Allow me to clarify that this is not the worst shot (except for the framing), written, or acted film of this decade; in fact, the production of this film was overall quite strong, and I think the payoff was anything but lackluster or disappointing. The film also isn't at fault for having a misleading trailer, though thankfully I tend to watch films before I see their respective promotions. However, the build-up for it was unnerving to sit through as an audience member, watching characters whose actions and ideals don't relate to me or anyone else. In that way, it was kind of like The Mist. I wanted to throw objects at the screen.
The characters had no other purpose than to serve this film. That's it. Unlike any other film in history, they don't seem to be in a universe that mirrors ours or is a fantasy version of ours, or what have you. Even if Star Wars or A Bug's Life isn't real, at least they have established the existence of it within the film's construct. Whereas for mother!, if time did not exist before or after the events of this film, it wouldn't matter. Nothing would be lost or gained. There is no understanding of its construct. It simply 'is' and it doesn't seem like the characters have a clue that they aren't in something that resembles our world. I think this is where the biggest mistake is made. Somebody mentioned this would work well as a play, and I actually agree. Not as a movie, though.
I went through my Blu-ray collection and I asked myself: "What other films represent a universe that a set of characters don't accept, believe, or is not cognizant about its unbounded principles?" I couldn't come up with any, because eventually they all seem to find their way in, or it just takes the characters time to get the audience to feel out that kind of universe. In that case, the films that I came up with were: The Adjustment Bureau, Stranger Than Fiction, and Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. STF is really the only one that comes close, but the awareness factor still kicks in. Not to mention it's actually a good film.
Let me put it to you this way: pick any musical out there, where characters just spontaneously burst into song and dance in unison and music somehow is playing as well. Let's pretend there was a film where this happens, and the onlookers who are not a part of the number start flipping out, wondering what is going on, try and intervene to stop them, etc. but the singing characters are completely unfazed by their attempts and just keep going... and after the song is over, they go on with their lives like that singing never happened (which is kind of how I imagine they "really" go). That's what this film felt like, only it plays out more like a Black Swan-esque psychological horror. This film just felt nightmarish: impressive feat, but in the wrong context of being a completely metaphorical film it became a very unappreciative watch. The characters become helpless in their want to bestow basic fundamentals of humanity upon each other, which as I understand this is a point of the film in itself, it just does not work well when presented as an allegory.
Speaking of the context (thematic spoilers ahead), mother! is basically a re-telling of the Book of Genesis, where certain characters and items play parts of the book, and Jennifer Lawrence's character is mother nature itself. Yet again, the problem is the characters for the most part don't know that this is what they are, so when they expect things to pan out like it does in real life and it doesn't happen, they don't have a clue why and don't realize their world had no past, perhaps has no future, and really is just serving one greater purpose: to be a film. This is not what storytelling is about, no matter how clever Aronofsky was in pulling this together (mind you, it all came off as very pretentious). And this wouldn't be such a bad thing if the movie didn't upset you with literally every character, but it did and I could not look past any of it.
By no means did this film fail to do anything that it intended (though people seeing the trailer and expecting a house invasion horror film will be very disappointed), but to green light this thing in the first place and give it a budget seems asinine. To quote Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park: "They were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." This art house film brings the audience no enjoyment of their theatrical experience, no commentary regarding the fabrication of human nature and societal flaws, no deeper extrapolation of biblical events, and simply it does not make a purpose statement. This has been my least favorite movie-going experience of the decade, even though that is not at fault of the director's execution.
The characters had no other purpose than to serve this film. That's it. Unlike any other film in history, they don't seem to be in a universe that mirrors ours or is a fantasy version of ours, or what have you. Even if Star Wars or A Bug's Life isn't real, at least they have established the existence of it within the film's construct. Whereas for mother!, if time did not exist before or after the events of this film, it wouldn't matter. Nothing would be lost or gained. There is no understanding of its construct. It simply 'is' and it doesn't seem like the characters have a clue that they aren't in something that resembles our world. I think this is where the biggest mistake is made. Somebody mentioned this would work well as a play, and I actually agree. Not as a movie, though.
I went through my Blu-ray collection and I asked myself: "What other films represent a universe that a set of characters don't accept, believe, or is not cognizant about its unbounded principles?" I couldn't come up with any, because eventually they all seem to find their way in, or it just takes the characters time to get the audience to feel out that kind of universe. In that case, the films that I came up with were: The Adjustment Bureau, Stranger Than Fiction, and Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. STF is really the only one that comes close, but the awareness factor still kicks in. Not to mention it's actually a good film.
Let me put it to you this way: pick any musical out there, where characters just spontaneously burst into song and dance in unison and music somehow is playing as well. Let's pretend there was a film where this happens, and the onlookers who are not a part of the number start flipping out, wondering what is going on, try and intervene to stop them, etc. but the singing characters are completely unfazed by their attempts and just keep going... and after the song is over, they go on with their lives like that singing never happened (which is kind of how I imagine they "really" go). That's what this film felt like, only it plays out more like a Black Swan-esque psychological horror. This film just felt nightmarish: impressive feat, but in the wrong context of being a completely metaphorical film it became a very unappreciative watch. The characters become helpless in their want to bestow basic fundamentals of humanity upon each other, which as I understand this is a point of the film in itself, it just does not work well when presented as an allegory.
Speaking of the context (thematic spoilers ahead), mother! is basically a re-telling of the Book of Genesis, where certain characters and items play parts of the book, and Jennifer Lawrence's character is mother nature itself. Yet again, the problem is the characters for the most part don't know that this is what they are, so when they expect things to pan out like it does in real life and it doesn't happen, they don't have a clue why and don't realize their world had no past, perhaps has no future, and really is just serving one greater purpose: to be a film. This is not what storytelling is about, no matter how clever Aronofsky was in pulling this together (mind you, it all came off as very pretentious). And this wouldn't be such a bad thing if the movie didn't upset you with literally every character, but it did and I could not look past any of it.
By no means did this film fail to do anything that it intended (though people seeing the trailer and expecting a house invasion horror film will be very disappointed), but to green light this thing in the first place and give it a budget seems asinine. To quote Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park: "They were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." This art house film brings the audience no enjoyment of their theatrical experience, no commentary regarding the fabrication of human nature and societal flaws, no deeper extrapolation of biblical events, and simply it does not make a purpose statement. This has been my least favorite movie-going experience of the decade, even though that is not at fault of the director's execution.