Mother! (2017)
A deceptively smug lesson.
Presentation:
The film presents itself as serious art horror. It’s extremely artistic, probably the most artistic a filmmaker can be. The film manages to capture your attention investing in the mystery. Jennifer Lawrence plays a gentler lead here. Though once all is unravelled, you will probably feel cheated as you have been played in receiving a 2 hour lesson.
Story:
Don't Look Up is a better version of this film. Jennifer Lawrence shows her passion for environmental issues again staring in another film disparaging humanity. Javier Bardem is enigmatic and frustrating by design. If you're going to make a statement about the errors of mankind and how we treat the environment then I don't think going behind the back door is the right approach. It ends up feeling just as deceitful as the people the film is criticizing. The film ends up giving off vibes that the director knows better than you in a most pretentious manner.
Conclusion:
Unwelcome symbolism is rife with this one and although the metaphor is powerful, it leaves you feeling cheated as it was not what you bargained for. It's very misleading, which would perhaps be fine if it was more transparent throughout the film. You'll conclude watching the film with a WTF for better or for worse. This is not a film, it’s a 2 hour long metaphor, which would be acceptable if only there were any meaningful storytelling elements.
Recommendations
Reversing time doesn’t heal all wounds.