows the Johnsons, a seemingly happy family that turns out to have a
dark and disturbing secret. It’s Aster’s most known and controversial short, as it explores complex
father-son relationships, incest, sexual abuse and how this destroys the family in question.
Although it is a very disturbing and uncomfortable watch, this short film was the gateway to
success, since it “actually served as Ari Aster’s thesis film while studying at the American film
Institute’s graduate school in California.” (Querol, 2023). The short film was also “the project that
landed him an agent” (Kohn, 2018), and this allowed him to continue to make more short films
and, eventually, his feature films.

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The director’s take on different family dynamics did not end with his 2011 short film. To this day,
Aster still enjoys exploring the psychological and physical toll that a poor, neglected, or abusive
relationship takes on an individual. These viewpoints that Ari Aster explores in his movies and
short films do not come solely from imagination. In an interview Aster gave to IndieWire, he said
that Hereditary was is “related to certain things that had happened in my life and things that my
family and I went through together (…) But the movie itself is all invention. The feelings behind
the film are personal, but none of the characters are surrogates for anybody in my family.” (Kohn,
2018). Aster actually attributes his success to his parents, whom he described as “incredibly
supportive. They’re both artists. My mom is a brilliant poet (…) my dad is a jazz drummer, an
R&B drummer”. He also notes that he’s only “able to work with such dark material” because he
was never questioned by his parents (O’Leary, 2018). There is a clear contrast between Aster’s
supportive family and the broken families he writes about. His debut movie Hereditary, from 2018,
appears to be a love letter to complicated and shattered families, a therapeutic way for the director
to express himself, “Filmmaking is so much about catharsis anyway, (…) It’s therapeutic.” (Kohn,
2018).2

2 For more information about Ari Aster’s featured films, see Appendix 1.

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 2. Mise-en-Scène in Aster
The French term “mise-en-scène”, which literally translates to “to put on stage”, is used when
studying and analyzing film “in the discussion of visual style” (Gibbs: 2002, 5). The visual style
of a film include “the contents of the frame and the way that they are organized (…) They include
lighting, costume, décor, properties, and the actors themselves.” (Gibbs: 2002, 5). Furthermore the
mise-en-scène is the relationship between all of these contents of frame and the way they are laid
out for the viewer to see and understand. In talking about “visual style”, it is also taken into account
the “framing, camera movement, the particular lens employed and other photographic decisions.”
(Gibbs: 2002, 5).

Much like every other director, Ari Aster uses these tools to further the plot and develop characters,
while drawing attention to elements in the film he feels are important. What is unique about Aster’s
filmography is that his use of these elements varies drastically from film to film. The director’s
use of lighting, color, props, décor, action, space and camera work vary according to the themes
he wants to explore.

2.1. Hereditary

Lighting is an extremely important tool in filmmaking, considering “Lighter and darker areas
within the frame help create the overall composition of each shot and thus guide our attention to
certain objects and actions.” (Bordwell & Thompson, 2008: 124). For example, the final scenes in
Hereditary, with Peter (Alex Wolff) and Annie (Toni Collette) are extremely dark, and Aster uses
a technique that involves hiding something or someone in the dark area of a shot, bringing it to the
lighter area of the shot to make a horrific reveal.

One example of this technique is demonstrated in the scene where Peter wakes up after having
broken his nose, the area of the shot around him is extremely dark, while outside lightning falls on
him from a window. Annie, who is now possessed, is hidden in the upper corner of a wall behind
her son, and her silhouette is almost invisible to the viewer, as she blends with the dark background.
It is only when she crawls through the air across the room that the audience knows she is there.
This technique is used to once again employ the element of horror and unease, as the viewer now
knows that Annie is different and a possible threat. Aster uses a combination of side lighting and

15
low-key illumination3 in this scene, which “creates stronger contrasts and sharper, darker
shadows.” (Bordwell & Thompson, 2008: 130), bringing focus to Peter’s character, making him
appear disoriented as his facial expressions are not visible enough, which makes the reveal of
Annie’s presence much more dramatic and scary. This lighting technique creates what it is called
“chiaroscuro”, corresponding to “extremely dark and light regions within the image” (Bordwell &
Thompson, 2008: 130), mostly used in mysterious and tense scenes, often featured in the horror
genre.

Figure 1 - Hereditary: Peter sitting on his bed and Annie leaning against the wall in the background. Peter is the main focus of the
shot, with the low-key side lighting (1:48:09) (Treated by the author: +40% brightness)

Here the use of chiaroscuro emulates an unavoidable sense of misery and sadness within the
audience. The lighting at the Graham’s house is consistently becoming more and more absent in
most scenes, as Peter, Annie and Steve become more estranged from each other, contrasting with
the amount of warm lighting existent in the first act of the film, when the family’s relationships
were somewhat healthy. The high-key illumination, which “refers to an overall lighting design that
uses fill light and backlight to create low contrast between brighter and darker areas” (Bordwell &

3 Sidelight, also known as crosslight, refers to the light cast on an object or a character, in order to create sharper shadows. Similarly,
low-key illumination refers to the lighting technique of eliminating light from the majority of the frame, usually “applied to somber
or mysterious scenes” (Bordwell & Thompson, 2008: 130).

16
Thompson, 2008: 129), and the use of warm toned lights invoke the feeling that their house is a
place of comfort and safety. When the family is ultimately broken, Charlie (Milly Shapiro) and
Steve (Gabriel Byrne) dead, Annie possessed by the demon King Paimon, and Peter alone and
mentally and physically worn out, low-key illumination is used. The house looks cold, and there
is an impending feeling that something bad is bound to happen.

Figure 2 - Hereditary: Peter, Charlie and Annie. The setting is Figure 3 - Hereditary: Peter coming down the stairs into the
lit up using high-key illumination, with warm lighting. entry way. Low-key illumination is used to create and add
(27:34) mystery and tension to the scene. (1:50:45)

2.2. Midsommar

In Midsommar (2019), on the other hand, Aster makes use of bright light and colors, since most of
the movie takes place during the real celebration of the summer solstice, the midsummer. Aster
also makes use of fields and big communal infrastructure to invoke the feeling of freedom and
community the main character experiences, and this can be seen as an invitation for the audience
to put themselves in her place. Dani (Florence Pugh) is always shown to be indoors before arriving
in Hälsingland, she is either in her apartment, Christian’s (Jack Reynor) apartment or on the plane,
and these scenes feel cold and, at some points, rushed. Aster also choses to use muted colors in the
beginning of the film, perhaps to mirror Dani’s state of mind, since she fall into depression after
her parents and sister’s deaths. The colors become brighter when she arrives in Hälsingland, and
by the end of the film she is dressed in a floral dress, the most colorful piece of clothing she wears
in the film, signifying she has finally distanced herself from who she was in the beginning of the
film.

17
 Figure 4 - Midsommar: Dani laying in bed, the colors Figure 5 - Midsommar: Dani wearing the floral dress, bright
surrounding her are extremely dull and neutral (13:03) and colorful, contrasting with both the Hårga and the setting
(2:20:32)

After arriving in Hälsingland, Dani is rarely shown to be indoors, and even when she is, there is a
feeling of community attached to the buildings, for example when she helps the Hårgan women
cook, or the communal sleeping building they all share. Within the Hårga community there is no
use for individual spaces, because they believe in doing everything together, only using the closed
spaces for practical activities, such as sleeping or preparing the food. Their close connection with
nature provides a sense of freedom.

Aster’s use of different costumes and settings throughout the film is an example of how a director
can use these elements, both individually and together, to employ visual clues that aid the audience
on where and who to pay attention to, since “setting may provide a more or less neutral
background, while costume helps pick out the characters” (Bordwell & Thompson, 2008: 122). At
the beginning of the film, the main characters wear clothes with colors that blend very easily with
the background and the setting. However, when the group arrives in Hälsingland, the Hårga wear
bright white clothes, adorned with symbols varying from the color blue, red, and yellow. These
white clothes blend the Hårga together as a group, while making it easy for the audience to pick
out the outsiders, who are not given white clothes, except for Dani, who receives a dress by the
end of the film. The choice of making the majority of the film’s costumes white also plays well
with the green setting of the forest surrounding the community, as it makes the actors stand out,
even if they are not a main character in the film.

18
 Figure 6 - Midsommar: Pelle, Josh, Christian, Dani and Mark Figure 7 - Midsommar: The green setting makes the Hårga
dressed in dark clothing, blending with the setting’s dark members, in white, and the outsiders, in dark clothes, stand
colors (14:48) out (40:13)

2.3. Beau is Afraid

For Beau is Afraid (2023), Aster uses exaggerated acting from actors and extras in the film to
convey the sense of unease and anxiety, as well as a mix of vivid and pastel colors depending on
Beau’s position in the plot. Framing and camera work is also employed in this film as a way to
show the audience Beau’s point of view of the world as an extremely anxious man, who tries to
please his mother to an unhealthy extent. Aster relies on Beau is Afraid’s actors, both the extras
and the established characters, to create this hectic world. The extras are used in the first act of the
film, when Aster establishes Beau’s neighborhood as a place of chaos which is extremely crime
driven. The first scene where the audience is shown the conditions of the neighborhood, it all
comes together as this nightmarish setting, with a lot of visual and sound clues that appear extreme
and not real. However, even though “Acting is often approached as a question of realism.”
(Bordwell & Thompson, 2008: 133), Aster approaches the unrealistic view that someone with
extreme anxiety, such as Beau4, has of the world. The extras, portraying roles ranging from
prostitutes and murderers to dirty cops and drug addicts, embody the most realistic traits of these
individuals. Nevertheless, when it all comes together in the film, it turns into an almost impossible
urban scenario. Bright neon lights work well in this film to attribute a sense of cold and
unfamiliarity to the streets, and the absence of frontal lighting creates the mysterious and scary
ambience that Beau feels. He is alone, scared to walk through the street, making him run for the

4 Joaquin Phoenix has been praised for taking on eccentric roles, such as Beau in Beau is Afraid, Arthur Fleck in Joker (2019) and
Theodore in Her (2013). His acting style is heavily focused on character development and he notably takes on roles that explore
the human mind, especially when its health has declined.

19
safety of his apartment, running from the individuals that roam through it, like the tattooed man
that follows him and tries to enter his apartment complex.

