Movie Review: mother! (2017)

Its a rare thing for a film to affect me on a very deep level, to touch something almost primal and leave me effected by its resonance in its wake. I can think of only a handful of films that fit that description.

SCANNERS cemented my adoration of horror as a genre. I'd always greatly enjoyed horror growing up, but this film led me truly fall in love with horror. It led me to embrace the fear and the artistry of the medium, and I can honestly say that it had a huge impact on my life.

THREADS took the sum-total of my long-simmering cold-war terror in the face of possible nuclear annihilation, distilled it down into a concentrated dose, and then forced it down my throat. Bleak, unrelenting, cruel, hopeless, and immersive, this film became my inoculation against that fear, a fear which has never died. And every few years, I put on THREADS, and take another dose, shake myself out of the world it creates and then destroys, and go on with my life.

THE CROW affected me largely because of Brandon Lee's sudden, and avoidable accidental death. I hadn't paid any heed when news of this film initially trickled out, largely because I had never read J O'Barr's original comic series. But when the news hit that Brandon had died in the wake of an on-set accident, I was deeply shaken. When the film came out, I was there to see it soon after release. It moves me to this day, and it has woven itself into the fabric of my life. "Buildings burn, people die, but real love is forever."

THE ROAD hit my heart like a sledgehammer, and I think it worked so well because I'm a father. A testament to how a parent's love for their child can become an impetus to soldier on, no matter how bleak the landscape. The world is dead, but your child isn't, and that alone gives you a reason to survive and a reason to fight. It's an amazing film that I don't think I can ever watch again.

UNSANE was one of the films that I watched during last year's marathon, and it was the first film to actually scare me in at least 30 years. As some of you may recall, I had to stop the film a half-hour in to gather myself and to process my emotional state. Through this film I learned that I had a deep fear of involuntary commitment, and on a more primal level, a fear of loss of autonomy. The film trips itself up a bit in the final act, but it remains powerful.

And now there is mother!

The film is the story of mother, played by Jennifer Lawrence, who is married to a brilliant poet referred to in the credits as Him, portrayed by Javier Bardem. Mother has painstakingly rebuilt her husband's fire-ravaged childhood home. The poet possesses a beautiful crystal that he cherishes, and says it was found in the ashes of his immolated house. However, the poet is constrained by a severe case of writer's block that leaves him frustrated and distant to his adoring wife. Even so, mother keeps repairing and renovating, taking a very silent and humble pride in her work. However, when a strange man (Ed Harris) unexpectedly shows up one evening, and then later his wife (Michelle Pfeiffer), their lives start to take an unexpected, and eventually horrifying, turn. Him seems nonchalant about the sudden invasion, as he finds out the man is a fan of his work, and he becomes increasingly lost in the adulation he receives, and ever more distant to mother, and in the end, this fateful visitor will have upended absolutely everything.

I'm going to stop right there, because I just don't want to spoil this film at all.

This movie is the epitome of the slow-burn for its first hour, which essentially functions as a drawn out exposition. It goes on to show us more and more things and it eventually becomes clear that the story is a metaphor, filled with allegorical imagery that is one one hand difficult to process, but also exceedingly simple. Once the film passes its halfway point, it starts to descend into heart-pounding chaos.

mother! becomes increasingly difficult to watch as it progresses, and contains a couple of scenes that many will consider shocking, upsetting, provocative, offensive, and even subversive, and these scenes can absolutely serve to make-or-break the film for the viewer. But, if you figure out the metaphors, things may become crystal-clear for you, even clairvoyant, and the images may become easier to process.

Watching this film was an at once riveting and frustrating experience, tweaking my introvert's anxiety, and eventually striking even harder at other fears. It absolutely made me anxious for the last 2/3rds of its run-time, and that feeling never really subsided. I still feel it now, and the thoughts and emotions that mother! left with me will be slow to subside.

mother! is a very divisive film. Some find its metaphorical approach to be high-handed and pretentious, and some reject that approach entirely and resolutely decide that they are going to miss the point. People have referred to it as terrible, some have called it worthless, and others even consider it to be an expression of misogyny. While I can understand why some people feel that way, I strongly disagree with that takeaway. Still, as with any film, your mileage may vary, and its very, VERY true of mother! This is ABSOLUTELY not a film for everyone, and even I both love and hate it. If you are triggered by violence against women or children, I suggest you let this one pass you by.

This is a very meticulous, intricate film, with amazing imagery that is integral to the message it conveys. It's not entertainment in any real sense, and it can be a nerve-wracking experience. However, if you like films that make you think, or films that serve as metaphors, or even just appreciate the artistry of the film's creation and the performances of its actors as they do something off the beaten path, then mother! might be worth your time.

Love it and hate it, but it still gets five stars from me. *****