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[C4Lukins]

I was a bit dissapointed with it. When it goes ape shit it does entertain, but just because of how amazing the craziness is and the filming of these massive scenes.

I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of Aronofskys films. The Fountain, Black Swan, and Requiem are amazing IMO.

It all seemed to be an allegory on religious themes, but it was so inconsistent . I do not not want to spoil anything, so I will leave it at that. It feels like his Inland Empire which I really disliked, but it is more coherent then that.

It is a movie I am going to think about though, and read people's future impressions of. Maybe the whole puzzle of it makes sense, and all the clues are there but I am missing it.

For me it was a ton of themes, not just religious, but lacked the structure to really give the audience a cypher to dissect it.

 

[Danielsan]

Went to see this yesterday. Still need to unpack the story/meaning but I had a fantastic time watching this movie. It's filled to the brim with dread, uneasiness and amazing imagery. The final 30 minutes are defitely something else. But I was completely up for being taken along on the ride.

Everyone in the theater hated it. A lot of angry comments when the credits rolled. Loved it!

 

[brianjones]

aronofsky is such a wanker

can't wait to hate watch this with moviepass

 

[SuperStiltzkin]

Man, they have been hyping the shit out of this movie with their marketing. "You'll remember where you were when MOTHER! HAPPENED!" Pretty ballsy move for what seems to be a highly divisive film.

 

[Messofanego]

Man, they have been hyping the shit out of this movie with their marketing. "You'll remember where you were when MOTHER! HAPPENED!" Pretty ballsy move for what seems to be a highly divisive film.

Highly divisive films can be more memorable than unanimously loved films, so they might be on to something with that.

 

[Surface of Me]

Might have to see this judging from the reactions. I like art that goes up its own ass. Dont think Ive seen a film by the director though.

 

[Biggest-Geek-Ever]

I understand that

Spoiler

biblical allegory, but my first thoughts were:

The poet represents an artist
JLaw represents creativity
The baby is the artwork that they produce
Fans come to worship it, they want more, the artist can't get enough attention, he abuses his creativity to please his fans for his own egotistical gain

Spoiler

i felt something like this too, i also picked up a vague notion that Aronofsky is making a statement about creating something "for" the fans, destroying it in the process while the audience never even attempts to make sense of it -- lots of time was dedicated showing the visitors' sense of entitlement towards the creator's art/creations/possessions/privacy

I think that's definitely a big part of what he's going for.

Spoiler

Though Aronofsky definitely gets the paradoxical nature of that; he probably hates the way fans dissect and/or rip apart the works of their most adored creators, but just like the poet, he wants nothing more than to give to those who love his work. "Genius requires an audience" and all that.

What I think is pretty remarkable is how Aronofsky ties this all into biblical allegory that spans Genesis to Revelations, along with a brief history of the general shittiness of humankind. It was mentioned on the last page that this might be a climate change allegory, but I think for Aronofsky, science and religion are one in the same when it comes to humanity. There are touches of that in Noah, and here, my interpretation was (beyond the artist/creativity as above), Bardem is God and Lawrence is Mother Earth. Bardem brings man into the home (ie Earth), and the first removal of them comes about due to a broken sink and burst pipes (ie a great flood). When man comes back it eventually leads to a fastrack to post-apocalypticism. The child Bardem and Lawrence have isn't nurtured by man, but is immediately killed and consumed. Then man tries to destroy Lawrence (the Earth itself).

This is all kind of off the cuff ramblings only an hour after seeing it. I will say, though, I don't really know what to make of the final shot

Spoiler

and finding out each cycle brings a younger looking mother.

 

[Fat4all]

Might have to see this judging from the reactions. I like art that goes up its own ass. Dont think Ive seen a film by the director though.

The Wrestler was my favorite of his. Noah was interesting as well.

 

[Vault Dweller 111]

Ummm.

Well that was a movie.


Wait, was it?

 

[Seesaw15]

Haven't seen the movie but can someone spoil me on what the metaphor of the story is.

Are they

Spoiler

in hell?

Is the

Spoiler

house the mother aborting children?

Plus how were the performances overall?

 

[Kuraudo]

Going to see this today. The extreme diversity in reactions has me very excited. Only worry is I'm going with my dad and I've no doubt he'll hate it lol

 

[dickroach]

Haven't seen the movie but can someone spoil me on what the metaphor of the story is.

