REVIEW: ‘Mother!’ ain’t something to take your mom to see

“Mother!” is a religious allegory wrapped up nicely like a home invasion thriller is the latest film by director Darren Aronofsky and it has already garnered multiple interpretations.

To call this movie intense would not give it justice, as my heart couldn’t take the images being projected to me much longer. This is not to discredit the film. In fact, I applaud the audacity of Aronofsky, the actors, as well as Paramount Pictures for having the guts to go through with such a project.

If you’ve seen the trailers for “Mother!” then you must think the film is about a home invasion; quite the contrary. While it does feature strangers among them, they are anything but unwelcome.

Before we begin it must be said, Aronofsky creates an amazing atmosphere of claustrophobic dread by keeping the camera quite literally in the face of his actors. The lack of a score throughout the film only adds to the tension. The sound mixing is so disquieting that every breath and step the characters take fill the theater.

None of the characters have names. Jennifer Lawrence plays Mother. She is the wife of a poet named Him (Javier Bardem). The two of them are in the midst of renovating her husband’s home that has burned down, and all that remains is what appears to be a massive gem or diamond that was left among the ashes. Him is very protective of this because it is all he has left.

By the looks of it, Mother is the carpenter, painter, plumber, etc. as just about everything has been remodeled by her. Him has a bad case of writer’s block after creating one of his best works; he has no inspiration left. The two characters play wonderfully off of each other. Mother is the giver and stereotypical wife who is under appreciated, while Him is the narcissistic husband who is oblivious to her needs.

In comes a doctor, played by Ed Harris, who mistakenly assumes their home for a B&B, but soon finds out he is in the home of the famous poet of which he adores. He is welcomed with open arms by Him, which worries Mother because she doesn’t understand why her husband would allow a stranger in their home.

The religious symbolism is on full display in this film. One night Mother walks into the bathroom to see an open wound on the ribcage of their guest. This follows with their guest’s wife, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, arriving the next morning. In the Bible, Adam lost a rib in order for Eve to be created.

Other biblical references are depicted throughout the film including the tale of Genesis and Cane and Abel, the Garden of Eden, Jesus Christ and his crucifixion, as well as the receiving of the Eucharist and what seems to be an odd rendition of Ash Wednesday.

Aronofsky throws everything at the audience, and as a Christian and a believer in everything he seems to be calling out, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the film and the overall message. I wouldn’t call it blasphemous, but more so his way of saying, “hey, take a look at how we live and what we are doing, if you believe in these things then why are you acting this way.” He also might be trying to dismiss God, as what seems to be a cry out for justification for all of the violence and suffering he allows to go on, or what I’m afraid of, he is simply mocking Christianity.

Go see the film, challenge yourself and discuss it afterword. Be stunned by what Aronofsky has created. This is the mind of a true talent, and while some might call it pretentious, I call it damn-near brilliant. Not for the story per se, because I can’t quite make up my mind if I get down with his point of view, but for the feeling I had watching it, and how it left me the rest of the night. I was shaken, disturbed, challenged and rattled. With that being said, I must say this movie is not for everyone and will likely divide audiences. It is polarizing, harsh, terrifying, upsetting, grueling and completely out of its mind, but to dismiss a movie of this caliber would be a travesty. It is truly a one-of-a-kind experience unlike any film I have ever seen