STARS: 1/5
Buyer Beware: Darren Aronofsky’s new film “Mother!” is so allegorical it is unwatchable.
People were attempting to throw popcorn at the screen, and a couple behind me booed and yelled “That sucked.” For a casual moviegoer, this movie was nerve-wracking and unsatisfying.
I understand the movie was supposed to be a groundbreaking allegory for the Bible, but it was overdone in a frightening and gruesome way. Javier Bardem’s character, the poet, represents God and Jennifer Lawrence’s character, his wife Veronica, represents Mother Nature. The house they live in is Earth, and all of the poet’s fans are the human race. But to be able to follow that train of thought took more concentration and analysis than intended for what looked like a typical thriller.
The poet, known as Him, invites his fans to stay in his home despite his wife’s objections. The film’s point is that God is welcoming to everyone, but it comes off as creepy and desperate from the poet, who is obsessed with the admiration of his fans.
I will say the first half of the movie held my interest. I was intrigued to see what was going to happen with the strange new couple acting as house guests. However, I completely lost interest when the movie became totally nonsensical.
As the movie progresses, the house becomes filled with the poet’s fans. A war breaks out among them and during the gunfire Veronica, who is pregnant, escapes to an empty room upstairs to give birth. When she dozes off, the poet takes the child and to her dismay, he passes it around for all of his fans to admire.
Like a mosh pit at a concert, the baby is passed around and ultimately eaten by the crowd. At this point in the movie, four people left the theater. Despite whatever deep meaning this was meant to have, it was beyond disturbing and deliberately unenjoyable to see on screen.
As the movie progressed it became painfully obvious there was no interesting storyline, and there was a hidden meaning you were supposed to understand the entire time.
If you’re interested in deeply dissecting a disturbing movie with great actors and actresses, this movie will not let you down. Otherwise, don’t waste your money on it.
