mother! (2017) Review

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence (Mother), Javier Bardem (Him), Ed Harris (Man), Michelle Pfeiffer (Woman)

What is there to say about Aronofsky’s latest work of cinema? Is it somehow needlessly confusing with a deceptively simple plot? Is it a demented biblical allegory? Is it a nihilistic depiction of humanity? Or does Aronofsky just need a hug? The answer to each question is a resounding yes.

For example, the movie follows the titular “mother” as she awakens to discover her much older husband is nowhere to be found. Afterwards, the plot continues with a man and his wife arrive at the house (at different times). They are meant to be an analogy for Adam and Eve. Later on, the movie involves analogies for Cain and Abel, for the birth and death of Jesus and for the biblical Apocalypse.

The above plot, like I said, is quite confusing. And I admit, this movie is not for everyone. However, in all honesty, it is anything but a terrible movie. For instance, the movie was extremely well made and extremely well acted. Unfortunately, this doesn’t hide how pretentious or nihilistic this film really is. I mean, it feels like Aronofsky actually made the movie to portray how truly horrible humanity can be. This includes himself. So the movie is as self-loathing as it is pretentious. That being said, I did enjoy the movie and I feel the movie is only going to get better with time and with repeat viewing.