Film Review: mother! (2017)
I had a feeling from the opening sequence which side I was going to be on about Aronofsky’s latest film. The number of stars at the top of the page should be a pretty clear indicator as to which side that is, but it took me some time to decide on the full five. That I was seeing something special was obvious to me from the outright, but the film’s power didn’t quite settle in until I had a chance to sit with it for a day or two. Let’s not mince words: mother! is a difficult film to watch. It takes some work to get through it and to understand what it’s trying to say. But, if you can get there, it’s a truly rewarding and remarkable piece of cinema, and the best film I’ve seen all year.
Much will be written about just what it is that Aronofsky is trying to say with mother! “What does it all mean?” people will demand. I have my own theories and interpretations, naturally, and I can’t wait to test them out with subsequent viewings. Everything (and I mean everything) seen and heard within the film is symbolic and intentional. Some of this symbolism can be a bit ham-fisted and hard to miss, but so much more is subtle and open to interpretation. I’m fighting the urge to go on a rant about what I think it all means—what each character, event, location, and object represents—but that’s a paper unto itself. And papers will be written, mark my words.
I’m choosing not to describe the plot because, while it’s important, I don’t feel it’s what really matters. If I had to describe the plot, I’d put it this way: mother! is about the history of the Earth, from creation to the moment man destroys the planet (by way of a husband and wife living in an old house together).
I say “man” very intentionally, as the film is also about the male ego, toxic masculinity, and the destructive nature of male avarice. There’s plenty of politics too, with everything from capitalism, organized religion, police-sponsored terror, and the Republican party put on trial (yes, I got quite a lot out of the symbolism). All of this, according to Aronofsky, is what will lead to the end of the human race. The planet will go on, as the final shots of the film show. But for us, we’re fucked.
Analyzing just what mother! is about is what ultimately made me realize just how great it was. This analysis also helped me get past some of its more gruesome moments (of which there are many). Aronofsky’s outlook on the state of the world is terrifyingly grim, but also true (and if you disagree, I urge you to pay more attention). The brutality of the film mirrors society in a way that is shockingly effective. I had to turn my head on more than one occasion, but while remembering that every horrible image is a stand-in for a larger societal issue (whether it be historical, environmental, economic, religious, gender-related, etc.) might help in the moment, it won’t do much for your conscience. mother! if viewed properly, forces you to not only take a side, but analyze your current positions on these very human issues. If not viewed properly, well, maybe your blinders are on in real-life too.
So, if that’s what mother! is “about.” What else is it? Well, it’s also a very beautiful film, with influences ranging from Buñuel to Lynch, to Polanski. I’ll admit that I was basically sold on the film when I saw its Rosemary’s Baby-esque poster (I had my fingers excitedly crossed!). The first half is an exemplary effective exercise in psychological horror. It brilliantly mixes the paranoid and claustrophobic elements of Polanski’s Repulsion (1965) and Rosemary’s Baby (1968), with the haunted house vibe of the underrated 2007 Spanish film, El Orfanato (directed by J.A. Bayono, and produced by Guillermo del Toro). Lynch’s influence can be clearly seen in the organic object that lives in the walls of the house (a la Eraserhead), and Buñuel’s mark is obvious if you’ve ever seen 1962’s The Exterminating Angel (and you should). And while it’s plotted, more or less, linearly, the pacing has a clear surrealist bent—and strangely enough, one that mirrors the old and new Testaments to the Bible, if you can believe it.
The acting ranges from amazing to workable, with the weak link being the lead. Jennifer Lawrence is fine, but that’s all she is. I’ve never been much of a fan—I liked Winter’s Bone (2010), but that’s about it—and, even as much as I loved mother!, I’m still not a fan. The way she plays the character is the correct way to play her, I just don’t think that she’d have had the chops for any more had it been needed. She just glides through her scenes. What you see is what you get, but that’s all you were ever going to get. It’s enough, but barely.
On the other hand, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer are absolutely wonderful in their roles. Pfeiffer is better than I can recall ever seeing her in fact, and Ed Harris gets better and better with age. Javier Bardem is great at channeling John Cassavetes’ Guy Woodhouse in the first half, and he hits an aloofness mixed with menace in the second that’s tough to fault. And how about that Kristen Wiig? Holy shit.
Many will (and already have) had trouble with the way the story is told. It was a gutsy move on Aronofsky’s part, and perhaps an even bigger one on Paramount’s part for ever agreeing to release it. You just don’t see these kinds of movies backed by major studios. It doesn’t have a “regular” narrative in the sense that the average moviegoer is used to. I personally didn’t find it hard to follow in any way, but then again, as I said to Steve when I was buying my popcorn at the Grail Moviehouse where I saw the film, “Hey, I like weird shit.” One thing that everyone seems to agree on, is that mother! is not for everyone, especially if you like your movies tidy and easy. mother! takes work, and, sadly, many aren’t up to the challenge.
And once more, mother! most certainly is an indictment of organized religion. It’s an indictment of climate change denial. It’s an indictment of misogyny and sexism, of capitalism, and of our current presidential administration. It’s an indictment of a lot of things that a lot of Americans hold dear, whether they realize it or not. Looking at yourself in the mirror can be painful, maybe that’s why so many people are walking out on it. I say fuck it, have a good long look.
