Review of mother! (2017) by W S — 02 Oct 2017

Mother! isn't for everyone, but it needs to be watched by everyone.

To better draw your attention, I've put the close-to-end of my review at the beginning. It's in double parentheses if you'd like to jump passed it. Later, I include a placeholder so you'll know when it's time to scroll back up. Mild spoilers--nothing that will actually spoil the film.

((This film is important. Give it a shot, and even if you hate it, please hear the message:

We cannot wait--we cannot hesitate--to make this experience of life everyone's personal Heaven.2 If we don't act now we won't have a choice. This will be Hell on Earth, and the suffering we so ignorantly cause without a second will not cease--even after we're gone.

My Recommendation:

Of every portrayal of human suffering, of every depiction of the filth of mankind, of every groundbreaking film that brings new thoughts, ideas, conversations, and actions to the table; I feel this was the most warped, the most deeply affecting, and maybe just the most life-changing viewing experience I have ever had. Don't bother with any of the NC-17s on your list--this easily takes the cake for "Most Fucked-Up Movie of All Time," while still being something I'd recommend to my own mother. With all these thoughts in mind, keep this: It's a beautifully made movie, entertaining to watch, and possibly more moving that motion itself, but in my opinion...

Watching it more than once would not be conducive to uplifting the human spirit to the point necessary for mankind to heed its warning and take the first steps in healing the wounds inflicted by the havoc we have wreaked.

Watch it once, buy it, share it, tell the world. But don't watch it again. Hear the message, make the decision to change, or continue to take the world around with you again and again thru that loop in which it seems we may always be trapped... but don't watch it again.)).

Thinking it would be a slow night, we waited until Tuesday to see mother! We definitely thought wrong (lol), but unlike expected, it ended up being nice to share the viewing experience with the rest of the mid-sized crowd. It definitely felt like everyone was there for the same reason: to experience the film. Looking back, I was actually most likely the most problematic audience member, countlessly shouting "what the fuck?" in shock, disgust, and horror during the second hour.

At any point from the "I'm a dog / Why can't boys play with Barbies? / Wait... You're telling me only girls can have babies..?" part of my life, to the "Fuck everything with two legs / Are drugs actually bad for you? / Fuck--make sure aforementioned two-legged thing said 'yes...'" part of my life I've been obsessed with horror. I'm not sure why, but vastly dark and horrific things have always spoken to me the way rainbows and sunshine cannot. (Maybe because a reality of all rainbows is a lie, but a reality of all sorrow is often times the truth.) Now, of course I haven't seen every horror movie--I'm positive I've missed quite a few goodies--and I only take the serious ones serious, but I have seen things that would make the strongest gut turn, and I'm adding this film to the list.

Horror is a language, and I can guarantee Darren Aronofsky speaks it fluently.1.

This is not just a horror movie. This isn't just a movie at all. This is a work of art: the first work of art I've experienced that perfectly weaves a perfectly detailed image of something I thought I understood so well into something that made me realize I haven't understood it at all until now. Quite simply, mother! depicts the alligorical story of a lifetime so long we cannot begin to comprehend it's timeline, but it's told in a way even the fools of Babylon could understand and still be able to clearly hear its message.

It is a story to the fools of Babylon.

The disgusting, disturbing, hateful truth of our species is laid out so plainly that once it's seen there's no going back. After that truth is felt from a perspective other than our own,.

There's no denying the overwhelming existence of the pain we cause.

I now know things I did not know I didn't know (think about that sentence for just a minute lol). It's been two hours since it ended and I still can't stop crying.

My reaction is probably laughable to those who don't feel affected the same, and that's fine. To those who dislike it: I wish you felt what I do... this movie wasn't made to be liked. It was made to be understood on a basic human level.

(This is where the beginning section of my review actually goes.).

1I can't even begin to compliment everyone who was involved in creating this masterpiece. I would just end up re-writing the credits, but I would feel ashamed not giving the cast a thumbs-up, especially Jennifer Lawrence, who had the camera on her face for a good 90% of the movie. I've always loved her, but have honestly questioned her nominations and wins in the past. Shame on me. After seeing this, she is (in my opinion) the greatest actress I've watched. I felt exactly what she did the entire 2 hrs. Without a single beat skipped.

2 An idea I find beautiful is that Heaven and Hell are not places we'll end up in the afterlife, but instead they signify the place we find ourselves in right now in our daily lives. Can you imagine every day being wonderful? It can happen if we open our hearts and minds, using knowledge and faith to press forward into a new, positive, kind-hearted way of thinking and acting. I hope the horror of the vision that is mother! inspires that in at least a few of those who watch it.