mother! introduces us to married couple played by Jennifer Lawrence and writer/poet Javier Bardem whose relationship comes under increasing strain when a string of guests, invited and otherwise, arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.
mother! is a tense, slow building film that explodes into a brutal, claustrophobic, disorienting crescendo. The film examines three themes simultaneously. The one that I found most interesting is mother!’s two leads serving as an allegory for the cycle of life on Earth, examined through a biblical context. Bardem’s character represents life itself, always looking to create new entities and inviting them into his “home.” This starts with Ed Harris’ stranded doctor character wandering to the Lawrence’s and Bardem’s home and being invited to stay much to Lawrence’s chagrin. While tending to a sick Harris, Bardem is quickly shown to be hiding a wound in Harris’ rib area and the next morning, Harris’ wife, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, shows up. These two are obviously stand-ins for the biblical Adam and Eve. In the home that they share, Bardem’s character has a room that even Lawrence is prevented from entering without him, containing a mysterious crystal. Pfeiffer’s Eve is insistent on visiting it, much to Lawrence’s frustration. Pfeiffer and Harris eventually visit it together and break the crystal after having snuck in, causing Bardem much anger. This sequence is an obvious reference to the tree of knowledge and forbidden fruit in the story of Adam and Eve. The Adam and Eve allegory finishes with an explosive scene involving their sons, portrayed by Domnhall and Brian Gleeson. In an argument over their father’s will (who has now been revealed to be dying), the two brothers fight over their inheritance and Domnhall’s characters feelings of lifelong neglect from his parents. In a fit of rage, he kills his brother, as Adam and Eve’s son Cain slew his brother Abel. Eventually, Bardem invites Pfeiffer and Harris to invite their friends and family over to the home to grieve for their son, the house becomes overcrowded with disrespectful people until two of the guests break a sink, causing water to spray everywhere and Lawrence to angrily kick them all out in response reminiscent of the biblical flood.
The rest of the film plays out as a telling of the course of humanity, with “Life” inviting more and more people into the home until it becomes unsustainably overcrowded, violent, and full of chaos. The visitors, welcomed in by Bardem but detested by Lawrence’s character become more unhinged, at first beholden to Bardem but then loyal to nothing but their own whims. After witnessing their brutality in the most craven way, Lawrence ends it all and destroys the house in a ball of fire, as the Book of Revelations tells us life on Earth will end. This exploration of the cycle of life and the biblical theme is an extremely slow burn until it all comes into focus in the final scene of the film. mother! does a great job of keeping the viewer guessing as to what exactly everything means and is hinting at until we’re given the glorious payoff at the end. The gradual realization continued for me even as I was in the process of writing this review, with small cues and hints suddenly hitting me as I recalled them while I wrote. This type of rewarding viewers for paying attention is what makes film such a joyous experience for me and really resulted in my enjoying mother! so much. The allegory also wasn’t just a straight-forward retelling of the Bible, it also was used to make a statement about life itself. As she lay dying in his arms, Bardem’s character told Lawrence that while he was life itself, she was hope. That his creations, these human intruders, died soon after they had finally turned on “hope” after revering her up to that point is to me a statement that without hope, life cannot continue on. This is bolstered by the reveal that the mysterious crystal we have seen throughout the movie is the last surviving remnant of Hope’s heart. Life uses the crystal to reconstitute everything, and start the cycle over from the beginning, with a new version of Hope by his side as his wife. Presenting this viewpoint in a film in this manner is excellent storytelling by director Darren Aronofsky.
While the biblical allegory is one major aspect of this film, mother! also serves as a statement on the nature of public figures and how they are viewed and treated within society. As Bardem gains fame and love for his published work as a writer, he comes to value adoration at the expense of everything else, even his own family and their safety. Lawrence’s character comes to terms with obsession with celebrity by the end of the film, telling Bardem “You never loved me, you just loved how much I love you.” In the end, Bardem’s fixation with being loved ends up consuming him and everyone around him as his cult of personality degenerates into something dangerous and uncontrollable. Bardem feels the need to let his admirers have access to all aspects of his life in order to maintain their interest and respect. The examination of such a theme is timely and increasingly relevant as our current culture grapples with celebrity worship and how it has seeped into a growing number of sectors within society.
The third theme of the film is just the plain portrayal of a marriage in crisis, falling apart. From the outset, Lawrence and Bardem struggle to truly communicate with each other and know how the other feels. Bardem discards and takes for granted the work that Lawrence does around their home, focusing instead on his own wants and desires. Lawrence only later figures out how to stand up to him and have her own voice but by then, their lives have spiraled out of control due to Bardem’s selfishness. The unhealthy aspects of their relationship end up consuming it and them.
The cinematography in mother! really drives the mood and feel of the film, particularly in the third act. The visual portrayal of the house’s descent into chaos really makes the viewer feel the same sense of being trapped that Lawrence’s character feels with the single tracking shots of her going through various areas of the home surrounded by violent people pulling and tugging at each other as well as her. You can really feel the sense of danger and confusion until everything explodes into brutal violence.
mother! is filled with fantastic performances from its main cast, including Harris, Pfeiffer, and the Gleeson brothers. Jennifer Lawrence is left to do most of the heavy lifting and does a good job as the titular character. She pulls off the increasing sense of dread and being closed in on until you reach your ultimate boiling point. Michelle Pfeiffer stands out in her return to the big screen as the wife and houseguest from hell, commanding the screen every time she appears. Her performance truly reminds you how much her presence as an actress has been missed.
mother! will remain a divisive film during its rollout but one that I think will become more admired as time goes on. The film will not be without its controversy not only for its frenetic, unorthodox style but for the brutality that it portrays, particularly against women. The violence portrayed against Jennifer Lawrence in the film’s third act will undoubtedly be hard to see for many, despite the underlying theme/allegory of how life fares without hope that it is seeking to portray. I also felt the copious amount of white t-shirt nipple shots we see from Lawrence was a little gratuitous and unnecessary, particularly with the knowledge that she and the film’s director became a couple after shooting the film. Despite these issues, the ambitious and layered storytelling in mother! really makes the film worthwhile and great, commanding repeated viewings so that we can see everything that the filmmakers put into it. Aronofsky is known for his bold risk-taking in making movies and mother! represents another notch in his storied belt.
Image: Paramount Pictures
