Mother! (2017)

A couple's relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.

Director:

Darren Aronofsky

Writer:

Darren Aronofsky

Stars:

Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris

7 wins & 34 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jennifer Lawrence	...	Mother
Javier Bardem	...	Him
Ed Harris	...	Man
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Woman
Brian Gleeson	...	Younger Brother
Domhnall Gleeson	...	Oldest Son
Jovan Adepo	...	Cupbearer
Amanda Chiu	...	Damsel
Patricia Summersett	...	Consoler
Eric Davis	...	Bumbler
Raphael Grosz-Harvey	...	Philanderer
Emily Hampshire	...	Fool
Abraham Aronofsky	...	Wanderer
Luis Oliva	...	Idler
Stephanie Ng Wan	...	Whisperer

Storyline

Amidst a wild flat meadow encircled by an Edenic lush forest, a couple have cocooned themselves in a secluded mansion that was not so long ago burned to the ground, devotedly restored by the supportive wife. Within this safe environment, the once famous middle-aged poet husband is desirous of creating his magnum opus; however, he seems unable to break out of the persistent creative rut that haunts him. Then, unexpectedly, a knock at the door, the sudden arrival of a cryptic late-night visitor and his intrusive wife will stimulate the writer's stagnant imagination. Little by little, much to the perplexed wife's surprise, the more chaos he lets in their haven, the better for his punctured male ego. In the end, will this incremental mess blemish, irreparably, the couple's inviolable sanctuary?

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Plot Keywords:

cannibalism | death of baby | surrealism | pregnancy | riot | 

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Taglines:

seeing is believing

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong disturbing violent content, some sexuality, nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Marked Movies Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Day 6

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$33,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,534,673, 17 September 2017, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$17,800,004, 26 October 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Protozoa Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Darren Aronofsky wrote the first draft of the script in just five days.

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Goofs

After one of the sons is murdered, the Mother fails to call 911. All she does is clean up the crime scene and dispose of the evidence, making her complicit in the crime, something her character does not demonstrate in any other sense throughout the movie. Although the household is descending into bedlam, and her lack of control became increasingly uncomfortable for the viewer, the fact she did not protest the murder felt ill placed within the broader context of the film.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mother: [after waking up] Baby?

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits a steady heartbeat is heard

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Connections

Featured in Half in the Bag: Mother! (2017)

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Soundtracks

The End of the World
Written by Sylvia Dee and Arthur Kent
Vocals by Patti Smith
Produced by Tony Shanahan
Patti Smith appears courtesy of Columbia Records

User Reviews

Art is not shoving everything into a blender...

As I say in the title of my review, it is neither artful nor profound to jam every possible reference and metaphor into your movie. It's lazy. It means you have no clear direction and/or are trying to appear meaningful while being unable to resist inserting your own 'struggle' into the 'high concept'... as though you are equating yourself with the existential conflicts of gods and nature... I should think this is the penultimate epitome of pretentiousness and narcissism.

Yes, I got ALL the possible meanings of everything thrust into this amalgamation of horror and pseudo-philosophy tropes. And that was the problem... they were ALL THERE. There was no one idea prevailing; it was, as other reviewers noted, throwing all the poo against the wall and seeing what stuck... and the result was merely akin to a port-a-potty explosion.

The only reason I've given it a 2 was that there were so many abysmal movies this year that this one does rise a little higher by comparison... but only barely.

This is a movie for all the art-house crowd who believe their own self-delusions of brilliance and the Hollywood elite who pat themselves on the back ceaselessly.

I would compare it to the absurdly high praise for "Boyhood".