Mother! -Review
A whirlwind of philosophical ideas and analogies have come together to shape this film, as have many opinions. Mother! in all honesty, can only be summed up in one word that still doesn't seem to begin to describe it: bizarre. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, it features the talents of Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem.
A couple that seemingly walk on eggshells around each other and the vast space of land they call home, test the boundaries of their relationship as another couple stumble upon their isolated porch.
The performances: Jennifer Lawrence is credited only as 'mother', walks upon the screen as a shy and hesitant woman who does her best to alleviate her husband's creative issues by creating a peaceful and tranquil environment within the comfort of their own home. Like how she is received within the movie as a character, Jennifer Lawrence as the actress was ignored. I feel this was a poor casting choice and surely someone else could have done a better job with the characterisation. I would have also much preferred to have seen a strong-willed, opinionated leading lady instead of a plain-Jane doormat.
Javier Bardem played the role of 'Him', a poet with intimacy issues and a raging case of writer's block. Living with a tragic past, he lives a new life with 'mother' (which by the way, her name is never mentioned- nor is his). I want to say that I didn't find Bardem's role to be incredibly misogynistic, although that is open for debate in one particular scene, instead I believe he just had an inability to relate to the opposite sex and wasn't particularly sure or interested in going about it. The only thing I can say about his role was that it was a lot better than Jennifer's and while it wasn't bad, it wasn't good either.
The cons: I'll get straight to it. This movie is a complete mind scrambler. You need to be in a clear and correct mindset for this film to even accept yourself as open-minded. I came into this film knowing absolutely nothing, aside from the fact that half the population were for and the other half against this movie. I didn't know what to expect and was happy to keep it that way. My eyebrows did most of the talking, so it's a shame they can't review this film here. They went from a neutral position, to furrowed, to high arched, to right-arched and then back to furrowed. You will not understand this movie at all. And perhaps that has lead to a lot of issues with the reviews.
If you're familiar with Darren's works, you'll notice the inclusion of Old Testament and biblical references. There's a lot of skepticism and mysticism involved in this film and sometimes it is very hard to keep up with. It'll also create one bad review if you don't believe in 'traditional' (and non-scientific) views on creation.
Aside from this, the movie honestly doesn't make sense. I'm open to the idea that this was Darren's purpose. He didn't want to make a movie that people would understand. Film making is an art form. I wholeheartedly understand the negative reviews but there will be a select few in the audience that will appreciate this film for all that it offers.
Mother! caters to an audience who appreciate a little bit of violence/ gore mixed and art. However, some may challenge the idea that these do not mix well together. I am particularly fond of psychological horrors but if anything, this is more suited as a thriller. I've also heard people have dubbed the film a thriller comedy. That too is open for debate.
I enjoyed the movie for it's quirkiness. It was indeed unique, disgusting and curious but I know that I haven't and probably won't see anything quite like it.
This movie is definitely not for everyone, so please keep that in mind. I would suggest you watch it if you are curious or are interested in alternate viewpoints on some of the world's most talked about philosophical ideas.
Score: 7/10.