SEPTEMBER 19, 2017
I’ve been trying to think of comfortable euphemisms, but “bonkers” seems to be the appropriate word in describing the effect of watching Darren Aronofsky’s newest film, “mother!”
If you were among the dozens of people who saw “mother!” this weekend, you’re probably still talking about what it all means. Unless you were among those in our theater who left early out of disgust or puzzlement. I didn’t, but I’m still chewing over exactly what I saw. And in a way, it’s exciting — not to date myself (but of course I will), but the provocative reaction to “mother!” reminds me of some of the movies of the 1970s, the kind of movies that you’d debate over coffee (or a stiff drink) for hours afterward.
Reviewing “mother!” is a real challenge because so much of what is the meat of the film is nothing but spoilers, and, like the film or not, you should go into it with an open mind.
One thing that you should know, however, is that you’re definitely in allegory territory here. None of the characters are given names. The story centers on two newlyweds — the woman (Jennifer Lawrence) is simply called “mother” and the man (Javier Bardem) is called “Him.” (There’s a reason why the “H” is capitalized.) He’s a famous poet who is struggling with writer’s block, so the bulk of the remodeling of their newly-bought home falls on her, a responsibility that she eagerly takes on. It’s clear that she’s absolutely crazy in love with Him.
One night, the doorbell rings and in steps a doctor (Ed Harris) called Man, who has mistaken the house for a bed-and-breakfast. As Man begins to cough uncontrollably, Him impulsively invites him to stay the night, unsettling mother, who doesn’t want a stranger inside their house. She is awakened later in the night by Man’s coughing and sees him hovering over the toilet with Him and notices that Man has a serious wound near his ribcage as if someone removed a rib. The next morning, Eve…I mean Woman (Michelle Pfeiffer, fabulous) shows up and almost immediately begins to question mother about her sex habits, incredibly personal questions which indicate disapproval that she doesn’t have a baby.
You may sense where the film is going with this. Woman moves in with Man, and they show no signs of wanting to leave. Mother, who is extremely uncomfortable with this living arrangement, is ready to throw out the intruders when the intruders’ two sons…let’s just call them Cain and Abel (brothers Brian and Domhnall Gleeson)…barge in and begin arguing about the will, and the resulting violence is just like the Biblical story.
There’s talk of their house being “Paradise” as well as vague allusions to an upcoming “Armageddon.” But you can’t imagine what it’s like when Armageddon comes to Paradise. The last half-hour of “mother!” is absolutely cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, and my jaw was figuratively on the floor during every one of those 30 minutes. Given my filmgoing obsession, I’ve seen several thousand movies, and I’ve seen never seen anything like the last half-hour of “mother!” It has to be seen to be believed. Oh, and there’s cannibalism, too.
Aronofsky has done a wide range of movies, but his most acclaimed are his “women going crazy” movies, directing Ellen Burstyn to an Oscar nomination for “Requiem for a Dream” and Natalie Portman to the Oscar itself for “Black Swan.” As nutty as those films are, they’re nothing compared to the extremes to which Aronofsky goes here. I kept having to remind myself that this isn’t being released by some renegade company — this is a wide release by Paramount Pictures, one of the more legendary companies in the business. “How did this even get made?” I kept asking myself.
“mother!” is definitely not a date movie. In fact, CinemaScore, a company that specializes in polling moviegoers on opening night how they rated the movie on an A+ to F scale found that “mother!” was only one of 12 movies since they began polling to get a score of “F.”
But I kinda liked it, as do most critics, and the disconnect between critics and audiences is fascinating. Aronofsky clearly made the movie for himself, and it shows because there is no effort at all to ingratiate itself with audiences, which, needless to say, is a bold move.
Most likely, you’ll hate it, and I totally get that. But if you’re willing to make the leap, you’ll be seeing a movie unlike any one you’ve seen before. Or will likely to see again.
GRADE: B
