Mother!
16/09/17 Filed in: Cinema
Mother! was released yesterday and we went to see it. I had seen the trailer but not otherwise paid much attention to the advance publicity. I had thoughts of Rosemary's Baby in my mind but that couldn't have been wider of the mark, although I suspect that there was an intentional misdirection at work to put people off the actual reality of the story. As one reviewer quite rightly pointed out, "This is not the film that you think it is!"
First and foremost I must say that any detailed description of this film will ruin it for anybody who hasn't yet seen it. This review, therefore, will try to tread a fine line between giving you a feel for what to expect but not telling you things that will spoil the revelation - and it is a revelation. Initial press reviews lie between 'brilliance' and 'sickening'. The third act, which is all but expunged from the trailer, is bizarre in the extreme.
We start with a burnt-out house, a crystal, and then a remarkable reversal of the fire damage to both the house and its surroundings. And we see Jennifer Lawrence as mother, waking in her bed. Now, note that she is called mother, and note that this is spelled with a lower case 'm'. This is important, because her husband, a poet with writers' block is called Him, note this time with a capital H. All other characters bear lower case names, and all the names are descriptive of their place in life: e.g., damsel, philanderer, fool, idler, and so the list goes on. But before we get to these other characters, two more important ones arrive on the scene. First, we have 'man', a surgeon who arrives seemingly from nowhere, knocking on the door much to the surprise and consternation of mother. Her disquiet heightens considerably when Him invites the unexpected guest to stay.
If man wasn't enough to deal with, after an eventful night during which man seemed either worse for wear or close to death, depending on your take on the situation, things become doubly troubling for mother when woman arrives at the door, who it turns out is man's wife - obviously! Pay careful attention to the bathroom scene that precedes this where man has his head down the loo, and mother spots something weird on his side. I missed this and it provides a critical clue to woman's appearance at the door the next day. The appearance of man and woman's two sons then adds to the bizarreness of the situation, especially when they start fighting over the contents of man's will, a fight that ends very badly for the younger brother. Now at this point you may well have spotted something of a biblical allegory, and you will have been correct in your thoughts. A man, a woman, two sons, one dies; it's a Genesis moment.
The death of the youngest brother triggers even more weird goings on, his blood catalysing strange events in the cellar after seemingly rotting parts of the floorboards. It's a mark that defies removal and in time comes to signify a lot more. The brother's death also announces the arrival of mourners, the like of which you could not begin to imagine. Mourners from Hell wouldn't be an unfair description. By this point mother is totally distraught, and challenges Him over his feelings towards her, their relationship thus far having been, it would appear, unconsummated. This challenge provokes the desired reaction and the next morning mother announces that she is pregnant. Don't ask how she knew, but she was right.
Her pregnancy releases Him's writers' block and over the course of her confinement he manages to produce what appears to be a single sheet of verse, which she applauds as beautiful. But his success heralds the final act of this film, when his disciples mob the house, wanting to have 'a piece of Him' or his possessions. The choice of the word disciples is intentional. If the early scenes are for you reminiscent of Genesis, then move forward to Luke.
The final scenes can be accurately described as shocking, horrific, bewildering, confusing, insane and probably a few more adjectives thrown in for good measure. After which the film ends as it began - almost!
This is a film that is going to generate a lot of comment and conversation. You should see it, if only to make up your own mind. And if you choose to do so, and can't make head nor tails of it, then the explanation in this Telegraph article may help. But don't read it before you go, as this would negate the whole artistic intent of the director. Like any good book, or film, much should be left to reader or viewer to form their own opinions.
The death of the youngest brother triggers even more weird goings on, his blood catalysing strange events in the cellar after seemingly rotting parts of the floorboards. It's a mark that defies removal and in time comes to signify a lot more. The brother's death also announces the arrival of mourners, the like of which you could not begin to imagine. Mourners from Hell wouldn't be an unfair description. By this point mother is totally distraught, and challenges Him over his feelings towards her, their relationship thus far having been, it would appear, unconsummated. This challenge provokes the desired reaction and the next morning mother announces that she is pregnant. Don't ask how she knew, but she was right.
Her pregnancy releases Him's writers' block and over the course of her confinement he manages to produce what appears to be a single sheet of verse, which she applauds as beautiful. But his success heralds the final act of this film, when his disciples mob the house, wanting to have 'a piece of Him' or his possessions. The choice of the word disciples is intentional. If the early scenes are for you reminiscent of Genesis, then move forward to Luke.
The final scenes can be accurately described as shocking, horrific, bewildering, confusing, insane and probably a few more adjectives thrown in for good measure. After which the film ends as it began - almost!
This is a film that is going to generate a lot of comment and conversation. You should see it, if only to make up your own mind. And if you choose to do so, and can't make head nor tails of it, then the explanation in this Telegraph article may help. But don't read it before you go, as this would negate the whole artistic intent of the director. Like any good book, or film, much should be left to reader or viewer to form their own opinions.