"Mother!" (2017) is a brazenly ambitious cinematic invention from famed auteur Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, The Wrestler), following a lone couple (Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence) as they carry on an isolated existence in a large rural home.
While renovating the aged abode, Mother (Lawrence) begins to capture glimpses of dark and ominous impressions, and soon begins to receive unexpected and obtrusive visitors (including Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer) to their house. These interlopers quickly increase in number as they begin to take control of the house altogether—unnerving Mother and creating a progressively frenzied setting. Before long the entire film is spiraling into a crazed maelstrom of delirium and madness that goes so far beyond any possible expectation of the viewer that it will leave you stunned and shocked in bewilderment and abject horror...and it's all dark and delicious fun.
Crafted by Aronofsky as an allegory to God and Mother Nature (along with varying allusions to the bible), "Mother!" is so well done, so perfectly imbalanced—and Jennifer Lawrence is so unbelievably good in her intensely distressed role—that I found the entire experience twistedly enjoyable and surprisingly thought-provoking. Kudos to Aronofsky for eschewing the conventional and really going for it with this one. Not for all tastes, but it's fantastically well put together and highly recommended for those in search of something just a little bit (or a lot) different.
View the trailer: