This was an interesting movie, to say the least. Mother! is one of those types of movies that some will absolutely despise, while others will enjoy it for just how weird it is. I'm not sure what I think about the movie, but it will certainly stay on my mind for a while.
Darren Aronofsky's mother! sells itself as a creepy, indie horror-thriller, and for a while, that's what it is. By the time you realize it's an allegory, that allegory doesn't so much fall apart as blow its wad, and that's where it will lose audiences. For those not tapping into the metaphor, it just becomes nonsense (going by the very chatty reaction when the lights came on). For those who do, it's too on the nose and robs the film of its interesting ambiguities (some linger, mind you). Still, as a "worst house guests ever" story, it works very well, consistently increasing the main character's malaise, and since Aronofsky keeps the camera with her, the film keeps an emotional immediacy to what is a somewhat intellectual pursuit, and manages a strange and necessary unknowability to the other characters. I think the film also works as a study of creation - motherly, artistic, divine - and the pitfalls of fame, if we allow the allegory to double back on itself once it's revealed. It's gotten a lot of flack, I think in part due to audiences being unready for it (not having the right cultural baggage, hyped by the gossip side-show, expectations set out by the trailer, and/or having difficulty with the abuse heaped on Jennifer Lawrence's character - we had some late walk-outs), but I liked it. I'm just the kind of artsy-fartsy pretentious git who likes this sort of thing. If anything, I wanted it to be more opaque.
Like Colossal, you can't make a trailer that properly shows you what this movie is.
The movie is difficult, but really good, possibly even great. However the reason it is great is that it keeps making you more and more uncomfortable. Then things get weird, then shocking, to the point where it takes on the pummeling style of the last few minutes of Requiem for a Dream. Is it real? What does every single thing on screen symbolize? Who are all these awful people?
I went in expecting a retread of Rosemary's Baby, because that is what it seemed like in the trailers, but I was pleased that it ended up being so different. Not everyone will like this, but I loved it. It's a true original in my opinion, or at least I've never seen anything quite like it. I've seen some describe it as a psychological horror, but I think that is inaccurate. It is more of a mystery/drama or even a very black comedy, with small elements of psychological horror.
Also, if you are trying to take this film at face value and do not read it as a biblical allegory, you will probably hate it. Javier Bardem is God or the "Creator," Jennifer Lawrence is Mother Earth, Ed Harris is Adam, Michelle Pfeiffer is Eve, etc. I know I didn't catch every biblical reference but I caught enough.
I have mixed feelings about it, I can't say I hated it because there were just too many parallels/allegories to be drawn and that was really interesting. However, I can't say I loved it either. One thing for sure: this film will stay with me for a long time and I probably will be looking back at it as the time goes by. In the end I might decide I liked it.
As for the biblical allegories people keep talking about... It did occur to me as the story progressed to the birth of the child scene. However, it seemed to me to be more of a man/woman relationship allegory. Where the man is the creator, the wise one, the strong one, the one to whom others come and his wife is the house in which he lives in. How she cherishes every little thing she'd build inside, how she hates others intruding on her "heaven" and taking away her husband's attention and sparkling interest where she couldn't... The whole process of the heart turning into a crystal and a cycle of the house burning down and coming to life again with each new wife - it's the essence of the romance. Woman tends to sacrifice herself for the love she has for the man and she dies/withers/burns away when the love is gone, while the man turns to find another woman and feed on her love instead...So it's like the woman has to go through death and regeneration after a breakup, while the man continues to carry on collecting hearts and turning them into his most prized possessions. I thought this film was about ownership and ways in which people can hurt each other. All those crazy people, wars and stuff - it all to me was a representation of what she felt as she was losing his love. I guess this is far stretched and the biblical theme fits better.
I can't even formulate words to describe what I saw. The trailer could not be any more different than the film. You can't expect what you're about to see unless you know the plot details.
Bardem is God, Lawrence is Earth, Harris is Adam, Pfeiffer is Eve, the crazy people are God's creation, the baby is Jesus Christ, the sons are Cain and Abel. People say this "references" the Bible. No, the whole film literally is the Bible!
Mother! is basically the Bible dressed up as an artsy horror thriller with a plot that makes absolutely no sense outside the biblical allegorical narrative. If you buy into the Biblical narrative and put motives and allegories above a solid plot and character development, you will probably love this. If not, you might be disappointed.
Thought provoking? Yes. Not because of its motives or allegory (I could have seen those Bible references coming from a mile away), but at the end of the movie I kept on thinking of realistic, credible plots and multidimensional characters that would have made this movie work.