Figure 8 - Beau is Afraid: A corner on Beau’s neighborhood Figure 9 - Beau is Afraid: The tattooed man that runs after
(8:00) Beau (8:31) (Treated by the author: +20% brightness)

Of course, the individual study of each of these elements is important. However, their importance
and possible meanings can only be understood when they are analyzed regarding their interaction
with one another, as they depend “for its effect on a combination of elements (…) [and] it is the
interplay of elements that is significant” (Gibbs: 2002, 26). Context is also important as it takes
into account “the narrative situation, the ‘world’ of the film, the accumulating strategies that the
film-maker adopts.” (Gibbs: 2002, 26).

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 3. C. G. Jung and the Archetypes
Carl Gustav Jung’s beliefs are relevant when analyzing Aster’s filmography, as it depends, most
of the times, on heavy psychological themes, such as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), grief,
family dynamics, mental health problems, and mental implications regarding religion and beliefs.

C. G. Jung was an important figure in the field of psychology and psychoanalysis. He was in
contact with Sigmund Freud in the early years of his career, eventually becoming his trainee and
collaborator, as he agreed with his views on human psychology, “His fascinating and quite startling
correspondence with the older man began in 1906, when Jung sent Freud a copy of his work on
word association.” (Rowland, 2002: 7). Jung shared Freud’s belief that the unconscious mind was
relevant in the personality and behavior of an individual. However, their paths diverged when
Jung’s personal research led him to discovering the concept of the collective unconscious. The end
to this friendship and partnership was, however, fated to happen since “Even early in the
collaboration, Jung recorded reservations about Freud’s exclusive notions of sexual repression and
infantile desires.” (Rowland, 2002: 7). Jung recalls that from the very first time he was exposed to
Freud’s ideas, the notion of everything being related to repressed sexuality did not meet his own
theories, “Wherever, in a person or in a work of art, an expression of spirituality (in the intellectual,
not the super-natural sense) came to light, he suspected it, and insinuated that it was repressed
sexuality.” (Jung, 1989: 149) Jung openly rejected Freud’s sexual theories and stated that his
attitude towards philosophy and religion was “the thing that struck at the heart of our friendship.
(…) To me the sexual theory was just as occult, that is to say, just as unproven an hypothesis, as
many other speculative views.” (Jung, 1989: 150-151).

It is also relevant to mention that Jung was, and still is, considered to be an antisemite, despite
being mentored by Freud, who was in fact Jewish. These accusations started when the
psychoanalyst was still alive. After Hitler’s rise to German chancellor in 1933, Jung “assumed the
presidency of the General Medical Society for Psychotherapy (…) In the December 1933 issue of
the Society’s journal, he made his most controversial remark when he said that it was important to
openly discuss the differences that actually existed between Germanic and Jewish psychology”
(Roazen et al., 2003: 21). Even Freud wrote, regarding who would continue on with his legacy,
that Jung was the best option, since “he seemed ready to enter into a friendly relationship with me
and for my sake to give up certain racial prejudices which he had previously permitted himself.”

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(Freud, 1981b: 43). Jung responded to this statement in a letter to C. E. Benda, “When I wrote my
book Wandlungen und Symbole der Libido (“Psychology of the Unconscious”) and deviated at one
point from orthodox theory, Freud suddenly accused me of anti-Semitism. (…) This prejudice has
stuck to me ever since and has been repeated by all Freudians” (Jung, 2015: 167). Jung later
contradicts his own defense, writing in “The State of Psychotherapy Today”, in 1934, where he
compares Jews to women, “The Jews have this peculiarity in common with women; being
physically weaker.” (Jung, 1970: 165); compared German and Jewish unconsciousness, “the
average Jew is far too conscious and differentiated to go about pregnant with the tensions of unborn
futures. The ‘Aryan’ unconscious has a higher potential than the Jewish” (Jung, 1970: 166).

Despite their religious disagreement, Jung and Freud shared the same theories regarding the
division of the human mind. For Jung, the psyche can be broken down into three elements: the
ego, which represents the conscious mind, the personal unconscious, that “rests upon a deeper
layer”, and the collective unconscious, the “deeper layer”. The archetypes are the contents of the
collective unconscious, that Jung describes as “contents and modes of behavior that are more or
less the same everywhere and in all individuals.” (Jung, 1980: 3-4). There are several archetypal
characters described by Jung throughout his work, such as the Shadow, the Anima and the Animus,
the Self, and the Persona. According to Jung, the Shadow represents the “dark aspects of the
personality” that challenge the ego personality (Jung, 1979: 8); the Anima and the Animus
represent, respectively, the presence of “a feminine element” in a man’s conscious, such as
emotion, and the presence of a “masculine imprint”, such as a drive for power or “mind or spirit”,
in a woman’s unconscious (Jung, 1979: 14); the Self represents “the integration of the contents of
the collective unconscious” and their “influence on the ego-personality”, meaning the totality of
the human psyche, both the unconscious and the conscious minds, forming a personality (Jung,
1979: 23); the Persona refers to a “kind of mask” combining the “relations between the individual
consciousness and society”, in order to protect the “true nature of the self” (Jung, 1972: 264).
Despite being able to stand alone, with different characteristics and functions, there is a certain
interconnectedness involving the archetypes. They do not depend on one another, but they
complement one another, balancing the complexity of the psyche.

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 3.1. The Figure of the Mother
In Jungian analytical psychology, the archetype of the mother represents the concept and image of nurture,
love, care and protection for the weak and the undefended that shape the collective unconsciousness and
the development of the human psyche. Jung attributes these characteristics to more than the figures of
“mother” as a biological caretaker, referring to the “personal mother and grandmother, stepmother and
mother-in-law”; the psychologist also refers to the figures of mother in societal aspects, such as “a nurse or
governess or perhaps a remote ancestress”, as these positions hold the term of mother in a “figurative sense”
(Jung, 1980: 81). The latter representation of the archetype also incorporates mythical and religious related
figures, including the Mother of God, and this opens Jung’s list to all the “mother-figures” that affect the
development of the collective unconscious. These include, heaven, earth, the sea; leading to figures and
places that stand for “fertility and fruitfulness”, like gardens and fields (Jung, 1980: 81). Opposing to these
positive characteristics of the mother archetype, there are also shadow elements, as in negative
characteristics. The negative side of “the mother archetype may connote anything secret, hidden, dark; the
abyss, the world of the dead, anything that devours, seduces, and poisons, that is terrifying and inescapable
like fate.” (Jung, 1980: 82).

The mother or mother-like roles are extremely important in Aster’s feature films as well as in his short
films. There are several instances in his short films where the figure of the mother becomes central to the
plot and development of characters: in Hereditary, both Ellen (Kathleen Chalfant) and Annie (Toni Collete)
take on different portrayals of the motherly archetype, representing the positive and the negative aspects of
it; in Midsommar, Dani (Florence Pugh) becomes May Queen, mother of the crops, and the Hårgas believe
in connecting with nature; in Beau is Afraid, Beau’s mother Mona (Patti LuPone) embodies the shadow
mother archetype by intentionally making Beau (Joaquin Phoenix) anxious and fearful of everything,
creating an unhealthy attachment between the two.

3.1.1. Hereditary

With Hereditary, Aster set out to explore the effects trauma and grief have on normal, day-to-day,
family relationships, as he says “I wanted to make a drama that curdled into a nightmare, in the
same way that life can end up feeling like a nightmare when disaster strikes.” (Bishop, 2018). To
this drama, Aster added the supernatural element of the pagan cult to truly turn the project into a
horror film. The film heavily relies on its matriarchal figures, Ellen, Annie, and Joan (Ann Dowd)
to forward the plot, and attribute the element of horror into the narrative. Ellen is established, from
early on, as an important character, even though there are no dialogue scenes, and the audience is

23
only given information through pictures and other characters. Ellen is Annie’s mother, who, as we
learn from an expository intertitle, has passed away.

Figure 10 - Hereditary: Intertitle (00:29)

From this intertitle, Aster has informed the audience that death and grief will be relevant themes
in the movie. Ellen, functions both as the reason for this story to begin, and as the reason for the
beginning of the family’s downfall. Being the leader of the cult that praises King Paimon, as Annie
later finds out (1:34:40), she knowingly subjects her grandchildren to the cult’s horrific practices.
The film cuts to its first scene with a long shot of Annie’s miniature atelier, establishing an
important motif throughout the movie, before settling on a model of the Graham house. The shot
starts by showing the tree house through a window, and slowly pans around to show other
miniature models, before tightening the shot in the house, specifically in Peter’s room.

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 Figure 11 - Hereditary: Tree-house shot (00:54) Figure 12 - Hereditary: Graham miniature house (01:55)

When using Jung to analyze Hereditary, it can be pointed out that the Graham house being
surrounded by an extremely dense forest also foreshadows the importance of mother symbols in
the narrative, as he writes “Another (…) mother-symbol is the wood of life, or tree of life. The tree
of life may have been (…) a kind of tribal mother.” (Jung, 1967: 321). The choice to use Annie’s
career as a miniature artist, could be a way for Aster to subtly express that what the audience is
about to watch is purely an expression of Annie’s unconscious and her reaction to the disastrous
events that will follow, and may not in fact be a reality within the narrative. It also foreshadows
the higher powers that control the Graham family, and how helpless they are, right from the
beginning of the movie.

The film’s emphasis on Ellen continues as the family prepares to attend her funeral. While giving
the eulogy, Annie describes her mother as a “very secretive and private woman” and talks about
her fondness for “private rituals, private friends, private anxieties”. Annie’s tone whilst giving her
eulogy sounds monotone and her voice appears to be shaky at some points; her body language
hints at the discomfort to talk about her mother in front of other people, and this gives the
impression of not being as genuine as it should be. Annie is essentially putting on a mask, or, using
Jung’s archetypal term, she is developing a Persona, which he asserts as a “division of
consciousness into two figures (…) an incisive psychological operation that is bound to have
repercussions on the unconscious.” (Jung, 1972: 265). The miniature model motif is once again
brought up, as the audience is set to watch the family entering their home from a lateral point of
view, as if watching a miniature playhouse. There is a conveyed feeling of familiarity through
lighting in the house, even when the family isn’t home, with some wall fixtures being on. When
they do enter the house, the house fills with more light, specifically a warm tone light. At this point
of the narrative, the family is still somewhat functional, dependent on each other to a certain extent

25
and this is enhanced by the shot of the entire family in the foyer: while the rest of visible rooms
are dark and have no lights on, the entrance of the house has warm tone lights all around.

