Review of mother! (2017) by B F — 17 Sep 2017

There are certain movies that just aren't my cup of tea. Mother! is the type of movie where your reaction could be predicated on what you expected. Having watched only a little bit of the marketing campaign, I didn't entirely know what I was in for. With that said, Darren Aronofksy has a distinct style in each of his films, with each being highly divisive in nature. Mother!, which could be one of his simplest and yet ambitious films to date, is perhaps the only film of his that I just can't come around to.

Because of how difficult it is to discuss the film's plot without giving anything away, I'll just say this is the part of the review where you turn back if you have yet to see it. (SPOILER ALERT). This film is about mother earth and god. Yep, Aronofsky has made another film tied into the bible, except this time, It's a complete borefest. I say this with the utmost respect for the filmmakers, as I can always appreciate a film that does something different with its plot structure, but there wasn't a single moment of Mother! in which I was invested. If Aronofsky set out to make an uncomfortable experience than he can consider this film a success. Seemingly only using soft-focus and close-up shots of his actors, there isn't a single moment of comfort in the entire film. That can work in a movie, if the story is good enough (see. Requiem for a Dream), but if the film is simply plotting along to get to that big exclamation point ending, then it's just not that good.

Fittingly, the reviews have been pretty mixed so far. I figure a movie which mostly deals with humans ripping Jennifer Lawrence's earth apart and poorly treating their surroundings isn't the easiest audience or critic pleaser. However, I expected more from this film. Labeling it as a horror-mystery is certainly deceiving. Was the mystery supposed to be on what the film is actually about? Was the horror just supposed to be those last 20 minutes when everything goes to sh*t? I often talk about how an ending can save a film from being mediocre, but I think it can just as easily take an okay film and turn it into a complete let down. I think that's where my main complaints lie with this film, is that it's not at all what I wanted it to be, and the metaphor they were going for (while an interesting idea/premise) isn't executed in an interesting way.

As I said, I can always appreciate how original some arthouse films can be, and Mother! is certainly no different. But the execution left me feeling dull, unimpressed, and downright bored. So even if there's some cool ideas, I can't give this a positive review.

4.0/10.