Review: mother!

Darren Aronofsky's latest creation is a big budget allegory with impressive visuals and creative storytelling that is guaranteed to shock and offend.

Wow, okay so this is going to be tough movie to review for many reasons. The biggest one would have to be that it's tough to describe this movie without giving any spoilers away. I'll do my best to avoid them but I may have to dip into them towards the end. At first glance, "mother!" is a movie that stars Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence as a struggling writer and his wife living in the middle of nowhere. However, as the story unfolds, it's really much much more. SO MUCH MORE.

If you're familiar with director Darren Aronofsky's work then you're no stranger to his proclivity for creating psychological mind freaks of movies. This is the guy behind 2010's "Black Swan," 2006's "The Fountain," and 2000's "Requiem for a Dream." Aronofsky is a fan of using artsy, experimental film-making to tell dark, cautionary tales that stick with the viewer long after they've left the theater. I can say that he is good at what he does because "mother!" is beautifully shot with incredible acting but the imagery and overall message are unbelievably haunting. This is honestly a movie that people are going to be talking about for ages as they try and digest the big helping of metaphors and symbolism Aronofsky has delivered.

As far as the cast goes, the four leads were fantastic. Lawrence and Bardem are joined partway through the film by Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer. It's tough to talk about characters because none of them have any actual names throughout the entire movie. These four leads definitely gave some incredible performances. Lawrence of course is a stand-out as she turns out to be the titular mother. This is a film that you may have to see twice (as much as you may not want to) because the defining allegory gives so much meaning to everything the characters do. Every shot, every line, every image has gravity and purpose.

The epic story is told in a very unique way. For starters, in addition to no character names, there is no music throughout the entire film until the end credits start rolling. It's an interesting technique that helps to ingrain the audience more deeply in whats happening but (combined with the disturbing imagery audiences are actually seeing on the screen) also serves to make the movie relentlessly tense which is of course what the director was going for. There is also a gratuitous amount of close-up and extreme close-up shots. If the camera isn't on Lawrence it's in her face, behind her or you're seeing through her eyes. Through story, camera work and direction, Aronofsky has done something really unique in that he's created a film that will affect every single person in a different way.

Well it's pretty much impossible to talk about this movie any further without delving into spoiler territory so I'm just gonna drop this here:

SPOILER ALERT!

Okay so stop reading if you want to figure out the movie for yourself.

Alrighty, the entire film is an allegory for the Biblical history of the world, with Javier Bardem as God the Creator and Jennifer Lawrence as Mother Earth. Harris and Pfieffer are Adam and Eve, their sons are Cain and Abel and any other characters who show up represent humanity as a whole. The first two thirds of the movie are subtle and nuanced where audiences must figure out for themselves what story is being told. The final act of the movie however, serves to almost literally punch the viewer in the face with the story and message. It all really boils down to how we as humanity are selfish and fanatical in our worship and literally destroy the earth with our violent and neglectful ways. It's really heavy stuff and the imagery that the movie uses to convey these ideas will stick with you for a long time. It's especially hard for me as a Catholic to see how the film portrays God, religion and all the baggage that comes with that social commentary.

It's guaranteed that this movie is going to offend people as it almost forces the viewer to feel bad about themselves. This was one of the few movies I've seen where when leaving the theater I heard other viewers complaining about how disgusted they were and wishing they could get the last 120 minutes of their lives back. That's just what Aronofsky does though with most of his films. He likes to deliver powerful messages in shocking ways that make people think. I know I'll be thinking about it for a while.

I do have to complain about the tension. By the end of this movie not only was I shocked and disturbed, I was exhausted. I also had a mild headache due to all the close-ups and for having to focus so much so I wouldn't miss anything. There are some extremely disturbing images that I felt were really unnecessary to convey the message but hey like I said, this guy likes to shock and offend. The movie was also marketed as a psychological thriller which it absolutely is not. There's no twist ending, no big reveal, no slashers popping out of dark corners. The movie is psychologically chilling but only because of the deep and dark places it goes to tell its story.

Final Thoughts: "mother!" delivers a powerful and meaningful story through artistic camera-work, incredible acting and shocking imagery that will definitely not sit well with everyone as they contemplate the haunting allegory.

Overall Grade: I honestly can't give this movie an overall grade because on the one hand, it's very artistic, beautifully shot and delivers a powerful message. But on the other hand, it's relentlessly tense and disturbing in its delivery. So I'll say that it is a good movie, but one you may not ever want to see more than once.

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