Figure 13 - Hereditary: Graham family’s house (06:17) Figure 14 - Hereditary: Graham family in the house (06:32)

The audience gets some confirmation of Annie’s naivety, when she attends a grief counseling
group, where she truthfully describes her mother and their relationship. Annie first arrives when
there are still people outside the building, but in the next scene, the group is already inside, sharing
their experiences. This hints at Annie’s reluctance to participate and talk about her mother, which
is continuous in the way she is sitting. Opposing to the other people participating in the counseling,
who keep their hands on their lap, their posture indicative of the openness to potentially deal with
grief in a healthy way, Annie keeps her head down, her arms crossed beneath her chest. She is
placed at the center of the shot, her jacket still on, contrary to most of the other people in the room.
The people next to Annie are dressed in lighter colors, making her visually stand out.

Figure 15 - Hereditary: Annie in the grief counseling group (19:29)

26
At first, Annie refuses to speak when asked to. Eventually, she agrees and starts talking. As the
camera zooms in on her, she starts describing her journey and life through grief. The way she
announces to the group why she is there is cold and abrupt, My mom was old and she wasn’t all
together at the end – and we were pretty much estranged before that – So it wasn’t a huge blow.
But I did love her. This statement is somewhat contradictory: how can Annie state that she loves
her mother yet say that her death wasn’t a huge blow? She continues, And she didn’t have an easy
life, recounting the death of her father, by starvation, and the death of her brother, by suicide. It is
almost as if Annie is trying to find a justification for her mother’s actions, and for their relationship,
that she describes after taking a break and allowing herself to look around. The scene cuts to
Annie’s point of view of the room, the group is completely silent, exchanging worried looks;
probably because Annie just announced that mental illnesses are common in her family, possibly
hereditary: Ellen suffered from DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) and dementia, Annie’s father
suffered from psychotic depression, and her brother suffered from schizophrenia. Annie has been
grieving all her life, for her father, her brother and now, her mother. With no interruption from the
group, Annie continues by claiming She [Ellen] is completely manipulative, using the present
tense, therefore indicating that she is not over her traumatic childhood and adulthood. Annie
blames Ellen for every unresolved trauma that was ever inflicted on her. She withheld the
opportunity for Ellen to be close to Peter when he was born, I didn’t let her near me when I had
my first – my son, but did so when Charlie was born, which is why I gave her my daughter, who
she immediately stabbed her hooks into. This line alone foreshadows the entire plot, from here
onwards.

It is known from a previous conversation Annie had with Charlie, that the girl was Ellen’s favorite,
indicating that the eldest didn’t even allow Annie to breastfeed her. At first, it appears as if this
doesn’t necessarily bother Annie; she is playful with her daughter, attempting to perhaps instill
some comfort. However, she clearly resents this and views it as a traumatic event, as can be seen
in her workshop in the next scene, where she aggressively turns a miniature scene where a Annie
is breastfeeding Charlie, whilst a sick Ellen watches bedside, while offering her breast to feed the
baby. The choice to depict such pivotal information regarding Ellen and Annie’s life by using the
recurrent theme of miniature modeling, only points to how much this situation bothered and
annoyed Annie.

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 Figure 16 - Hereditary: Miniature model of Annie, Charlie, and Ellen (13:04)

Annie’s resentment toward Ellen can be analyzed under Jung’s concept of the mother-complex,
“the mother always plays an active part in the origin of the disturbance, especially in infantile
neuroses (…) the child's instincts are disturbed, and this constellates archetypes which, in their
turn, produce fantasies that come between the child and its mother as an alien and often frightening
element.” (Jung, 1980: 85). Jung divides the mother-complex based on their influence on either
the “son” or the “daughter”. For this analysis, it is interesting to use “The Mother-Complex of the
Daughter”, which Jung elaborates in four different types, most notably, regarding Annie and Ellen,
the “Resistance to the Mother”, where he writes that this type refers to an “overwhelming
resistance to maternal supremacy” (Jung, 1980: 90). This can be observed by the way Annie
attempts to deal with her own emotions to protect her loved ones, as opposed to Ellen who
traumatized her, manipulated her, “The motto of this type is: Anything, so long as it is not like
Mother!” (Jung, 1980: 90). Eventually, Annie does become like her mother. After Charlie dies,
decapitated whilst being run to the hospital by a drugged Peter, Annie unintentionally assigns the
blame on her son. Her relationship with her son is already marked by an emotional gap that is very
clear from the beginning of the movie: Peter and Annie don’t share meaningful conversations, like
she does with Charlie, and Peter only seems comfortable talking with his father, Steve (Gabriel
Byrne).

28
 Figure 17 - Hereditary: Peter talking to Steve (08:10) Figure 18 - Hereditary: Peter talking to Annie (25:38)
(Treated by the author: +20% brightness) (Treated by the author: +10% brightness)

Just from Peter’s reactions to having to talk to both his parents, it is obvious that he is comfortable
speaking to Steve: he smiles, doesn’t shift his position, and appears relaxed; While talking to
Annie, he doesn’t go beyond the door at her office, his posture is slouched, his hands are in his
pockets, almost as if he is reticent to speak to her. Steve also makes a point to look at Peter when
they’re speaking, he searches for eye contact, as assurance that he is being listened to and is
listening as well. Annie doesn’t even look up from the model she is working on, signaling to her
disinterest in Peter.

Figure 19 - Hereditary: Steve talking to Peter (08:11) Figure 20 - Hereditary: Annie talking to Peter (25:41)
(Treated by the author: +20% brightness)

Instead of seeking comfort from her family after Charlie’s death, Annie furthers the gap between
them, especially with Peter. This gap that is forming between Peter and her mother is aural and
visual in the editing of the film. After Annie finds Charlie’s decapitated body, the scene cuts, with
Annie screaming and crying in the background sound, to Charlie’s decaying head on the side of
the road. Without breaking the sound of crying, it cuts once again to Annie on her bedroom floor,
kneeling and being comforted by Steve. Peter stands in the hallway alone, expressionless.

29
 Figure 21 - Hereditary: Annie being comforted by Steve Figure 22 - Hereditary: Peter in the hallway, listening to
(37:50) (Treated by the author: +20% brightness) Annie's cries (38:35) (Treated by the author: +55%
brightness)

The scene cuts away immediately, without breaking the sound of Annie’s anguished cries, to the
Charlie’s funeral. With the casket in the middle of the shot, Annie and Steve stand on one side,
Peter stands away from them, once again, expressionless. Even after the funeral, Peter doesn’t mix
with the people in the wake. Annie is alone, apparently sleeping, Steve is walking around, talking
to people, Peter stands behind a glass, watching everything from a distance, signifying the
alienation and isolation he feels and is about to experience for the rest of the film.

Figure 23 - Hereditary: Charlie's funeral (38:38) Figure 24 - Hereditary: Peter at Charlie's wake (39:14)

Annie’s disinterest in Peter’s well-being is more notable in a scene where Peter comes back from
school. Unaware of Annie’s presence inside the parked car, Peter is shown to be gathering courage
to enter his own home. Annie’s disinterest to seeing her son hurt and afraid to go inside his own
home is heartbreaking, as she no longer has the need to offer him the comfort and the care that a
mother would normally have. Although Annie has been estranged from Peter throughout the whole
movie, she admits in a conversation with Joan, that this has been a recurrent theme in their
relationship. When Joan asks her about the relationship with her son, Annie shows signs of guilt
and regret with its degrading state. She recalls an incident that happened a couple of years back,
when, while sleepwalking, she doused herself, Peter and Charlie in paint thinner. When she woke

30
up, she had a box of matches in her hand, and as she struck one of the matches, Peter woke up and
started screaming. Even though the incident took place years ago, Annie is still extremely
defensive, as portrayed by Toni Collete’s facial expressions, almost as if it was ridiculous the
thought or insinuation that she would ever harm her own children.

Figure 25 - Hereditary: Annie’s face contorted while she talks about her sleepwalking attempt to kill Peter and Charlie (53:46)

This defensive stand completely disregards the thought that Peter is obviously traumatized by
waking up to his mother trying to burn them alive. Yet Annie blames him for their continually
disappointing relationship, saying that he always held this situation over her.

It appears that for Annie, every negative thing that happens, is someone else’s fault, and there is a
parallel between her relationship with Peter, and her relationship with Ellen. This projection that
Annie makes in familial relationships, originated in her own relationship with her mother. Jung
writes “All her [the daughter] instincts are concentrated on the mother in the negative form of
resistance and are therefore of no use to her in building her own life” (Jung, 1980: 91).

3.1.2. Midsommar

Contrary to Hereditary, in Midsommar, the mother archetype extends from the conventional
figures associated with motherhood. The film focuses on Dani Ardor and how she navigates the
Hårga community, transforming from a simple visitor to the May Queen, mother of crops, an
important figure in the cult’s culture. Dani’s role in the pagan cult is foreshadowed from the very
31
first shot in the film, which is of a painting depicting the most important moments in the film, with
special emphasis on Dani, dressed in a pink jacket and a long blue skirt.

This opening mural was painted by Mu Pan, a contemporary artist, described by Aster as “one of
my favorite contemporary artists, [Mu Pan,] a modern [Hieronymus] Bosch.” (Beresford, 2019).
The influence from Bosch is clear, taking into account paintings like “The Garden of Earthly
Delights”, painted between 1490 and 1500. Bosch’s painting’s theme is “the fate of humanity”,
organized in three distinct panels: the left panel with “God presenting Eve to Adam” in Paradise,
the middle panel, a continuation of Paradise “through the use of a single, continuous landscape
with a high horizon line”, depicting the concept of sin in various ways, and the right panel depicts
punishment in Hell as the only fate for humanity (Silva Maroto, 2016). Unlike “The Garden of
Earthly Delights”, the mural painted by Mu Pan follows the opposite flow of Bosch’s panels, with
death being in the first panel, then following, from left to right, the journey of Dani and her friends’
transformation by the hand of the Hårgas.

Figure 26 - Midsommar: First shot of the film (00:25)

The second shot of the movie that foreshadows Dani’s role as May Queen is the shot of her parents’
bedroom where her picture is surrounded by flowers, hinting at the crown she wears after being
crowned later in the film. There is also a clear contrast in colors from the opening act with the
demise of Dani’s parents and sister, that lead to a worsening of her mental health issues and,
subsequently, to her willingness to be integrated in the pagan cult. The greyish-blue color is
32
prominent in the next scenes, as the audience is shown Dani’s personality and how she copes with
grief, whilst trying to maintain her relationship with Christian (Jack Reynor) on good terms.
Eventually the blue and gray tints are replaced by a more vibrant yellow and green, when Dani
arrives to Hälsingland, in Sweden.

