Movie Review: mother!

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland



















Michael's Movie Grade: B+

Review: Complex and fascinating experimentation in auteur style film making, that has its problems, but is an excellent film none the less.

This movie is a complex biblical allegory that is not always clear but is very interesting and worth trying to figure out. Mostly this film is about our main character's struggle with her own faith and to forgive and let go. She doesn't understand the things going on around here and as one with so little faith is left feeling completely isolated and alone even when completely surrounded by people. With this she feels at many times completely relatable. We know what it is like to feel like the only one in the dark about things and constantly completely powerless. The other characters don't always feel that real, but in the case of this movie that makes clear and perfect sense as we are seeing things through the eyes of a character who with her lack of faith does not understand what is going on. This film is not always an easy one to follow, but at the end more of it begins to make sense.

However despite the deep and thought provoking allegory this film has some problems. There is blood and gore in this film, but little of it seems to add to the setting and really feels unnecessary. This definitely could have been toned down and the film would have lost none of its atmosphere and allegorical complexity. This film also features too many jump scares and they can get tiring. It worked once or twice, but not this many times. There are also times when scenes go on longer than they need too.

However these faults are easily overcome by the thought provoking and complex ideas discussed in this film, and the excellent direction which perfectly captures our main characters feeling of bein isolated. This may not be a film for everybody but it is definitely a film with a lot to recommend for those who enjoy this type of movie. Don't let the trailers fool you though this is an art film not a horror movie. Even with its faults it is always great to see a Hollywood movie take these kinds of chances.

-Michael J. Ruhland