Jose Gil/Contributing Writer
From his directorial debut “Pi” in 1996 to his critically acclaimed 2010 film “Black Swan,” Darren Aronofsky has been a master at blending surreal concepts with realistic scenarios. His latest film “Mother!” is no different.
From the first frame to the last, the movie takes you through a rollercoaster ride of suspense and confusion that keeps you surprisingly captivated, especially for a movie that only has two main characters and takes place solely in an old Victorian house. The film with all of it great performances, stunning camerawork and claustrophobic suspense does not make up for the weak story line. Relying on stories from the Old Testament, Aronofsky cripples himself by not dissecting a wholly original story. He instead decides to modernize these tales of old.
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The film revolves around Jennifer Lawrence’s character who is identified as Mother. She is the house’s caretaker, cooking, cleaning, and reconstructing the formerly burnt down house of her husband, the Poet (Javier Bardem). The Poet, a once renowned author and master of the written word now stricken with writer’s block, spends his days drinking and staring at an empty piece of paper waiting for the inspiration to write again. They live an idyllic life until one day a man shows up, played by Ed Harris, and the first signs of their paradise being threatened surfaces.
The next day a woman (Michelle Pfeiffer) shows up. She is the wife of Man, and with her introduction, problems in paradise begin to escalate. More people begin to appear, gradually destroying the house that Mother! has spent so much time and energy reconstructing. Despite the pain that his wife is experiencing, the Poet rejoices in the company of all these strangers. As the story progresses, Mother becomes pregnant and in that moment of love between the couple the Poet is inspired to write his magnum opus.
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Time fast-forwards nine months later and the Poet’s book has garnered a lot of attention. Zealots of his work bombard their house and thus begins the best sequence in the film that culminates with the birth of the baby. Personally, I think any more information beyond this is spoiler territory, and I believe that in order to fully enjoy the initial viewing of this movie, no more of the plot should be explained, but I will warn that the ending is incredibly graphic and intense.
As a fan of Aronofsky’s work, especially “Black Swan,” I was excited to see that he was returning to the surrealist, psychological horror that he expertly commands, however, comparing the trailers shown for the film and the film itself, it is nothing as advertised. The trailer made it feel as if the studio tricked viewers into thinking that this was going to be a scary home invasion film that pitted Jennifer Lawrence against creepy cultists.
Nonetheless, the movie does manage to keep you on edge by providing a more atmospheric terror using very tight shots on characters’ faces and keeping you in this claustrophobic environment where everyone’s intentions are not clear and tensions are high. The removal of a soundtrack and the heightening of sound effects is something I noticed early on that worked fantastically with the atmosphere they were trying to provide. By creating moments of complete silence, the film was able to raise suspense and intrigue as you mirrored Mother!’s confusion and anger.
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“Mother!” is not your typical modern horror movie. It deviates into art-house horror that mostly focuses on disturbing you and pushing its cerebral themes. From a visual aspect “Mother!!” is a cinematic masterpiece that keeps you entertained and asking questions while delivering some of the most viscerally disgusting scenes I’ve seen this year. The entire cast excels in giving subtle, but brilliant performances.
Even Jennifer Lawrence, who I am personally not fond of, gave a moving performance. If the story would have been more unique and not just a modern retelling of the Old Testament and the themes were a little less heavy-handed, then this movie would have, alongside “Get Out,” been one of the best horror movies of the year.
B-
Stale Popcorn is a column written by Jose Gil. It brings you reviews on the top films, TV and theatre shows happening in popular culture and at FIU. The views and opinions expressed in Stale Popcorn do not reflect that of FIU Student Media’s editorial board.
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