Figure 27 - Midsommar: Dani's picture with flowers (02:26) Figure 28 - Midsommar: Dani is crowned May Queen
(Treated by the author: +45% brightness) (1:45:36)

Dani’s presence within the Hårga community is also foreshadowed by some of the members of the
cult. Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) shows genuine happiness when talking to Dani about the festival
they are going to attend, and appears suspiciously happy, when Dani takes interest in the former
May Queen, That’s last year’s May Queen. Taking a brief pause, he looks over at Dani fondly and
adds, You know, I’m very, very glad you’re coming.

Figure 29 - Midsommar: Pelle shows Dani the former May Figure 30 - Midsommar: Pelle is happy Dani is going to
Queen (21:11) Hälsingland (21:17)

Furthermore, upon arriving in Hälsingland, every single outsider is greeted by a simple Welcome,
except Dani, who is greeted by Father Odd (Mats Blomgren), an elderly of the Hårgas, with a hug
and a warm, Welcome home. Looking directly at Dani, Father Odd adds We are so very happy to
have you, not making visual contact with the rest of the guests. He also hugs Dani the same way
he hugs Pelle, so it can be stated that perhaps he considers her to be part of their family already.

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 Figure 31 - Midsommar: Father Odd hugging Dani (35:43)

Dani is included by Hårgas in many of the rituals and day to day chores. One of the rituals is the
dance with which the cult chooses their May Queen: several girls, after drinking a drugged tea,
dance until they drop to the floor, and the last one standing is crowned the May Queen, given a
place of honor at a feast, and then is taken to perform a ritual to bless the harvest and the cattle.
Dani’s character and her journey throughout the film mirror the transformation associated with the
mother archetype, as are “various vessels such as the baptismal font, or to vessel-shaped flowers
like the rose or the lotus” (Jung, 1980: 81). Flowers are a very recurrent motif throughout the film,
with a special emphasis on flowery themes in clothing and decoration as the story gets closer to an
end, symbolizing the culmination of the changes and the rebirth of Dani’s spirit.

Figure 32 - Midsommar: Dani wins May Queen (1:43:44) Figure 33 - Midsommar: Dani's dress as May Queen
(2:05:16)

Her final role of May Queen can be seen as a mythical role of a mother, as she is associated with
“fertility and fruitfulness” (Jung, 1980: 81), and Jung finds it possible that “there are what might

34
be termed mothers in a figurative sense. To this category belongs the goddess (…) Mythology
offers many variations of the mother archetype” (Jung, 1980: 81).

However, Dani is not the only figure of the mother archetype present in the film: all of the female
Hårgans appear to behave following a cultural code imposed by their religion, which is mainly
focused on nurturing and caring for each other. Throughout the film, the audience is continuously
being shown how the Hårgans function as a society, what their beliefs are, and who performs in
the highest positions within them. Women in the Hårga occupy all sorts of work posts, from simply
cooking all the meals seen in the film and doing laundry, with characters such as Maja (Isabelle
Grill) and Inga (Julia Ragnarsson), to recognizing the new May Queen and allowing outsiders to
mate with their women as well, with the two elder women Siv (Gunnel Fred) and Irma (Anki
Larsson), always holding a position of empathy and caring toward every member of their
community. Jung explains “The qualities associated with it [the mother archetype] are maternal
solicitude and sympathy; the magic authority of the female; the wisdom and spiritual exaltation
that transcend reason; any helpful instinct or impulse; all that is benign, all that cherishes and
sustains, that fosters growth and fertility.” (Jung, 1980: 82). Female Hårgans as a collective and,
eventually, Dani act as the figure of the mother in Midsommar, which is in theme for the film since
it is said by Pelle that Everybody sort of does everything together. This statement is supported by
most scenes in the film. However, there are two that directly link to “the qualities of maternal
solicitude and sympathy” (Jung, 1980: 82). One of the scenes shows Christian having forced sexual
relations, as he is under the influence of various drugs, with Maja, while several of the Hårga
women watch and moan along with her. The second scene, shows Dani, crying and throwing up,
after finding out that Christian is cheating on her. However, for the first time in the film, she is
held and cared for by the Hårgan women, that allow her to scream and cry, even joining in.

35
 Figure 34 - Midsommar: Christian in the mating ceremony Figure 35 - Midsommar: Dani with the Hårgan women
(2:00:57) (2:00:09)

The latter scene is the perfect contrast to how, earlier in the film, both Christian and the editing of
the film would not allow Dani to express her emotions in the same way she does with the Hårgans.
When Dani finds out about the murder-suicide of her parents and sister, she is in fact held by
Christian while she cries, however it looks like it is an obligation for him, as he sits expressionless
while hugging her. Later in the film, when Dani finds out that Christian and his friends are taking
a trip to Sweden, she attempts to explain to her boyfriend that she is hurt by the fact that he did not
tell her about it. Yet Christian treats this argument as if Dani is attacking him, even though she is
not. Dani has an emotional dependency on Christian, which she fears may be driving him away,
as she explains to a friend, I lean on him constantly for support (…) What if I need him too often
and it becomes a chore? This can be seen by the way she behaves around and with him, always
apologetic, even when she doesn’t have to be, as indicated by the position of her hands, always
together and fidgeting. In some scenes the audience is also drawn to where and how Christian is
shown in the shot, as can be observed when Dani confronts him about the omission of his trip to
Sweden. Dani and Christian are both in frame. However, he is in the reflection of the mirror, with
a lamp on either side of him, drawing attention to him in this scene, signifying the inevitable
rupture that will happen later.

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 Figure 36 - Midsommar: Dani and Christian in the mirror (14:50) (Treated by the author: +40% brightness)

Regarding the editing of the film not allowing Dani to express her emotions, there is a key moment
after the Ättestupa, the sacrificial suicide of two elder members, when Dani, obviously upset and
disturbed by the violent ritual, and perhaps still attempting to navigate the unresolved grief
connected to her family’s death, walks away to get a moment alone, not allowing herself to cry
until she is alone. When she finally allows herself to cry, the film only allows her one sob and then
the scene is cut abruptly. Even though the audience is aware of her feelings, the editing does not
allow it to be shown too much before cutting to Hårgans setting up the stage for the next communal
reunion, therefore not allowing Dani to express herself, contrary to the way she then expresses her
pain with the group of Hårgan women.

3.1.3. Beau is Afraid

In Beau is Afraid, however, Aster allows its characters to display emotion with an anxiety inducing
purpose. Beau is shown throughout the film as someone who is extremely anxious, perhaps
depressed, and with an emotional attachment to his mother, Mona. The emotional attachment
theme is clear from the very first second of the film, as well as is the feeling of unease that becomes
recurrent throughout, both the film and Beau’s life. The film begins with Beau’s birth, from his
point of view, while his mother nervously yells at the doctor. After an appointment with his
therapist, Beau is shown to be walking through a world that, as is revealed to the audience later in
the film, is constructed by his mother. Beau’s first phone call to his mother is to inform her that he

37
will not be able to meet her for the anniversary of his father’s death. This phone call allows the
audience to join Beau in his anxious state of mind while talking to Mona. When explaining that
his keys were stolen from his door, therefore keeping him from catching his flight, the camera
moves closer and closer to Beau, as he attempts to answer Mona’s questions. After Beau explains
that he is still at his apartment, Mona points out that his flight is in an hour, and her voice tone
changes abruptly after a small pause, which alarms Beau and makes him visibly nervous, as he
keeps repeating that the keys were stolen. This invokes a sense of doom for Beau, and for the
audience, from the beginning of the movie.

Figure 37 - Beau is Afraid: Beau nervous after Mona’s tone change (19:14)

Beau’s apartment mirrors his submissive personality, with neutral colors and no decoration that
could provide some information regarding his personality. Mona’s house, however, is bigger and
has a cleaner aspect to it. It is also very modern, with a lot of natural light and the walls appear to
be filled either with art or pictures of Beau and Mona. One of the techniques Aster uses in Beau is
Afraid, as he does in Hereditary and Midsommar, is foreshadowing through symbols and moments,
some more obvious than other. While talking about Mona to his therapist, played by Stephen
McKinley Henderson, he writes the word ‘GUILTY’ on his notepad, foreshadowing the trial Beau
goes through at the end of the film. As the audience finds out, Beau’s life is being meticulously
supervised by Mona, who infiltrates people in his life, as well as taking control of where he lives
and who he is surrounded by. Beau is confronted with this fact when he walks around Mona’s

38
house and discovers a picture of him taken from surveillance footage from when he was held
captive at Grace (Amy Ryan) and George’s (Nathan Lane) house, displays of the premade food he
eats at the beginning of the film, the housing project where he lives, a sign advertising security
cameras, which the audience knows to have been used to spy on Beau, and a picture of Mona made
up of employees from her company MW (for Mona Wassermann)5. This is Aster’s most direct
visual technique of saying that Beau’s life is controlled by Mona in every way, since everyone in
his life works for her. This technique is paired with the audio of the film, first when the voiceover
at the funeral says And Mona, who was a devoted mother to her sole surviving son, Beau, whom
she loved so deeply, and who has elected not to be present today (2:04:57); and secondly, where
the song “Everything I Own”, sung by Bread, can be heard:

You sheltered me from harm And I would give anything I own

Kept me warm, kept me warm I'd give up my life, my heart, my home
You gave my life to me I would give everything I own
Set me free, set me free Just to have you back again
The finest years I ever knew (Gates, 1972)
Were all the years I had with you

Every audio clue hints at Mona’s state of mind regarding her relationship with Beau: she feels as
if he “elected not to be present” at her fake funeral, when it was in fact not a choice made by him,
simply an unfortunate chain of events that did not allow him to be present; and the song choice
hints at what Mona feels like Beau should be feeling, since it is the way she feels as she gave up
everything for him.

5 Mona’s picture in the film, resembles Myra, a 1995 painting of Myra Hindley, an English serial killer, that raped and murdered
five children (ages ranging from 10 to 17), known as the Moors murders, along with her boyfriend Ian Brady, between the years of
1963 and 1965. The painting, by Marcus Harvey, is made up of an infant’s white, grey and black handprints, to reproduce Hindley’s
mugshot. Much like Beau and Mona’s relationship, Hindley was obsessed with Brady, which lead her into a life of brutal crimes,
with a legacy as a serial killer for almost 60 years. Mona and Myra also share similarities regarding their name, composed by 4
letters.