Are they

Spoiler

in hell?

Is the

Spoiler

house the mother aborting children?

Plus how were the performances overall?

I don't think anyone's going to be able to spoil the metaphor. like, it's not clear what it's supposed to be.
Jennifer Lawrence, Ed Harris, and Michelle Pfeiffer were all great.
Bardem was not IMO, especially at the beginning.

 

[Alexander DeLarge]

Darren Aronofsky has lost his goddamn mind.... And I loved every second of it. Shame people in the theater had to shout "JUST TO BE CLEAR, EVERYONE HERE THOUGHT THAT SUCKED, RIGHT?!"

 

[Lucian Cat]

Just finished it. There were a whole 4 people in the cinema. Bf liked it. Me... not so much.

Ummm.

Well that was a movie.


Wait, was it?

Pretty much


Ok so on the ride home bf gave his theory.

Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer are *possible spoilers*

Spoiler

Adam (when he's vomiting we see a wound that could be a rib removal) and eve (suddenly shows up after), their kids are cane and Abel. One kills the other and jlaw casts them out. Javier is some kind of creator, an idea that people follow and worship. And all he cares about are his followers loving him and jlaw worshipping him. Jlaw is mother earth/nature and the people destroy her. All she wants to do is create life.

He won't stop talking about it now.

 

[andythinkpad]

aronofsky is such a wanker

can't wait to hate watch this with moviepass

I think that's what I am going to do. Credit to Moviepass for making me check out questionable movies.

 

[Not]

I'm pretty sure we've exhausted just about everything male filmmakers have to say at this point

 

[Shauni]

I'm pretty sure we've exhausted just about everything male filmmakers have to say at this point

Wut?

 

[Messofanego]

Wut?

We have reached the end of male filmmakers. Only women can make films about women now.

Spoiler

idk what's going on

 

[Monocle]

This movie was an allegorical gut punch in the best way. A really good engaging ride, brought home by some excellent performances. I'd definitely see it again.

I had such a good time watching this.
Need more time to digest but just dropping by to say Michelle Pfiefer still has it.

Yep, totally.

 

[mariachi507]

Wow at the reactions. I've got to see it.

 

[Danielsan]

Darren Aronofsky has lost his goddamn mind.... And I loved every second of it. Shame people in the theater had to shout "JUST TO BE CLEAR, EVERYONE HERE THOUGHT THAT SUCKED, RIGHT?!"

I'm absolutely delighted by all the idiots going into this movie without knowing what they were in for. The marketing team did an outstanding job with the trailer(s). And just to be clear, I'm perfectly fine with people not liking this movie. I get it. It's a unconventional and divisive film, and it's clear as day why, but no need to moan about it like it was the worst movie ever. Especially given the wonderful film making and acting on display. And hell it's not even that crazy. It's not a Lars von Trier film.

The showing I was at was filled to the brim with irritating low attention span moviegoers, complaining about "nothing happening" during the break, and messing around on their bright as fuck phones during the movie. So I was pleased as punch that they had a shit time, and I can't help but laugh that this seems to be the case in showings all around the world. I had to deal with the same shit (though to a lesser degree) with It Comes At Night. Which was also a fantastic film that did not tickle the low brow horror crowd's fancy.

 

[Haloid1177]

I had the same feeling watching this movie that I did watching Eraserhead for the first time. Not that the films are really comparable, just the feeling they elicited are. Bardem was so creepy in the final act it really caught me off guard compared to how he was before that. JLaw was fantastic. Loved how claustrophobic the camera made you feel, always being so close to her. Wish I'd have brought a friend or two to it for the reactions.

 

[shaneo632]

Sat in the cinema waiting for it to start. So rare for me to avoid trailers/reviews this much. Really excited and ready to be surprised.

 

[tiddles]

Good summary of what it's all about (probably) here (allegorical spoilers!): https://www.bustle.com/p/the-meanin...nyone-whos-read-a-certain-famous-text-2336644

 

[Danielsan]

Good summary of what it's all about (probably) here (allegorical spoilers!): https://www.bustle.com/p/the-meanin...nyone-whos-read-a-certain-famous-text-2336644

Great summary. Seems about right. I already figured Lawrence was an allegory for

Spoiler

mother earth

and Bardem

Spoiler

the creator/god

. I'm not too up on my biblical knowledge, so I missed the

Spoiler

Cain and Abel

reference and I feel dumb for not getting

Spoiler

Harris and Pheifer as Adam and Eve

. I did get the baby representing

Spoiler

christ

, though that was especially on the nose as the worshippers were

Spoiler

eating his flesh

.

