Ever since the film received its world premiere at TIFF, back in September, before eventually hitting cinemas later that month to even more crazed discussion, Darren Aronofsky’s latest endeavour, mother!, has been stirring waves of controversy and vigorous debate. With the film hitting home entertainment platforms soon, it’s time to revisit – and re-review – the film on Blu-Ray.
In the months since its initial release, this has perhaps become one of the most controversial, most divisive films ever. Wherever you sit on the mother! Spectrum, it’s hard to deny that this film is something else entirely. It’s a hit of anarchic, terrifying and dizzyingly visceral cinema; at times, it’s a hallucinogenic head-trip; a vehicle for controlled madness; an artistic masterstroke of biblical proportions; all of that, and more. Aronofsky, as always, has created a film that is so vicious and in-your-face that will leave you feeling exasperated by its nature, but in pure awe too. It’s a disturbing piece of cinema – one that is definitely not for everyone… but you probably know that by now.
In a nutshell, the film follows a couple played by Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem – the latter is a writer suffering from writer’s block; the former nurtures their new house into a loving home – that find their quiet, tranquil existence go completely and horribly awry when a mysterious couple arrive at their doorstep seeking refuge for a few nights. However, that only begins to scratch the surface of mother!; the film itself is an allegory – for what? Whatever you deem it to mean – with metaphors and nuance permeating every frame, every detail and every word. Given that Aronofksy wrote the film in 5 days after a fever dream, the result is fittingly nightmarish and maddening – but, as mentioned earlier, it feels warranted and earned, in a way that works only for mother! And never feels convoluted or pretentious. This is anarchy, orchestrated with a razor-sharp finesse by the one director – as his filmography has proven thus far – that knows how to do so.
Related: Read our original theatrical review of mother! for TIFF
Like a proud little sibling to its counterparts, mother! is flavoured with elements of some of Aronofsky‘s other work: the biblical undertones of Noah; the dizzying narcosis of Requiem; the psychological sensibilities of Black Swan. Yet, this is a film that feels as original and unique a film as they come; without hyperbole, this is a piece unlike anything you will have ever seen before – deftly so, and then twice over. Depth and meaning aside – make of it what you will because everyone feels certain they know what the film is about, yet everyone has entirely different interpretations (the beauty of this film’s allegorical viability, in my opinion) – as a film itself, it offers up a plethora of impeccable work. The filmmaking on show is masterful: a tour de force of timing, camera work, and some superbly calculated editing that makes the whole affair seem so effortless and slick; the cinematography, too, is so crisp and cold and gorgeous. It’s terrifying too, with a razor-edge of tension seething through the film, so meticulously and chillingly calculated to create such a claustrophobic, haunting and, most importantly, absorbing atmosphere that feels organic and without contrivance – in comparison to most ‘jump-scarey’ horrors, nowadays. It’s chillingly brilliant and Aronofsky really demands your attention with his idiosyncratic ways but he really earns that exclamation at the end of the film’s title.
Of course, the performances are truly subliminal too. There is some excellent supporting work from the likes of Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, and Kristen Wiig that all give very engrossing and entertaining work here but this is easily Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence’s film to steal – most especially, the latter. Bardem, as always, infuses his character with such a sinister charm; there is an unpredictable callous nature to his ‘husband’ but it’s hauntingly likeable and his presence is commanding and oddly charming. But it’s Lawrence that is unequivocal, giving the best performance of her career as our eponymous ‘mother’. It’s such an emotionally charged performance that seriously through the wringer and the young actress pulls it off with such conviction that it looks almost effortless and so chillingly real. She is distraught, tormented and goes through hell and back during these two hours and we believe it wholeheartedly and we really empathise with her struggle and nightmarish situation.
mother! is a seething cauldron of tension, chills and some masterful cinema. It’s a vicious and challenging watch but one that will leave you stunned for a while, mulling it for some time after. The Blu-Ray offers little in terms of bonus content but what it does offer is riveting: ‘mother! The Downward Spiral’ has the cast and crew talking about the production of the film and its spectacular and genuinely insane finale and it’s fascinating to get their thoughts on the picture; The Makeup FX of mother! takes us behind the incredible makeup effects of the movie and its visual splendour and that too is an intriguing watch. You’ve probably gathered by now that this is a film not for all. mother! is an esoteric thrill that is superbly made and fantastically realised and absurd and haunting and insane in all the best ways. It really throws us through the wringer in the most exhilarating exercise of claustrophobic, anarchic cinema in recent memory and you can be damn sure it earns that exclamation mark. In one way or another.
mother! is released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 22nd 2018.
