Mama (2013)

Annabel and Lucas are faced with the challenge of raising his young nieces that were left alone in the forest for 5 years.... but how alone were they?

Director:

Andrés Muschietti

Writers:

Neil Cross (screenplay), Andrés Muschietti (screenplay),

Stars:

Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier

8 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jessica Chastain	...	Annabel
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	...	Lucas / Jeffrey
Megan Charpentier	...	Victoria
Isabelle Nélisse	...	Lilly
Daniel Kash	...	Dr. Dreyfuss
Javier Botet	...	Mama
Jane Moffat	...	Jean Podolski / Mama (Voice)
Morgan McGarry	...	Young Victoria
David Fox	...	Burnsie
Dominic Cuzzocrea	...	Ron
Christopher Marren	...	Cop
Julia Chantrey	...	Nina
Ray Kahnert	...	Judge
Diane Gordon	...	Louise
Matthew Edison	...	Young Cop

Storyline

The senior partner of an investment brokerage Jeffrey has a breakdown and kills his two associates and his wife. Then he takes his three-year old daughter Victoria and the one-year old daughter Lilly and drives his car through a winding snowing road. He has a car accident and fall off a cliff, but he brings his daughters to an abandoned and isolated cabin to kill them, but the children are saved by a creepy ghostly creature. Five years later, Jeffrey's brother Lucas finds the children that were raised without social relationship and claim that they have been raised by Mama. Lucas disputes the custody with the children's grandmother but Dr. Dreyfuss, who is studying the girls, selects Lucas to take care of the children. Lucas lives with his girlfriend Annabel, who plays in a rock'n'roll band, and Victoria and Lilly moves to their house. Soon Lucas and Annabel find that the girls were not delusional and they are not alone in the house.

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Plot Keywords:

forest | children | big sister | sibling relationship | aunt | 

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence and terror, some disturbing images and thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Spain Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mamá

Filming Locations:

Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$28,402,310 (USA) (18 January 2013)

Gross:

$71,588,220 (USA) (29 March 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toma 78, De Milo, Complete Post Accounting

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When young Victoria is walking into the cabin for the first time, she steps onto the snow which sticks to her foot revealing that it is a actually a white carpet.

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Quotes

Victoria: Daddy, look! there's a woman outside the window. And she's not touching the floor.

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Connections

Features Silent Running (1972)

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Soundtracks

"Vampire Guitar"
Written by Gerard Misael
Arranged by Alberto Bernad, Marcel Cifré, Gerard Misael, Sergio Roldán y Javier Ruiz
Performed by Mr. Mîsael & los Atormentados
® 2012 by Mr. Mîsael & los Atormentados

User Reviews

Some Flaws but Overall a Creepy Film with a Great Lead Performance

Mama (2013)

*** (out of 4)

A couple (Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau) take in their two young nieces five years after they were kidnapped by their father and spent the majority of that time alone and in the wilderness. The two girls slowly start to come out of their state but it doesn't take long for the couple to realize that there's something else with them. MAMA is a feature length version of a short film by the director and for most part it's a successful horror film. There are a few problems that we'll get to but for the most part I thought director Andres Muschietti did a fine job at really creating a dark atmosphere that hangs around the entire film. He also managed to use this atmosphere and make it very effective during many of the scenes, which were quite creepy at times. I thought that really made the film stand out compared to so many other stories was the character played by Chastain. In most films like this you have the good person doing good deeds to protect the ones she loves. That's not the case here because her character doesn't want these girls, doesn't like how they've changed her life and there's not really any cute scenes. The character development here is something quite rare in horror films but I think it really works itself out nicely. As for Chastain, it's good that some of her caliber is here because a great performance really helps bring credit to the events in the film. The supporting players are good too and this is especially true of the two actresses playing the girls. Now, what really doesn't work in the film is the CGI "mama" character. I'm sorry but I really don't see why you have to have poor looking CGI bring a film down. Not only is the CGI rather poor but the ghost creation just does so many unrealistic things that you can't help but not be frightened of it. The director does a good job at building up the tension but once the creature actually comes it goes away. Still, MAMA is a pretty strong horror film that's not perfect but it's certainly good enough to watch.