This Guy was immediately intrigued by the first trailer for Darren Aronofsky’s mother! Tense atmosphere, cool cast, weird music. Everything we expect from the man, and wrapped up in what looks like a creepy horror film. What’s not to like? This was followed with a strange, almost desperate marketing campaign. The trailer in front of IT actually asked the audience to go purchase tickets to mother! after the movie. Strange, but not unheard of. But when the film released, and religious group began protesting the film, and paramount felt the need to release a statement defending the film’s release. Now, this might start to raise a few questions. What kind of horror movie would piss people off so badly, that the studio has to do damage control on opening weekend?

Well, one that’s not a horror film at all. Like many of its contemporaries, mother! is not safe from terrible marketing. That doesn’t mean that a decent, worthwhile, and at times impressive film doesn’t lie behind the deception. This Guy knew mother! would be something, and, well, it definitely is… something. be warned FULL SPOILERS follow below.

“I don’t want to interrupt. I’ll just get started on the apocalypse.”

Jennifer Lawrence plays the titular “mother,” a young woman with no children, married to an older man (Javier Bardem), a poet going through some serious writer’s block. Their tranquil life is rudely interrupted by a wild Ed Harris finding his way into their home, and the poet inviting him to stay, disregarding his wife’s concerns. mother seems overly bothered by the man’s presence, and even has visions of a distressed beating heart within the walls. Things get more complicated when the Man’s wife (Michelle Pfeiffer) shows up unannounced. Then their sons, then their friends, and soon a mob of strangers, thieves, revelers, and zealots flood into the house. And the poet seems like he couldn’t be happier that they’re all there to see him. What follows is a chaotic descent into absolute madness throughout the house as mother tries desperately to defend her home and pull her husband away from these strangers.

mother! takes the unsettling style of Black Swan, removes the themes of battling insanity, and dials the rest up to 11.

You might be thinking mother is in for some kind of ritualistic Rosemary’s Baby situation. You’re not that far off. While it’s not remotely the horror film it was pitched as, mother! is not without its horrifying moments, and absurdist transitions. In the span of about 15 minutes we go from hero worship, to debauchery, to executions, to genocide and grenades. It’s not a “fun” trip per se, but it’s kind of impressive. We never leave mother’s side, so we get to experience every awful, invasive trespass into her domain right along with her. Lawrence sells the journey of her story perfectly. It’s her best work since American Hustle, as we watch her go from peaceful serenity, to anxiety ridden tension, to mind-numbing fear and disgust.

Bardem’ Poet, credited only as “Him,” is another great sinister turn from the professional creep. He actually has moments where you believe he can be tender and kind, and then you remember, “oh right, he’s a terrifying nightmare with an accent.” While he doesn’t go full on Chigurh in mother!, we does know just when to turn it on for maximum creepiness.

“Your house? The Poet says it’s everyone’s house.”

As expected from an Aronofsky film, it can come off as rather high on itself, particularly when he allows/forces the camera to linger just ever too long on the shots he loves more than his fans do. For such a frenetic and agitating film, he does love his long takes. Now to be fair, it’s shot beautifully, and the sets, sound, and atmosphere alone are engaging and impressive enough to give him a pass on his other indulgences, and borderline gratuitous nature. This Guy’s not one to wince at movie violence, but when we talk about the baby scene, you’ll understand Paramount’s decision to do some damage control.

Let’s actually get some context on this shit. Lawrence, mother herself, actually gives birth towards the end of the film. The Poet, at first overjoyed and near tears, tells her his adoring “fans” will want to see the baby. mother stays up for days to keep Him from taking the baby away. When she dozes off for just a second, it’s too late. The kid is passed over to an insane mob like a team trophy, and tossed around the room, pissing in all directions, before suffering a fatal, freak crowd-surfing accident. The broke infant is then hacked, divvied, and handed out for an evening snack. mother gets upset.

Now, this is where the religious boycott comes in… It’s Jesus. This is the Bible we’re watching. The whole Bible, start to finish, beat by beat. In a house. In 2 hours.

“Get out! Get out! All of you!”

Harris and Pfeiffer are a cynical shot at Adam and Eve (Pfeiffer literally comes from Harris’s rib); their warring sons, Cain and Abel. The sink mother warns the revelers not to sit on breaks and FLOODS the house, banishing the invaders for months. The Poet writes a bestseller in the meantime and immediately creates a mad religion around his image. Within minutes heretics are executed, women are caged, wars are fought, and the house is damn near destroyed. We go from creation, through original sin, the flood, religious obsession, the fall of man, the coming of Christ, and the first communion without ever leaving the comfort of mother’s living room.

mother built this house up from ashes. She made it beautiful and perfect, and gave Him all he could ever want or need. And he lets these awful strangers in to take, and consume, and destroy it all. And when “Him” tells “mother” to forgive his murderous, gluttonous, maniacal “fans” for their sins, she burns the fucking house DOWN.

Mother Nature, she is a bitch.

“I am I. And you are home.”

As far as cinematic retellings of scripture go, mother! is certainly original. Aronofsky kept This Guy’s eyes glued to the screen for 2 hours, for better or worse, and none of it ever felt truly wasted. Some moments may be a bit on the nose, and others may churn more stomachs than the actual Passion Of The Christ, bu really, the film has a lot going for it. The acting is great, the atmosphere is unsettling, it’s never boring. And when it comes down to it, besides giving us the cliff notes from Satan’s Sunday School textbook, it’s not without an important message.

Mother Earth is the only mother we’re ALL ever going to have. She’s given her heart to us every day since the dawn of time. Don’t take her for granted. Appreciate her gifts. Treat her right. Or she will burn the fucking house down with you inside.

You’ve been warned.

This Guy Scores: 7/10