39
 Figure 38 - Beau is Afraid: Beau looks at the surveillance Figure 39 - Beau is Afraid: Advertising sign that reads "Your
picture of him (2:06:37) security has been our business for 40 years” (2:07:06)

Figure 40 - Beau is Afraid: Beau examines Mona's picture Figure 41 - Beau is Afraid: Close up on the employees'
made up of the faces of her employees (2:08:35) pictures, where Roger, Elaine and other employees are
recognizable (2:09:03)

Aster’s preference for foreshadowing symbols and scenes extends to other scenes, such as the one
where, on his way home after his therapy session, Beau walks by a small child, playing with a boat
in the water. When the child is approached by his own mother, berating him for leaving her side
and taking the controls away, the boat tips over, mirroring Beau’s boat tipping over when he is
considered guilty at his trial. Once Beau arrives at his mother’s house after the funeral, there is a
statue similar to the small one he got for Mona at the beginning of the film, looking over him as if
it is judging him for arriving late to the funeral.

40
 Figure 42 - Beau is Afraid: A boy is pulled by his mother Figure 43 - Beau is Afraid: Statue at Mona’s house looking
(left), his motorized toy boat tips over in the water (07:16) over Beau (2:03:57)

Mona’s presence in Beau’s life feels suffocating and claustrophobic, and his fate is decided by
Mona from the beginning of the film. Mona is a figure of the “Terrible Mother” archetype that
Jung describes as the mother “who devours and destroys, and thus symbolizes death itself.” (Jung,
1967: 540). He recalls a case where a woman, just like Mona, “kept her children tied to her with
unnatural love and devotion.” (Jung, 1967: 540). Mona clearly keeps Beau from living his own
life, from a very young age. She instigates in Beau a fear of sexual relationships as a whole, telling
him that his father died at the exact moment of his conception, evidently causing Beau to be alone
and without the presence of another female role in his life, “The mother apparently possesses the
libido of the son (the treasure she guards so jealously), and this is in fact true so long as the son
remains unconscious of himself.” (Jung, 1967: 589). When Beau reconnects with his childhood
crush, he becomes conscious of himself, as he, although uncertain, has sexual relations with Elaine
(Parker Posey). Elaine can be looked at as a mother herself, since she is the reason behind Beau’s
sudden aware consciousness. She, along with Mona, belongs to Jung’s dual-mother motif and this
“suggests the idea of a dual birth. One of the mothers is the real, human mother, the other is the
symbolical mother; in other words, she is distinguished as being divine, supernatural, or in some
way extraordinary.” (Jung, 1967: 532). Mona’s presence and control over Beau and Elaine is felt
even in this intimate and transformative moment through the background song Elaine chooses,
“Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carey. The lyrics of this song, paired with the visuals of the
scene, accentuate the awkwardness of the situation, as the song says:

We were as one, babe No you'll always be a part of me

For a moment in time I'm part of you indefinitely
And it seemed everlasting Boy don't you know you can't escape me

41
 That you would always be mine Oh darlin' 'cause you'll always be my baby
Now you want to be free And we'll linger on
So I'm lettin' you fly Time can't erase a feelin' this strong
'Cause I know in my heart babe No way you're never gonna shake me
Our love will never die Oh darlin' cause you'll always be my baby
(Carey et al., 1996)
Both “Everything I Own” and “Always Be My Baby” have a running theme of belonging to
someone else, the inability to escape and to be set free. However there are some controlling
subtones to it when the songs are applied to Beau is Afraid, in lines such as “I would give
everything I own / Just to have you back again” (Gates, 1972) and “No you'll always be a part of
me / I'm part of you indefinitely / Boy don't you know you can't escape me” (Carey et al., 1996).
Both songs are used in a scenario where Beau is the main focus of the shot, when he makes
groundbreaking discoveries about himself and his life, as if he is being serenaded by his mother
throughout these changing and significant moments.

After climaxing, Beau realizes that his mother had been lying to him his own life, since he did not
die. This is a major turning point for Beau, as he is capable of standing up for himself when Mona
confronts him about their relationship, by using voice recordings of his therapy sessions. Before
Mona is able to finish telling Beau that she hates him, he strangles her enraged. Beau seems
genuinely disturbed by his own actions, as this is a clear sign of rupture in their relationship. This
rupture carries the weight of their attachment to each other, “the violence of the separation is
proportionate to the strength of the bond uniting the son with the mother” (Jung, 1967: 518).
However, it also indicates how much control Mona had on Beau’s unconscious and personality,
“and the stronger this broken bond was in the first place, the more dangerously does the “mother”
approach him in the guise of the unconscious.” (Jung, 1967: 518).

42
 4. Freud and Religion
According to Sigmund Freud, an individual’s behavior and personality is influenced by the
conscious, preconscious and the unconscious mind. As written in “The Unconscious”, the
conscious refers to “conscious mental acts, such as ideas, purposes, resolutions and so on” (Freud,
1981c: 168). As per Freud’s essay “The Ego and the Id”, the state of consciousness is
“characteristically very transitory”, as something that is “conscious now is no longer so a moment
later” (Freud, 1986: 14). Although the conscious mind is important to Freud, the psychoanalyst
focuses mainly on the unconscious mind and what techniques to use in order to decode it best.
Freud states, in the same essay, that there are “two kinds of unconscious – the one which is (…)
unconscious only descriptively, not in the dynamic sense, we call preconscious; we restrict the
term unconscious to the dynamically unconscious repressed” (Freud, 1986: 15). Even though the
preconscious is considered to be part of the unconscious, it sits closer to the conscious mind than
to the unconscious mind, as it applies to every thought, idea and wish that is unconscious but can
be moved in to awareness. The unconscious then becomes everything that is purposely, or not,
repressed. Freud writes in “The Interpretation of Dreams”, “Everything conscious has an
unconscious preliminary stage [E.g.: the preconscious]; whereas what is unconscious may remain
at that stage (…) The unconscious is the true psychical reality” (Freud, 1981a: 612-613).

According to the essay “The Ego and the Id”, Freud believed the human psyche, both the conscious
and the unconscious mind, to be divided into three hypothetical parts: the ego (reality), the
superego (morality) and the id (instincts). The ego is “that part of the id which has been modified
by the direct influence of the external world (…) The ego represents what may be called reason
and common sense” (Freud, 1986: 25), as it derives from the id and acts on it, while balancing
these unconscious needs with the pressures of the outside world; the superego “is less firmly
connected with consciousness” (Freud, 1986: 28) and it represents “the outcome of two highly
important factors, one of a biological and the other of a historical nature” (Freud, 1986: 35),
meaning it holds the ability to distinguish the wrong and right based on the moral ideals and
standards acquired by parents and society; the id “which contains the passions” (Freud, 1986: 25),
harbors “residues of the existences of countless egos” (Freud, 1986: 38), thus containing all of the
unconscious needs, desires and emotions.

43
Given that Freud’s theories and beliefs are related to the human mind, they become relevant when
analyzing Aster’s films, especially when it comes to religion and the way it affects and is affected
by believers. Freud did not consider himself to be affiliated with religious beliefs. He writes about
himself in “Totem and Taboo”, identifying himself as “an author who is ignorant of the language
of holy writ, who is completely estranged from the religion of his fathers – as well as from every
other religion” (Freud, 1981b: xv). Although Freud is nothing but familiar with religions and their
language, this gap between the psychoanalytic and religion is explored throughout his work, such
as the essay “The Future of an Illusion”, where he maintains the same perspective: “religion is
comparable to a childhood neurosis” (Freud, 1981e: 53).

Aster uses Freud’s beliefs regarding religion and the structure of the mind in his feature films as a
way to explore the human mind. The most obvious representations of religion and mental health
issues being seen in Hereditary, with the cult that worships Paimon and the family’s collective
declining mental health, and Midsommar, with the Hårgan community and Dani dealing with grief
and acceptance. In Beau is Afraid, albeit subtler than in Hereditary and Midsommar, there are also
themes regarding family pressure relating to religion and the toll this takes on Beau, as well as his
symbiotic relationship with his mother.

44
 4.1. Hereditary

Freud’s theories about the human mind are relevant when analyzing Aster’s films, as they have the
evolution of the mind as a focal point. Despite being heavily focused on family relationships and
the evolution of a family affected by grief, Aster’s Hereditary maintains its connection with the
horror genre by using the element of a cult and their practices. Although the Graham family has
no knowledge of the cult of Paimon until the third act of the film, their lives are shown to be
moderately controlled by the cult, once led by Ellen, Annie’s mother. From the beginning of the
movie, it is clear that Annie has trauma, mainly related to her own mother, who she describes as
manipulative. After going through Ellen’s boxes, Annie makes the shocking discovery that her
mother was part of the group that worships the demon King Paimon, and Aster hints at a more
important role within the group, showing pictures of Ellen in a white dress, being covered in gold
coins by the other members. The fact that Ellen is in all-white clothing also suggests Leigh’s high
role, as the color white is associated with the promise of peace and beginnings.

Figure 44 - Hereditary: Ellen (in white) being covered in gold coins by other members of the cult (1:34:40)

Aster chose one of the demon kings, Paimon, using for his research the book “The Lesser Key of
Solomon”, an anonymously published collection of magic spells, sorcery and mysticism. Paimon
is “The Ninth Spirit (…) a Great King, and very obedient unto Lucifer” (de Laurence, 1916: 24).
Aster decided to add more information about King Paimon, which he wrote himself, which appears
briefly in the film when Annie is going through Ellen’s belongings. It reads “When successfully

45
invoked, King Paimon will possess the most vulnerable host.” (1:33:39) and “King Paimon is a
male, thus covetous of a male human body.” (1:33:44). This explains the chain of possessions seen
throughout the movie, beginning with Charlie, the most vulnerable member of the Graham family,
and eventually ending with Peter in the final scenes of the film, when he has already lost his sister,
his father and his mother, who attacked him and then died by suicide in front of him. Paimon is
also described as being the God of Mischief, and because of its connection to Charlie from the
beginning of the film it is also associated with birds: she is seen beheading a pigeon; in the final
scenes a mannequin representing Paimon, dressed with Charlie’s head, is accompanied by a caged
bird. According to Freud’s essay “Repression”, it is normal for a God to be associated with an
animal, either for sacrificial purposes or as a totem, “there are a multiplicity of relations between
the god and the sacred animal (the totem or the sacrificial victim)” (Freud, 1981b: 147).