 

[Dan-o]

I would say a whole lot of it was on the nose, one you're aware of what DA is doing. It begs for a second viewing, but probably not repeated viewings after that...

 

[Lights and Waves]

I think what's really going to sour people is that it's fall and this film is being marketed as a scary movie for Halloween. There's maybe like 3 jump scares in this film and I think people are going to be less open to liking it because the marketing has been misleading.

It looks like he filmed it on a DSLR like he did for Black Swan. Anyone know for sure?

 

[Danielsan]

I think what's really going to sour people is that it's fall and this film is being marketed as a scary movie for Halloween. There's maybe like 3 jump scares in this film and I think people are going to be less open to liking it because the marketing has been misleading.

It looks like he filmed it on a DSLR like he did for Black Swan. Anyone know for sure?

Yeah the marketing is deceptive for sure. But hey, the movie studio has to get paid.

 

[Exis]

I am a guy who saw The Fountain in the theater.
This movie would be better with the title of 'Escalation'

Spoiler

The movie had me laughing at it at a couple of points in the middle, and that last half hour is so damn violent I was actually shocked.
I do wish he zoomed out a bit, the perspective on the shots from JLaws perspective was an interesting choice

Sooo happy I saw this high

 

[VistraNorrez]

I think what's really going to sour people is that it's fall and this film is being marketed as a scary movie for Halloween. There's maybe like 3 jump scares in this film and I think people are going to be less open to liking it because the marketing has been misleading.

It looks like he filmed it on a DSLR like he did for Black Swan. Anyone know for sure?

Black Swan was shot on 16mm(except subway scenes those were digital), this was entirely 16mm. Atleast according to IMDb.

 

[Monocle]

Good summary of what it's all about (probably) here (allegorical spoilers!): https://www.bustle.com/p/the-meanin...nyone-whos-read-a-certain-famous-text-2336644

Good article. It lays out the two interpretations that make the most sense to me.

The first and most obvious:

Spoiler

Mother is a biblical allegory with each character being a direct stand-in for an archetype or a domain of human activity.

And the second:

Spoiler

Mother is a raw dramatization of the artist's struggle. Everything from the agony of creative blocks to the most devastating consequences of success and prestige.

 

[Lights and Waves]

Black Swan was shot on 16mm(except subway scenes those were digital), this was entirely 16mm. Atleast according to IMDb.

Really? I swear I saw an entire BTS featurette where he talked about it being a DSLR that wasn't too far from an entry level...

 

[zeemumu]

So is this David Lynch artsy insanity or Black Swan artsy insanity

 

[VistraNorrez]

Really? I swear I saw an entire BTS featurette where he talked about it being a DSLR that wasn't too far from an entry level...

Here is an article on the cinematographic process of Black Swan with focus on the scenes that used the DSLR

From the same website Aronofsky talked about using 16mm for Mother!. It's further into the article.

 

[CloudWolf]

Just saw it, amazing film. Don't read anything about it and just go see this film. It's an experience like no other.

So is this David Lynch artsy insanity or Black Swan artsy insanity

It's a mix between the two. It's easily the most insane film Aronofsky has made.

 

[dickroach]

huh. some of the biblical allegories were really on the nose.

what was that thing in the toilet when JLaw was plunging it?

 

[BoogieWoogie]

Thanks to AVClub for spoiling this in the title of your review. Super good.

 

[shaneo632]

Just saw it.

Very, very mixed on this one. The performances were very good across the board (especially Jennifer Lawrence), and it had a palpable, intense mood, but Aronofsky is capable of so much better and smarter than this.

Firstly, the metaphorical/allegorical elements are eye-rollingly unsubtle throughout, and make it incredibly obvious how everything's going to pan out. A more subtle approach would've been a lot more interesting, but like my main issue with Black Swan, it just feels like Aronofsky is leaning too much on making a fairly middling genre pastiche rather than creating something, well, truly creative.

It's fine all things considered, but it's one of his worst films and I probably won't watch it again.

