"Mother" Review

Darren Aronofsky is known for his disturbing, artistic, and downright-insane psychological horror movies. Some of his most adored (and terrifying) creations include Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream. Aronofsky just might have outdone himself with his film, Mother!

Mother! stars Hollywood starlet and Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence, Academy Award winner Javier Bardem, and Academy Award nominees Michelle Pfeiffer and Ed Harris. With such a star-studded cast, you would think the movie would be mainstream entertainment, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. At face value, Mother! is about “Mother” (Lawrence) and her much older husband, “Him” (Bardem), who live in seclusion in an octagonal house. Him is a published poet suffering from writer’s block. mother spends her days rebuilding the house after it was allegedly destroyed in a fire. Their peaceful existence is interrupted, however, when Man (Harris) and Woman (Pfeiffer) show up to their home.

Now, merely describing the plot probably makes the movie sound vague or even boring. That is definitely not the case, though. Nothing in this movie is meaningless. Everything, including the movie itself, is a metaphor. Every single detail of the movie is painstakingly thought out by Aronofsky and delivered in a way that sends a message. The movie has something important to say, and it does so through the use of countless metaphors, symbols, and allegories. The events of the movie alone are certainly entertaining in their own right, but everything has a greater meaning.

While this movie is very artsy, it is far from boring, which is often a word used to describe arthouse films by mainstream audiences. The movie may be all one big metaphor, but the basic plot itself is intense, thrilling, and downright disturbing and terrifying. This movie has been dubbed “The Most Controversial Movie of 2017,” and that isn’t just because of the very mixed reception. It is because of how far the movie is willing to go to disturb you, and disturb you it does. Near the end, events are happening in rapid succession and become consecutively more and more disturbing. You have no time to breathe as you are bombarded by the seemingly never-ending psychological torment. I am a big fan of the horror genre, but this is the only movie that has genuinely made me think to myself, “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

This may seem like a criticism, but it is quite the opposite. While the movie certainly succeeded in disturbing me, I never ceased to enjoy it. It became extremely intense in the final act, but I was completely transfixed; I couldn’t look away. This movie was completely mesmerizing from start to finish. It is so unique weird, yet it still managed to scare me more than any other movie I have ever seen.

This movie also has absolutely phenomenal acting. Jennifer Lawrence is a well-respected actress and has an Oscar to prove it. This movie was quite possibly her best performance so far. In fact, the camera follows her around for almost the entirety of the film. The other actors in the film are great as well, particularly Pfeiffer.

On top of the acting, the cinematography is very well done. As I said before, the camera follows Lawrence’s character around for most of the movie. The movie was shot almost entirely with a handheld camera and it really makes the movie more special than it already is. Despite the close up camera work, there are still many beautiful shots in the movie, thanks to the picturesque setting. Also, once the movie reaches its insane climax, the close up shots only make the scenes even more intense than they already are. In that sense, the camera work is masterful.

This entire movie is honestly a masterpiece. It has great acting, great cinematography, and it is genuinely disturbing and terrifying. Do not go into this movie, however, expecting a paint-by-numbers horror movie. That is an incredibly inaccurate way to describe was this movie truly is. It really doesn’t fit into any one genre, but the best way I can describe it is a metaphorical drama psychological horror satire, a pretty complex description. This movie is complex, though. I cannot stress that enough. This isn’t something that you should watch for disposable enjoyment. It is a film with a lot to say, and it says it in a very unique, albeit very disturbing, way. This movie is artistic, odd, terrifying, and unforgettable. If you have enjoyed Aronofsky’s other psychological horror films like Black Swan or Requiem for a Dream, then I strongly encourage you to see this movie. If you want a normal horror movie with simple scares, do not go see this movie because you will hate it.

This movie is extremely controversial. Some people loved it. Others were confused, upset, and even offended. I loved it. I thought it was a masterfully crafted, piece of cinema. This movie is honestly one of the best movies I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of good movies. It is hard to put into words how much I love and respect this movie for what it accomplished. It really is a masterpiece through and through.