The cinematography looks great and I enjoyed the aggressive gory scenes but the obvious metaphors they were conveying through gratuitously absurd plot devices
So many layers beyond the base level. I can't even say too much without getting into an in-depth discussion. Needless to say, this is a movie that is worth exploring if you are prefer to explore beyond the surface. You may love it or you may hate it, but it should surely evoke strong feelings.
Didn't hate it, but honestly I feel this film doesn't have much to say. The
biblical allegory
is fun to discover, but there isn't anything else there. It ends up being just a nice ride. It's worth giving a watch, but it's not anything to rave about.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 32
monac
supermario70
This was an interesting movie, to say the least. Mother! is one of those types of movies that some will absolutely despise, while others will enjoy it for just how weird it is. I'm not sure what I think about the movie, but it will certainly stay on my mind for a while.Siskoid
Darren Aronofsky's mother! sells itself as a creepy, indie horror-thriller, and for a while, that's what it is. By the time you realize it's an allegory, that allegory doesn't so much fall apart as blow its wad, and that's where it will lose audiences. For those not tapping into the metaphor, it just becomes nonsense (going by the very chatty reaction when the lights came on). For those who do, it's too on the nose and robs the film of its interesting ambiguities (some linger, mind you). Still, as a "worst house guests ever" story, it works very well, consistently increasing the main character's malaise, and since Aronofsky keeps the camera with her, the film keeps an emotional immediacy to what is a somewhat intellectual pursuit, and manages a strange and necessary unknowability to the other characters. I think the film also works as a study of creation - motherly, artistic, divine - and the pitfalls of fame, if we allow the allegory to double back on itself once it's revealed. It's gotten a lot of flack, I think in part due to audiences being unready for it (not having the right cultural baggage, hyped by the gossip side-show, expectations set out by the trailer, and/or having difficulty with the abuse heaped on Jennifer Lawrence's character - we had some late walk-outs), but I liked it. I'm just the kind of artsy-fartsy pretentious git who likes this sort of thing. If anything, I wanted it to be more opaque.MrDoog
This was a downright irritating watch.SpacedJ
Like Colossal, you can't make a trailer that properly shows you what this movie is.The movie is difficult, but really good, possibly even great. However the reason it is great is that it keeps making you more and more uncomfortable. Then things get weird, then shocking, to the point where it takes on the pummeling style of the last few minutes of Requiem for a Dream. Is it real? What does every single thing on screen symbolize? Who are all these awful people?
You'll love it or you'll hate it and I loved it.
essaywhu
I went in expecting a retread of Rosemary's Baby, because that is what it seemed like in the trailers, but I was pleased that it ended up being so different. Not everyone will like this, but I loved it. It's a true original in my opinion, or at least I've never seen anything quite like it. I've seen some describe it as a psychological horror, but I think that is inaccurate. It is more of a mystery/drama or even a very black comedy, with small elements of psychological horror.iago-rotten
I have mixed feelings about it, I can't say I hated it because there were just too many parallels/allegories to be drawn and that was really interesting. However, I can't say I loved it either. One thing for sure: this film will stay with me for a long time and I probably will be looking back at it as the time goes by. In the end I might decide I liked it.ntan
I can't even formulate words to describe what I saw. The trailer could not be any more different than the film. You can't expect what you're about to see unless you know the plot details.audiopile
Brilliantly displays a nightmare on screen. This film is filled with wtf, I was fully absorbed.Paravail
oops! all allegorysunanoonna
Mother! is basically the Bible dressed up as an artsy horror thriller with a plot that makes absolutely no sense outside the biblical allegorical narrative. If you buy into the Biblical narrative and put motives and allegories above a solid plot and character development, you will probably love this. If not, you might be disappointed.Thought provoking? Yes. Not because of its motives or allegory (I could have seen those Bible references coming from a mile away), but at the end of the movie I kept on thinking of realistic, credible plots and multidimensional characters that would have made this movie work.
The cinematography looks great and I enjoyed the aggressive gory scenes but the obvious metaphors they were conveying through gratuitously absurd plot devices
5/10
stefenemie
So many layers beyond the base level. I can't even say too much without getting into an in-depth discussion. Needless to say, this is a movie that is worth exploring if you are prefer to explore beyond the surface. You may love it or you may hate it, but it should surely evoke strong feelings.brokenface
FreakyJk
Didn't hate it, but honestly I feel this film doesn't have much to say. TheAdrian B AWESOME
It's like Aronofsky channeled his sophomore year of college and made something just as lame, thinking it's edgy and timeless.Showing items 1 – 15 of 32