"mother!" Movie Review

Mother! is a deeply psychological film that will boggle your mind and make it puzzle for days after you've seen it. It's deep, chaotic, beautiful, and disturbing all at once. What sets Mother! apart from other Aronofsky works is the fact that it's not explained for you. This one was very personal for the acclaimed director and this time he wanted the audience to figure it out for themselves. Sadly, that plan didn't turn out too well for him. He forgets that most people want to be spoon fed and not have to think for themselves. I understood what he was trying to say, however, and it's an important message.

Mother! tells the story of a husband and wife who seem to live peaceful lives. Their lives are interrupted, however, when uninvited guests barge into their homes and show them the meaning of "worst guests ever". Things continue to spiral out of control when more and more people arrive.

Darren Aronofsky painted the truest picture in the most genius way. I don't want to spoil the film so let me just say this: everyone is a metaphor for something. If you read Aronofsky's explanation after you see the film then you'll be awestruck and think to yourself "Of course! Why didn't I see that before?!" Pay close attention and you'll get the meaning.

One thing that I loved was that no one was specifically named. Look on imdb if you don't believe me. Jennifer Lawrence is named Mother, Javier Bardem is named Him, Ed Harris is Man, Michelle Pfeiffer is Woman and so on. It's a brilliant tactic that relates to the deeper meaning so well.

The acting was spectacular. Lawrence and Bardem were top-notch in their roles. Michelle Pfeiffer was downright creepy. The way she looked, the way she moved... she put it all on the table and didn't hold back.

There's not really much I can say about the film without ruining everything so I will conclude here by saying it is a definite must-see. I warn you, though, you will need a strong stomach. If you are a mother or an expectant mother, be warned that this film will be especially hard for you to see. I give the film a 3.5 out of 4.