Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Written by: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem
IMDb Link
Mother! is not a film that will appeal to a wide audience. For all that it contains and the impression it ultimately left on me, I can't see this being a film many people will want to see. That said, if you do get around to seeing it, you're in for an experience that I have gotten used to calling 'freaky-deaky'.
*Warning: Spoilers Ahead*
We don't have a traditional story here. The characters aren't given names and the plot is essentially metaphorical, people behave in intentionally infuriating ways and the film is essentially divided in to two considerably different halves, all experienced from or around the perspective of Jennifer Lawrence's character, credited only as 'Mother'. To film entirely around Jennifer Lawrence, with every single shot being either from her point of view or looking directly at her is an effective technical choice, creating a tight sense of claustrophobia, trapping us along with her in the house that is the setting of the film. There are only a handful of shots that even view from the outside of the house, which only seek to demonstrate her isolation in the pure insanity that takes place inside her house.
No-one behaves like a human being around Mother; her questions and requests are all ignored or gone against completely, while one intense event after another all happen around her, with no-one seeming to notice her presence save for a few moments designed entirely to take her out of her comfort zone. The experience is incredibly frustrating and difficult to watch, but intentionally so; the film seems to be designed to get you to hate the capacities of humanity, an end to which the film definitely succeeds. It's extremely unpleasant, but also obvious that it's obvious what the film is going for, which shows that the film is adept in achieving its goals, but seems to hate people so much it wants the people who see it to hate people too.
Thankfully the film does all that it does with at least seeming meaning and depth. After the film makes an agonisingly slow burn through its first half, it crescendos in to chaos that makes the insanity of its first half seem positively peaceful, and reveals a lot of the metaphor(s) that the film appears to be going for. Obviously my first impression reading will be limited, but the religious overtones and a 'death of the author' analogy where 'the author' is God seems to be the gist of what I understood that the movie was getting at, with the experience of Mother reflecting an interpretation of that of Mary, in a striking attempt to glean a deeply personal story from one that is given to all, which is effectively what happens both literally and figuratively in the film. It's strange and strangely profound meat in a sickeningly grim stew.
Credit must be given to Lawrence for her stellar performance. Being the focal point of the entire movie means that she has to carry a part of every scene, and go through several emotions as she is excluded from her own life and loses control over everything she tries to create. It's an extremely strange process to watch through, and I can't imagine it was easy to make convincing, but Lawrence walks the slowly worn line between soft politeness and sheer anger and exasperation.
The Verdict: Mother! is not for everyone. The film's early slow burn and misanthropic tendencies will leave many people frustrated and unsatisfied, and some may find it difficult to engage with a film that's intentionally frustrating. However, if you can stomach the style, the film's crescendo and layered metaphor are a strong enough combination to more than make up for the questions it initially leaves unanswered. This one is hard to recommend, as it's very clearly arthouse and not entertainment, but if you think you'll enjoy it, see it twice; there's a lot going on here that requires more than a first impression
Rating: 7.5/10
Published September 14th, 2017
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