 

[AHA-Lambda]

Just about to see it.
I give it 50-50 on me either loving or outright hating it given this thread xD

 

[ShadowKingpin]

Absolutely brilliant film. The 2nd Act was a tad boring, but overall it was extremely enjoyable.

 

[Kuraudo]

Just got back and I thought it was alright. I'm surprised by the number of 5/5 reviews as much as the 0/5 ones--I found it very middling. It reminded me of Birdman in the sense that it's one of those faux-arthouse films Hollywood puts out every so often which think they're cleverer than they really are.

Spoiler

The generational gap in a marriage between a young woman and man old enough to be her father works as a metaphor for humanity's relationship to God, but it doesn't say anything particularly new or interesting. The ideal of a personal god is futile when that same god will never be satisfied until it has attained everyone's love. And by the end of the film it beats you over the head with it. It becomes very ham-fisted in some of biblical ideas it draws upon--literalising the eating of the child's flesh was almost comedic.

What I do like is how Aronofsky didn't resort to overly surreal visual or audio elements, instead keeping everything looking naturalistic even as it descends into utter chaos. The sequence when Bardem invites his fans into his home up until the birth of the child was really well done. It felt like one of Lynch's fever dreams but with many of the non-diegetic elements stripped away to create something much more raw.

So is this David Lynch artsy insanity or Black Swan artsy insanity

Black Swan.

 

[Bill R Boggess]

It’s an interesting film. I haven’t decided if I loved it but it was certainly unique, well crafted and incredibly different.

Which isn’t a bad thing.

That said, it’s not really a horror film – at least in the more traditional sense of the genre – and the fact that it was marketed as such will probably garner severe backlash from the public at large, especially on the heels of IT, which was fantastic but also a much more palatable and digestible experience for the masses.

Regardless, it was a ballsy film to make and an even ballsier film to market to the masses.

 

[Majora]

The backlash against this is going to be insane. Can't help but chuckle at all the people going to see this expecting a standard home invasion horror flick starting Jennifer Lawrence.

I'm not even sure I liked it but it was one fucking intense experience, that's for sure. The parts of the movie which ARE standard horror fare are arguably the best to be perfectly honest though. I would have been happy for the set-up of act 1 to carry on through the rest of the movie.

The act 3 we got was certainly something but I left feeling quite dirty and unsatisfied.

 

[shaneo632]

The backlash against this is going to be insane. Can't help but chuckle at all the people going to see this expecting a standard home invasion horror flick starting Jennifer Lawrence.

On one hand you can argue people should do their research before spending their cash, but it's also pretty shady to market the film as a more conventional B-movie. I can only imagine seeing this with a Friday night crowd would be really annoying. Glad I saw it at a matinee.

 

[More_Badass]

The backlash against this is going to be insane. Can't help but chuckle at all the people going to see this expecting a standard home invasion horror flick starting Jennifer Lawrence.

Anyone going into this thinking that, is like a parent taking their kid to see the South Park movie because it's animated so it's for kids

 

[SexyFish]

Anyone going into this thinking that, is like a parent taking their kid to see the South Park movie because it's animated so it's for kids

I agree, but the trailer that aired right before I saw It had a narrator hyping mother! up as a must see horror film and telling people to order their tickets after seeing It.

“you will never forget where you were the first time you saw Mother!” will definitely hype up the unknowing.

 

[Lights and Waves]

I agree, but the trailer that aired right before I saw It had a narrator hyping mother! up as a must see horror film and telling people to order their tickets after seeing It.

“you will never forget where you were the first time you saw Mother!” will definitely hype up the unknowing.

Yep, this is clearly being marketed as scarier counter programming to people who have already seen IT.

 

[Messofanego]

Off to see this in an hour, excited.

 

[JigglesBunny]

As someone who sees just about every film imaginable in every genre of film every single day as apart of the job, I haven't seen something so shocking and riveting in years. I was in awe during those last thirty minutes.

Phenomenal stuff.

 

[SexyFish]

Yep, this is clearly being marketed as scarier counter programming to people who have already seen IT.

Which I hope works out for them and gets them some decent money opening week, because I think general audience word of mouth for this is going to be eh.

Wouldn’t be surprised with a D Cinemascore, which is a stupid guess from me because all I know about it is Aronofsky film + the slight trailer I saw before It + Rosemary’s Baby like poster I saw awhile back.