“mother!”: A Film Review & Podcast

Posted: September 23rd, 2017 | Filed under: Cinema, Film Reviews Podcast | 1 Comment »

There are grizzly and intentionally disturbing films that I have walked out of. I mean, you know, life’s too short, right?

Peter Greenaway’s “The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover” for one. I just went and watched the trailer. Nightmare memories ensued.

I booked on Ken Russell’s “The Devils” not once but twice. Saw it when it was first released in early 70s. Then, when it played a repertory house, I figured I needed to give it a second chance. It was still too much for me. Way, too much.

Which incidents I mention because “mother!” director Darren Aronofsky is like fellow auteur Lars Van Trier. They, and Greenaway and Russell sometimes, make/ made films meant to be disquieting. Shocking their audiences is the raison d’etre.

So it is with Aronofsky’s latest with its stellar cast of Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer and a bracing Kristen Wiig. 

This is a movie meant to provoke thought and dialog. Which it certainly does. With a harrowing and gory plotline to push the agenda.

But, my point is, I stayed with the movie as emotionally distressing as it was, never considering booking.

The rough outline is that Lawrence and Bardem are married. She’s his muse and spends her time fixing up their rural home, while he, a poet, attempts to fight his way through writer’s block.

Visitors insinuate themselves. A lot of visitors.

Chaos ebbs and flows therefrom.

“mother!” is as off the charts out of the mainstream film as I can recall being released by a major studio in a long while.

But the high production values, the incredible acting — especially by Lawrence and Pfeiffer — cannot mask that Aronofsky’s purpose is shock and perhaps awe. This film is meant to provide discomfort.

Which it certainly does.

But, but . . . but . . . if you consider yourself a cinephile, this should be seen.

Just remember to wear your flak jacket.

For a pithier, pissier take, listen up:

Audio MP3

One Comment on ““mother!”: A Film Review & Podcast”

  1. 1 Dough said at 4:58 pm on September 26th, 2017:

    Loved it! Raw, edgy, weird, dark, and disturbing hyper allagorical analysis of the ravages of fame(and other things).


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