Paimon’s cult is not fully explored throughout the film. However, Aster makes use of the different
techniques to show how present they are in the Graham family’s life and how they inevitably affect
their lives. From the funeral onward, there are quick shots of members of the cult, either just
looking at the main characters, like the blonde man at Ellen’s funeral that stares and smiles at
Charlie, or directly interacting with them in order to steer them into the place the family needs to
be for the cult to take possession of a male body, or like Joan, who befriends Annie and teaches
her the incantations to allow Charlie’s spirit to possess Peter. Charlie is closely followed by the
group since she is shown to be the one whose spirit can hold Paimon. However, since she was born
a girl, Paimon cannot take full control of Charlie’s body. Charlie shows from the beginning of the
movie the knowledge that something is different about her, when describing the relationship she
had with Ellen, claiming that She [Ellen] wanted me to be a boy. Even though she does not speak
of her concerns directly with Annie, Charlie is portrayed as a child that feels as if they don’t belong
anywhere, due to not knowing their identity. Ellen’s insistence on using Charlie as a provisional
vessel for Paimon’s spirit, makes her unable to create an identity and makes her feel alone, even
within her own family. Ellen’s spirit reveals itself to Charlie further into the film, therefore assuring
the girl that she is meaningful in some way. Freud writes in “Moses and Monotheism”: “it is clearly
not enough to assure them that they have been chosen by the deity. The fact must also be proved
to them in some way if they are to believe it and to draw consequences from the belief.” (Freud,
1981g: 111). By revealing herself to Charlie, Ellen keeps her granddaughter’s spirit believing in
Paimon, making her more susceptible to the spiritualism that keeps Paimon present.

46
This incessant need to approach the Graham family hints at Ellen’s higher position in the cult,
either because she founded the cult or because she offered her entire bloodline to be exploited by
King Paimon, starting with Annie’s father and brother6. However, after knowing that King Paimon
needs a male able body to possess, it is also hinted at the possibility that Annie’s father starved
himself so that Ellen couldn’t use his body for the ritual. While talking about his brother, Annie
refers that He accused her [Ellen] of trying to put people inside of him, which may be true. Perhaps
Annie’s brother wasn’t schizophrenic, but was in a way sensing the evil presence of Paimon, the
same way Peter does. The cult’s devotion to their cause, following Ellen’s orders even after she
has passed away, may be explained through “what it [religion] undertakes to do for human beings.”
(Freud, 1981f: 161), as per Freud’s lecture “The Question of a Weltanschauung”. The members of
the cult are promised a comfortable life, “protection and of ultimate happiness in the ups and downs
of life” (Freud, 1981f: 161), mentioned from the same lecture. Therefore they are acting with an
end goal that ignores the brutality of the way they behave in order to reach it.

Annie’s behavior throughout the movie also hints at the possibility that, deep down in her repressed
unconscious, she also knows that something has always been wrong. To explore this angle, Aster
employs a scene that follows Annie’s dream. In this dream, Annie watches as Peter is covered in
ants, apparently dead. Suddenly, he awakens and asks Annie why is she scared of him. Annie
responds I never wanted to be your mother. Even though Annie is shocked that she said that, she
continues I didn’t feel like a mother. But she pressured me. Annie is clearly talking about Ellen,
who as it is known after watching the film wanted a male body for Paimon to take over. She goes
on to admitting that she attempted to have a miscarriage but nothing worked, and that she is happy
it didn’t work. When Peter questions her Why did you try to kill me?, Annie answers I didn’t! I was
trying to save you! The scene moves at a quick pace, with shots of Peter in his bed and Annie
standing in front of him, the camera always cutting back and forth between both of them. In one
of the cuts, Peter and Annie are abruptly covered in what can be assumed to be paint thinner,
recalling the sleepwalking episode she described Joan earlier in the film. This abrupt change in
their appearance, coupled with both of them screaming and the cuts between both of them, is
designed to truly assert that this is a dream and to make the audience feel uneasy, since Annie is
saying hurtful things to and about her son. Annie’s dream could be viewed as “a psychical structure

6 (Cf. page 27)

47
which has a meaning and which can be inserted at an assignable point in the mental activities of
waking life.” (Freud, 1971: 1), meaning this dream can and will influence the way she behaves
towards her emotions in life, because her unconscious fears and anxieties have now become
conscious.

As mentioned before, Aster uses Annie’s job as a miniature artist as a starting point for the film to
portray the idea that the Graham family is being controlled by higher powers. This turns out to be
true, more obviously by the end of the film, as the cult is present in quick shots and sometimes not
even fully in frame. One example of this technique is the shot where Peter is shown to be smoking
at his bedroom window, unknowingly being watched by what can be assumed to be a member of
the cult. The shot is focused on Peter. However, there is another presence to the left side of the
shot, but only the breath condensation can be seen. Although, by the end of the movie, the cult can
be seen surrounding the Graham family house, scattered across the grounds of the house in the
night. It is an unsettling shot, only noticeable when rewatching the film, as the naked cult members
blend with the forest around the house.

Figure 45 - Hereditary: Peter being watched, most likely by a Figure 46 - Hereditary: The cult of Paimon surrounding the
member of the cult of Paimon, while smoking at his window. Graham family house (1:46:52) (Treated by the author: +40%
(22:31) (Treated by the author: +40% brightness) brightness)

4.2.Midsommar

All through Midsommar, Dani is driven away from Christian by the Hårga, both physically and
emotionally, and by the end of the film, she is portrayed as one of the members, smiling as if she
has finally found bliss with her new family. When exploring the group mentality with the essay
“Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego”, Freud analysis the genesis behind “highly
organized, lasting and artificial groups.” (Freud, 1981d: 93), such as “Churches – communities of
believers” (Freud, 1981d: 93). Freud believes these artificial groups are controlled by an external

48
force. Even though the Hårga is portrayed as a communal society, which is not the case, as there
are members of the group that have control over the cult and manipulate the outsiders, such as
Grandmother Siv and Father Odd, since they “prevent them [artificial groups] from disintegrating
and (…) check alterations in their structure.” (Freud, 1981d: 93).

Furthermore, both Grandmother Siv and Father Odd take direct control over the decisions that
eventually lead to Christian’s demise and Dani’s integration into the group. Grandmother Siv
manipulates Christian into taking part of the mating ritual with Maja7, promising him an inside
look into the ceremony, as he is writing his thesis about the Hårga. This leads to Dani finding out
about the betrayal of their relationship and choosing Christian for the sacrifice at the end of the
film. On the other hand, Father Odd immediately welcomes Dani to the group, embracing her as
if he was welcoming her into her new home8. It could be possible that Pelle, whose sole job is to
bring in outsiders for the sacrifices along with his brother Ingemar, has talked about Dani in great
detail, to the point that Dani’s experience in the midsummer festival is controlled, in order for her
to be part of the Hårga by the time the festival ends. Dani is in a severe depression and her declining
mental health throughout the film mirrors the amount of attention the Hårgans provide her with,
making her the perfect addition to their commune. Freud writes in “The Future of an Illusion” that
“devout believers are safeguarded in a high degree against the risk of a certain neurotic illnesses;
their acceptance of the universal neurosis spares them the task of constructing a personal one.”
(Freud, 1981e: 44); meaning that religion acts as an escape from personal problems , and as a
projection of these onto a universal unconscious shared with others going through similar personal
issues. In Midsommar, it is possible that Dani also uses the Hårga to create a different reality for
herself. Rather than being alone and dealing with the death of her family, she has found a group,
or a family, that not only listens to her but also make an effort to suffer with her. With the cult she
finds a replacement for all the missing elements in her harsh reality.

Much like Charlie in Hereditary being chosen since birth as a vessel for Paimon, Dani is also
portrayed as being the chosen one to take over as May Queen for the Hårga, what the essay “Moses
and Monotheism” explains: “If a people or a tribe sets out upon a great undertaking, it is only
expected that one of its members (…) will be chosen for that post.” (Freud, 1981g: 18). From the

7 (Cf. page 35)

8 (Cf. page 33-34)

49
moment Dani is welcomed into the commune, and subsequently into the Hårgan community, she
is considered and treated as the May Queen would. When first talking about the festival, Pelle
openly announces that he is most excited for Dani to attend it9, and immediately attempts to bond
with her by telling the story of how his parents died, leaving him an orphan, just like Dani, and
how the Hårga took him in and took care of him as a community. Pelle only mentions this because
he knows how much Dani procures security and a sense of family, that she is clearly not getting
from Christian. Dani’s acceptance in the Hårga allows her to pushed the grief and pain she still
experiences from the death of her family, therefore introducing her, without her control, into the
Hårga cult. Freud writes in the essay “Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego”: “As a rule
a person is not consulted, or is given no choice, as to whether he wants to enter such a group”
(Freud, 1981d: 93), much like Dani, who, given everything that happens in her life in the beginning
of the film, accepts this found family that provides her with every wish and desire she
unconsciously has, as the lecture “A Weltanschauung?” explains, “Religion is an attempt to master
the sensory world (…) by means of the wishful world which we have developed within us as a
result of biological and psychological necessities.” (Freud, 1981f: 168).

Throughout the film, the Hårga community slowly integrates the outsiders, providing them and the
audience with information regarding their rituals and their way of thinking. When the outsiders
and the Hårga witness the Ättestupa ceremony, where two elders of the community volunteer to
die by suicide after reaching the age of 72, Simon and Connie, brought to Hälsingland by Ingemar,
react with shock and anger at the situation. Grandma Siv explains that it is a custom within their
community, when a person reaches 72 years of age, they reach the end of their life cycle, We view
life as a circle, as a recycle. (…) Instead of getting old and dying in pain and fear and shame, we
give our life. As a gesture. Grandmother Siv mentions the name of one of the elders that sacrificed
and clarifies that one of the babies that has not been born yet will carry their name. This ties in
with what Pelle explains the group in a scene earlier in the film, We think of life like the seasons,
making each season the equivalent to 18 years. So the Hårga believe in a continuity in life within
their community, or as Freud writes in “Totem and Taboo”, “a sensation of ‘eternity’, a feeling as
of something limitless, unbounded” (Freud, 1981b: 64). By providing this belief of a limitless and
eternal life, the Hårga find comfort in knowing that their spiritual life does not finish with the end

9 (Cf. figure 30, page 33)

50
of their physical life, as “The Future of an Illusion” states: “religious ideas have arisen from (…)
the necessity of defending oneself against the crushingly superior force of nature” (Freud, 1981e:
21).

