Let me start by saying this: Mother! is not a film for everyone.

    Although it was marketed as a horror film, the reality is far from that. However,  it does borrow a few elements from the horror genre.

    ‘Mother’ is an experimental film where the story and plot are a giant allegory comprised of many metaphors and visual imagery. I understood the messages that Darren Aronofsky, the director, was trying to convey. However, with metaphor on top of metaphor, ‘Mother’ ends up being a film that should have been a half-hour short film presented to students at film schools, rather than a two-hour film for the general audience.

     It is difficult to say what the movie is about without spoiling anything. Basically, Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem’s characters are a married couple that gets visited one day by the character of Ed Harris, and the plot develops from there. That is really all I can say.

     The film is, ultimately, an art project more than a film (Hence, my earlier comment about film schools).

      In the end, if you like experimental films, or you love art and want to see what Daren Aronofsky has created and the messages he was trying to send, then you will like this film. Otherwise, save your money for other movies.

      I personally do not recommend this film to the average person, but would recommend it for art and film students. And I can honestly say I did not enjoy most of the movie.

What I like

     Fronted by Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem, and supported by Ed Harris (one of my favourite actors) and Michelle Pfeiffer, the film is as expected in the acting department. Everyone delivers a great performance.

     From an artistic perspective, the allegories in the movie touch on a lot of relevant issues.

     The movie has a lot of intense scenes that grab you, and you can’t really predict how they are going to pan out.

What I dislike

     The last 45 minutes were so frantic and exhausting I exhaled for 3 times and looked at my watch 4 times. It was just too long.

     A lot of the movie is shot from the perspective Jennifer Lawrence’s character (showing the back of her hair, or her face).  Consequently, there are so many close-ups on her face it gets incredibly annoying and you can’t wait for a wide shot in order to breath.

     The movie is like a piece of music that is incredibly technical, contains a lot of advanced compositional techniques, and is played by a talented musician but does not give the listener enjoyment while listening.

Score: 4

My Scoring System

Scoring system inspired by John Campea (online movie critic, YouTube movie content creator).