I can certainly say that Darren Aronofsky’s new thriller mother! is many, many things, but “dull” is certainly not one of them. One of the few films to receive the dreaded “F” rating on CinemaScore, it’s understandably whipped up a Roman Reigns-ish level of polarization in those who’ve seen it. The backlash to this film and its controversial scenes have prompted Aronofsky to explain his intent in more detail publicly in interviews. And yet it’s also found something of a cult audience, with a number of critics praising the ideas the film explores and how adventurous it is.
Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence star as an acclaimed poet suffering from writer’s block and his loving wife, the titular Mother, who takes pride in perfecting the large mansion in which they reside. When a strange man (Ed Harris) and his spouse (Michelle Pfeiffer) show up at their doorstep, Mother tries to remain courteous and hospitable, but their increasingly eccentric behavior makes it more difficult- and Pfeiffer’s intrusive questioning of her relationship with Bardem doesn’t help matters either.
From the opening frame, Aronofsky makes as big an effort to keep the audience off-guard and uncomfortable as he can. Without spoiling anything, I would recommend you go in knowing this story is directed in a fairly dream-like fashion, most notable in the strange visions Mother sees around her house. When you’re spotting blood running down the walls and beating hearts pop out of your toilet, things are probably going to get worse before they get better.
Throughout the situation, Lawrence delivers a memorable performance that showcases her range. She exudes an almost otherworldly innocence as she tries to cope with the new guest, and her deteriorating sanity is very believable.
The pacing during the first two-thirds can be slow, but it does a nice job building up what is an absolutely insane climax. It’s here where most of the major special effects come into play, as Mother’s home is transformed into a supernatural miasma of chaos when admirers of her husband flock to see him, with something beyond cult-like devotion.
Some of the sequences do fit alongside the metaphors suggested, but even without that context in mind, it’s absurdly over the top at points. I started to feel a weird dynamic as it built towards the end- there were points where I was on the edge of my seat, as well as parts I found unintentionally funny. This is where most of the controversial aspects of mother! are featured, and suffice to say I wouldn’t be able to blame anyone for feeling revolted.
One aspect that really stood out was the sheer narcissism of Bardem’s character. As if the flood of uninvited guests wasn’t frustrating enough for her to deal with, her husband at times seems more committed to gaining inspiration for his writing over keeping their home and mental health damage-free. The couple’s dynamic is far from ideal, there’s a consistent vibe of possessiveness that Bardem shows towards his wife. He’s clearly more fascinated by the influx of guests coming in over Mother, and this is where a less obvious biblical allegory could perhaps be found.
My take: If Bardem is supposed to represent God, and Lawrence (or the house?) symbolizes “mother Earth”, perhaps the flood of strangers wreaking havoc are humanity, carelessly destroying its valuable resources? It’s easy to see how someone would take away both commentary on either religion or environmental issues after seeing this movie.
Most of the aforementioned themes are left open to interpretation in mother!, and the performances are strong enough to where I could remain invested. But even with that, this certainly isn’t a film for everyone, not by any stretch of the imagination. The manner in which the story unfolds is clever, if a bit geared towards fantasy, so it didn’t necessarily feel like a geek show for the sake of it.
I can only recommend mother! to those with an open mind and strong stomach. Aronofsky never tries to hit the nail on the audience’s heads when it comes to what all of this madness means, and the disturbing imagery will probably be too much for many ticket buyers. But there is an interesting (if too abstract at points) story to unpack, with unique themes and some intense performances on the part of Lawrence and Bardem. These developers wanted to make a film that will be analyzed for a long time, and they certainly succeeded.