The Ättestupa ceremony is the first instance in the film where it is clear that the Hårga doesn’t
know that these practices are not conventional and accepted in society. When faced with the horror
and shock Connie and Simon demonstrate, Grandma Siv asks Ingemar if he did not warn them
about the ceremony. This first poses the question of why it was necessary to warn the outsiders
about the rituals and ceremonies performed by them. However, all of the Hårga appear confused
by these horrified reactions, given that amidst their community it is a rule, a custom, and
everyone’s destiny. Essentially, this pagan religion could be recognized as being part of “The
religions of mankind must be classed among the mass-delusions (…) No one, needless to say, who
shares a delusion ever recognizes it as such.” (Freud, 1981b: 82), as described in “Totem and
Taboo”. The Hårga does not recognize any differences from their way of thinking and that of the
outsiders, or even identify as a cult, since their way of life is all they have ever known and identified
as psychological fulfilling.

The cult is also shown in the film to use a variety of natural hallucinogenic drugs to connect with
one another and with the nature around them, such as magic mushrooms, which can cause a
distorted sense of place and time, and in Dani’s case, provoke panic and paranoia. While the rest
of the Dani’s group function well under the influence of this drug, Dani’s unconscious anxieties
are triggered by the mention of the word ‘family’, clearly reminding her of the recent tragedy.
When Dani runs into a dark bathroom, she looks in the mirror, watches as her face becomes
distorted, and for a second she sees the reflection of her dead sister. She then runs into the forest
alone, where she falls asleep. When she wakes up, she is unclear of what day it is and for how
much time she has been asleep. Throughout the film, there are several moments where it is clear
to see depictions of these hallucinations from Dani’s point of view: when she becomes May Queen,
she sees her dead parents in the crowd that is congratulating her; in the feast to celebrate her new
position she is able to feel the chair adorned with leaves and flowers breathing with her; when she
is taken to perform the blessing ritual, her sister’s figure with the mask over her mouth can be seen
outlined in the trees behind her. The choice to subtly insert Dani’s family in the vegetation and

51
even in the crowds at Hälsingland, act as a way of implying that they are present in her unconscious
mind at all times.

Figure 47 – Midsommar: Dani looking in the mirror, her face Figure 48 - Midsommar: Dani's sister's silhouette on the
distorted, and her sister's reflection in the mirror (32:14) trees, in the left upper corner (1:49:32)

The use of drugs by the Hårga can also be seen as a method to disorient the outsiders, as they plan
to use them as sacrifices in the festivities. This fabricated state of drugged confusion and ignorant
bliss is similar to the state of “hallucinatory confusion” Freud writes about when talking about
religion in “The Future of an Illusion”: “it [religion] comprises a system of wishful illusions
together with a disavowal of reality, such as we find (…) in a state of blissful hallucinatory
confusion” (Freud, 1981e: 43). Of the group of outsiders, only Simon and Connie appear to be
disturbed by the Ättestupa, causing them to try and leave Hälsingland. While Dani is initially
disturbed, Pelle is able to convince her to stay and to get to know his family, the Hårga. Josh, who
already knew what the ritual was about, is completely unfazed and eager to take notes on
everything he just saw, for his thesis. Christian is suddenly interested in writing his thesis about
the midsummer traditions the Hårga celebrate, and Mark, who was not present at the ritual, is just
in a state of unawareness throughout the whole film. Josh, Christian and Mark do not know they
are in danger until they are either killed or trapped by the Hårga. Meanwhile, when Dani first
discovers about the final tradition, the burning of the temple with every – sacrificial – gift inside
of it, she is in a state of different bliss. She is no longer ignorant regarding the violence that was
inflicted on her friends, yet she choses to ignore that due to how psychologically free and how at
peace she feels, now that she gets to choose to kill Christian in the fire. The final scene of the
movie shows the Hårga screaming, mimicking the pain of those inside the temple, as Dani smiles
– the only scene in the film where she is smiling of happiness – finally accepting to be integrated
into the Hårga.

52
 4.3. Beau is Afraid

In Beau is Afraid, Aster steers away from the violence of cults and their mentality and instead
choses to explore symbiotic relationships, like that of Beau and Mona. This film is particularly
interesting to delve into when Freud’s theories are taken into consideration. As was explored
before, Mona holds control over Beau’s life to an extent that even himself is not capable of grasping
until the end of the film. She takes advantage of the anxious personality she created and knowingly
forces him to be dependent on her. Guilt is also a major theme throughout the film, which Freud
writes extensively about in “Civilization and Its Discontents”, recognizing it as a tactic for
religions to control their believers, “Religions, at any rate, have never overlooked the part played
in civilization by a sense of guilt.” (Freud, 1981e: 136). As mentioned before, Beau is portrayed
as being this individual dealing with great anxiety, stemming from his relationship with his mother.
For example when he is not able to leave his apartment and misses his flight to go meet her, Mona
behaves in a way that makes Beau feel uneasy10, implying that it is his choice and decision to not
meet her. This state of uneasiness experienced by Beau is explained by the same essay, where it
reads “there are types of patients who are not aware of their sense of guilt, or who only feel it as a
tormenting uneasiness, a kind of anxiety, if they are prevented from carrying out certain actions.”
(Freud, 1981e: 135).

Furthermore, Aster’s storytelling is often reliant on foreshadowing moments and elements, such
as the one in the first scene with Dr. Friel11. The therapist’s action in this scene comes regarding
Beau’s answer to his question of how he is feeling about going home. When Beau reluctantly tells
him that it has been several months since he has been home, Dr. Friel asks him if he feels guilty
about that, to which Beau has no answer, making it obvious that he feels guilty about not visiting
his mother for several months. Beau’s sense of guilt only heightens as the film moves forward.
After discovering that his mother supposedly died in a freakish accident, Beau receives a call from
his mother’s attorney, Dr. Cohen (Richard Kind), who tells him that despite the fact that they are
bound to carry out the Jewish tradition of burying the body as soon as possible, he is postponing
the burial, in order to fulfill Mona’s wishes of having Beau present at her funeral. When Beau is
unable to attend the funeral due to circumstances that prevent him, this absence is taken by Dr.
Cohen and Mona as a choice, therefore guilt tripping Beau and making him feel as though he has

10 (Cf. example in pages 37-38)

11 (Cf. page 38)

53
failed as a son. As previously mentioned, Mona holds control over Beau’s life, influencing his
thoughts and actions. Freud answers the question of why Beau allows Mona to control him (even
if he doesn’t fully recognize it), in the essay “Civilization and Its Discontents”, when he writes
“there is an extraneous influence at work, and it is this that decides what is to be called good or
bad. (…) he must have had a motive for submitting to this extraneous influence. Such a motive is
easily discovered in his helplessness and his dependence on other people, and it can best be
designated as a fear of loss of love.” (Freud, 1981e: 124). Mona is this “extraneous influence” and
Beau only behaves the way he does around Mona and in his life because he is afraid of losing her,
as she has been his only constant in life.

Mona also takes over Beau’s sexual instincts, suppressing them by telling him that his father died
at the moment of his conception. The first time Beau acts on these instincts with Elena, his fears
become real, since even though he didn’t die, Elena does, taking on this stone-like appearance12.
However, his sense of guilt overcomes him before he climaxes, as he shouts Stop! several times,
begging Elena to cease her actions. Even though he thinks Mona is dead, he still feels guilty about
doing something that she has warned him not to do, as explained in the same essay “a person feels
guilty (devout people would say ‘sinful’) when he has done something which he knows to be ‘bad’.
(…) even when a person has not actually done the bad thing but has only recognized in himself an
intention to do it, he may regard himself as guilty” (Freud, 1981e: 124). It could be argued that
Beau is simply afraid, hence the film’s title, of dying the same way his father died too, but with
the location being Mona’s bedroom, and the song playing in the background invoking this sense
of breaking free from someone’s love, it could be that Beau is being reminded of his mother and
her warnings as well13.

Eventually when Mona confronts Beau about his sessions with Dr. Friel, his worst fear becomes a
reality. His words during the sessions are twisted by Mona, who accuses Beau of not being grateful
for the love she has forced herself to give him, and she breaks down and tells him that she hates
him. As has been established, Mona is the motive for Beau’s sense of guilt, and this is why he
depends so much on her. So this confession of hate is, for Beau, a punishment for his
misunderstood words. Although they have a dependence on each other, Beau acknowledges that

12 (Cf. pages 41)

13 (Cf. page 41-42)

54
he needs Mona far more than Mona need Beau. Freud writes in “Civilization and Its Discontents”,
“If he loses the love of another person upon whom he is dependent, he also ceases to be protected
from a variety of dangers. Above all, he is exposed to the danger that this stronger person will
show his superiority in the form of punishment.” (Freud, 1981e: 124).

Mona’s punishment for Beau also extends into his view of himself. Throughout the whole film,
Beau acts as if Mona is the only one that behaves according to her dependency on him, acting as
if he is above her, not answering the phone when she calls, and according to her, complaining about
the way Mona loves him. When he is considered guilty in the final scenes of the film, Beau is
shown to have this resolved look in his eyes, his face relaxes and he stares into the water, as if he
is disappointed in himself for confirming Mona’s view of him.

55
 Conclusion
Throughout this dissertation I have attempted to explore the psychoanalytical elements that Aster
employs in his feature films. Ultimately, Aster conveys horror by exploring the human mind and
by using anxiety inducing scenarios, while also adding supernatural elements and extreme plots to
the film’s stories.

With this dissertation, I was able to demonstrate how Aster places the family component in the
center of each of his feature films. However, instead of portraying the family as a safe and reliable
haven for the characters in the films, he decides to blame the family structure for the downfall of
his characters. In Hereditary, the presence of Ellen and Annie as maternal figures only causes the
ruin of the Graham family, as they are exposed to the Paimon cult. In Midsommar, Dani is seduced
by the idea of a new family in the Hårga, after losing her own, which eventually leads her to lose
the ability to recognize the difference between right and wrong. In Beau is Afraid, Beau and Mona
demand so much of each other, they mainly live a life of heartbreak and anxiety, and by the end of
the film, both of them lose what matters most to them, each other.

Applying Jungian and Freudian theories to Hereditary, I was able to determine that Aster explores
the results of unresolved and generational trauma and grief. He uses the matriarchal characters,
Ellen and Annie, to attribute different metaphorical meanings to the plot. Ellen overlooks the
Grahams, both when she is alive and after she has passed away, and it is her death that initiates the
family’s brutal and horrific tear from one another. Her estranged relationship with her daughter is
mirrored by Annie and Peter’s alienated relationship, highlighting the way unresolved feelings can
create a cycle of abuse and pain when they are not dealt with, portraying the traits of the Jungian
archetype, the evil mother. The cult eventually takes complete control over the Graham family,
overlooking their horrific acts to finally obtain a male body, Peter, and a suitable soul, Charlie, for
Paimon. It is the tear in the family’s relationships that allows the cult to take control of them,
underlining the Freudian belief of how unconscious desires and fears can be used by religious
external forces to exploit them for their own gain.

