Day 121 - Mother!



Day 121          Mother! [2017]
                          
Screenplay                    Darren Aronofsky
Director                         Darren Aronofsky
Cinematography            Matthew Libatique
Music                            Jóhann Jóhannsson & Craig Henighan
Leads                            Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, Brian Gleeson
Production                      Protozoa Pictures

IMDb                                 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes                69%

This one split critics and audiences alike, replacing Marmite as 2017’s ‘love it or hate it’ reference. I have yet to make up my mind so what you’ll get here is a stream of consciousness. ‘You’re insane, you’re insane, you’re insane’ whispers Jennifer Lawrence’s ‘mother’ to Bardem’s ‘Him’, but she may have well been talking to Aronofsky. This movie is insane. It’s a trippy, psychological thriller that reminded me of when I was forced to watch a performance by my six-year-old cousin – there’s no point in asking what the hell is going on, you have to just sit there and try to decipher it for yourself. I cannot fault the key elements of the film as the acting, cinematography, editing and sound design is all spot on. Lawrence and Pfeiffer in particular. Although I think you can tell that Aronofsky was dating Lawrence from the way the camera stalks her and idolises her. He’s like a horny teenage boy showing off nudes to his friends. There were plenty of biblical and political references strewn throughout the film and the seven deadly sins all appeared at some point. It is those references that you have to work out for yourself as they come hard and fast. There were many points at which I found myself squirming with Lawrence in pure frustration as the way people treated her and her house. People say that actors often do a film for themselves then a film for audiences and this was certainly Aronofsky’s film for himself. An absolute expression of himself as an artist. It’s no wonder that a clear consensus is lacking about whether it’s a good film. A truly baffling, hot mess of a film.

Acting                             4 / 4
Writing                            2 / 4
Cinematography              3 / 4
Music                           2.5 / 4
HWF rating               !!! / 4

Comments