MOTHER! - *****/*****

By Kal Vilmer

“After seeing the movie she had to call her mom to be reassured of her beliefs.”

             Mother! is the latest film written and directed by Darren Aronofsky, and stars Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem as a couple living in a secluded and tranquil home in the country when an uninvited guest arrives and begins to test the couple’s relationship. Having skipped Aronofsky’s last directorial effort, Noah, due to its subject matter and overly unappealing advertising, I was left wondering if he had lost his touch. Mother! is a battering ram to the front door of your psyche and left me floored with not only its visual beauty, but also its subject matter. Few films leave the lasting impact that Mother! does and I find myself thinking about it daily after my initial viewing. The film found a way to dig its way into me that I haven’t experienced since the first time I watched David Lynch's Mullholland Dr, leaving such an impact that I want to pull apart every fiber that the film has woven.

            Mother! has been referred to as a horror movie, which I don’t think is entirely correct. Although the movie does carry an ominous and unsettling tone that is more akin to a nightmare, wreaking moral terror on the viewer, it would not fall in line with what most might consider horror. The movie does have a slow burn effect leading you into the film’s end game that some viewers may find off putting, and potentially annoying in that everything is not spelled out for them right when the plot kicks in. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the controversial third act of the film, which some may say is a bit overblown and strictly for shock value. I disagree. I will not be spoiling what happens, but I will say the strength of the controversial moment doesn’t just lay in what you see, but also the implications and subliminal meaning it carries.

            Mother! spoke to me on a level that most movies do not. It transcended entertainment and beautiful visuals into something more with its story. I can definitely see the other side of the coin for viewers who feel that the film is paced too slowly, or that the messages are too heavy-handed or ham-fisted - both are valid arguments. This is not a movie for everyone, or even a movie for most people, it takes chances and unpopular stances with subjects some viewers may be sensitive to, and that is why I love it. - 5 out of 5 stars.