Similarly, in Midsommar, the Hårga take advantage of Dani’s unresolved grief and unconscious
fears to integrate her into the cult and their communal way of living. Although there is a clear
transformation in her character, it can be argued that it is not a gratifying transformation for the

56
viewer, since Dani does not come to terms with her feelings, she simply chooses to escape them
and accept the cult as her new family, symbolized by her choosing Christian to be sacrificed in the
final ritual of the festival. The Hårga employ many aspects of the mother archetype, taking care of
each other, and even though it is recognized as a technique by cults to attract the outsiders, they
are extremely empathetic. Dani herself becomes attached to the mother archetype by winning the
role of May Queen, which symbolizes fertility and renewal. Ultimately, her downfall is caused by
the cult, even though the ending might appear ambiguous to some viewers.

In Beau is Afraid, Aster also approaches the family as the center for destruction. However, this
destruction affects both main characters, Beau and Mona. Mona, who embodies the Jungian
archetype of the terrible mother, fabricating an anxious life for her son, manipulating every aspect
of his life, including his relationship with sexual affairs. The only time Beau engages in any sexual
activity becomes a turning point for his character development near the end of the film, with the
introduction of Elena, another example of the mother archetype. Beau is constantly overwhelmed
by a sense of guilt, caused mainly by his mother, which is extensively highlighted by the mise-en-
scène. Aster includes several moments that foreshadow the trial at the end of the film, where Beau
finally comes to terms with his future, finally free from Mona and from their symbiotic
relationship, illustrating just how powerful some psychological attachments are.

Overall, Aster’s films are relevant to the study of modern horror films due to his unique and
intricate use and manipulation of the mise-en-scène which, when combined with disturbing and
devastating plots, force the audience to confront society’s worse fears and to identify themselves
as the ultimate monsters in horror. Moving forward, I believe Aster will continue to explore
relevant themes regarding the human psyche, whether it be with the horror genre or any other
genre14. His view of the human mind, both as an individual and a collective, is unique but
accessible to anyone, providing some sort of catharsis to anyone that can relate to it. The writer
and director especially focuses on the fact that not all endings are going to be happy or fulfilling.
This focus only brings Aster’s films closer to reality and, therefore, can be used as a mirror for
humankind to identify what is wrong or neglected in its own unconscious mind, acting as

14 As of 2024, Aster is known to be involved with Joaquin Phoenix in a new film, this time in a western genre film, with the name
of the picture still to be announced.

57
cautionary tales. Eventually this will force us to deal with our feelings and wishes to avoid the fate
of a character from an Ari Aster horror film.

An interesting pathway to follow up on this work would be to analyze other Jungian archetype
figures present in the films and explore how they relate to the known tropes in the genre, such as
the Jester archetype. Another path of study would also involve a more in-depth analysis of the
films using Freud’s theories, for example the theories regarding anxiety and the defense
mechanisms that an individual develops. I believe that this further analysis would cast more
importance and draw more attention to the horror genre, as it demystifies the idea that horror is
solely based on gore and jump scares. I hope this dissertation not only sheds a light on why
psychoanalysis provides a better understanding of the horror genre, but also creates a bridge
between the two fields of study.

58
 Appendix
Appendix 1 - Ari Aster’s feature films
Hereditary (2018)

Hereditary started off as a difficult project for Ari Aster and his team. Being a debut project, the
screenplay was very difficult to sell, and “required years of development”. Aster thought “a horror
film would be easier to get financed”, heavily depending on the audience and their knowledge and
enjoyment of the horror tropes. However, it took years for the screenplay to sell. When Aster finally
found “the ideal producing partner in Knudsen” and this company was able to sell the distribution
rights to A24 (Kohn, 2018). A24 is a New York-based independent entertainment company,
specializing in television and film production and film distribution. Its success can be attributed to
the company’s decision not to interfere with the artistic process of their directors, screenwriters,
and producers, and to the style of movie and television content they distribute and collaborate in.
A24 was, as Business Insider puts it, “a haven for storytellers who want little to no interference”.
It is a company made up of film enthusiasts that know how to market their movies and television
shows (Guerrasio, 2023). It was evident that Aster was comfortable and confident that using A24’s
distribution services was going to be the smartest option for his debut featured screenplay.

Aster has made it clear that horror is the genre that suits his creative needs the best. Dark and
twisted themes are what keep the genre and its subsequent sub-genres alive, and the young
filmmaker is interested in exploring and portraying these dark themes by creating what he calls
“more existential in nature” movies. With his debut film, Aster attempts to do exactly that: “I
wanted to make a serious films about grief and trauma that worked as a vivid family drama” and
the nightmare that life can become if these feelings are not dealt with properly (Bishop, 2018).

Regarding his debut film, Aster recognizes that “there is a pretty explicit nod to Rosemary’s Baby”
by Roman Polanski. Both movies deal with the themes of paranoia and satanic and supernatural
cults (Wloszczyna, 2018). Hereditary would become A24’s highest grossing movie, with $80
million at the box office, until it was surpassed by the 2022 movie Everything Everywhere All at
Once (D’Alessandro, 2022).

59
Midsommar (2019)

Following the success of Hereditary, A24 teamed up with Aster and “Knudsen and B Reel will
also produce [the film]”. B-Reel is a Swedish company. (Fleming Jr, 2018). Midsommar’s plot was
proposed by B-Reel to Aster, as he says “They pitched me an ‘Americans going to Sweden and
then getting killed off’ concept” However, he did take upon some aspects of his personal life, much
like with Hereditary. Aster confessed “At the time, I was going through a breakup that was fresh”,
and he thought of a way to connect his personal life to the premise of American tourists being
killed in a Swedish community (Donnelly, 2019). When confronted with questions regarding his
inspiration behind the film, Aster attempts to distance himself from Robin Hardy’s folk horror
movie The Wicker Man, from 1973. The Wicker Man, starring Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento and
Edward Woodward, among others, follows a missing person’s investigation that leads to a Scottish
isolated island, where its habitants have replaced their Christian beliefs with Celtic pagan inspired
rituals. Although both movies deal with community and pagan rituals and beliefs, Aster recognizes
the brilliance of the 1973 movie, “It’s a fantastic film with fantastic performances”, while
attempting to take his own movie in a more surprising and different direction, and still using the
exploration of Paganism as a base for avid folk horror fans, “I tried to avoid it as much as I could.
I think what the movie tries to do is point to The Wicker Man and set up expectations native to that
film, then take a left-turn from there and go somewhere surprising.” (Travis, 2019).

Regarding the name of the film, Aster says it can be pronounced “Either way”: ‘mid-so-mar’ or
‘mid-summer’(Olsen, 2019), the folk horror film had a smaller budget than Hereditary, but was
much easier to produce than Hereditary, despite the warm weather days that took place during
filming. Even though the film takes place in Sweden, “it was filmed on the outskirts of Budapest,
the capital of Hungary”, due to it being less expensive and having fewer restrictions concerning
shooting hours. Despite being shot in Budapest, Aster tried to transform the field where the filming
took place, taking inspiration from “farms of the area (…) of Hälsingland” in Sweden. Even though
it worked perfectly for the film’s ambiance and design, the weather in Budapest made it extremely
difficult for both the actors and the filming crew to work, due to long and repeating takes (Beebe,
2020). To prepare for the film, Aster joined Swedish producer and the creator of the fictional Hårga
community Patrik Andersson, and a friend of his and co-creator of the Hårga concept, Martin
Karlqvist. Together, they researched Swedish folk stories and traditions, incorporating some of its

60
real aspects in the fictional script Aster was writing, such as the mallet used in one of the most
gruesome scenes in the movie, “The mallet, we did a replica of the mallet from a museum we saw
in Stockholm” (Olsen, 2019).

After some earlier screenings of the movie, the MPAA issued that the movie was to receive a NC-
17 rating. Aster and his editors had to make some drastic changes to the final cut, to bring the film
to an R rating. The NC-17 rating would drastically hurt the release of the film, as it would have
limited the number of theatres that could take the movie upon its theatrical release and restricts
people under 17 years-old to watch the movie, even if accompanied by an adult. Aster has spoken
about the film’s cut that would have released under the MPAA NC-17 rating, explaining that the
rating was only considered due to the exposure of graphic nudity and sexuality depicted in the
movie’s final scenes. The R rating allows “adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or
persistent violence, sexually oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements” (CLASSIFICATION
AND RATING RULES, 2020). Aster has also admitted that he was able to project the shock that he
envisioned with the final cut of the R rated movie, however “Aster has since released a director's
cut of the movie that adds almost 30 minutes, turning the 147-minute theatrical version into a 171-
minute experience.” (Wilheimi, 2020).

Beau is Afraid (2023)

Two years after the success of Midsommar, A24 announced that they were, once again, teaming
up with Aster to release a movie, titled Disappointment Blvd., then changed to Beau is Afraid. The
first release of the title was deemed to disperse attention from a script that was circulating online
at the time, “To speculate, it’s likely that Disappointment Blvd. was always just a working title
meant to obscure any guesses as to what the movie is going to be about.” (Catt, 2023). The film’s
new script was inspired by one of Aster’s own short films – Beau, released in 2011. The director
admits that the rewrite of the 2011 script left the movie sadder and, in a way, funnier. As Aster
describes, “I guess it's a world in which all of your worst fears do manifest. A lot of them are things
that I hope are universal, and not just specific to me.” To prepare for the filming process, Aster
and his assistant directors watched Jacques Tati’s 1967 comedy, Playtime, “just for inspiration”.
The comedic tone in Beau is Afraid attempts to mimic some elements of the 1967 comedy, such
as the big sets, with intricate and strong background noises as opposed to scenes with a lot of
dialogue. This “anxiety comedy”, as described by the writer and director, ties in with themes that

61
Aster has explored in other movies from his career, much like in the short-film Munchausen, from
2014, and Hereditary, from 2019. In these movies, Aster portraits intricate family relationships,
especially relationships with mothers. These relationships portrayed in his films, however, do not
mirror his relationship with his own mother, whom he says “is nothing like [Beau’s mother] Mona”
(A.frame, 2023). The unconventional direction that Beau is Afraid takes left audiences and critics
divided when it came to ratings. Despite that, Aster accepts that the movie benefits from rewatches
to essentially cement the emotional roller-coaster it is (Travis, 2023).

62
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