If I ever become a filmmaker, I’ll want a career like Darren Aronofsky’s. Even as he’s risen to mainstream prominence since Black Swan, his deliberate artistic vision has never faltered. Despite his only blockbuster being far from his best work, I’d like to see another director have the audacity to take $125 million and make Noah with it. It’s this unflagging commitment to artistic integrity – together with his signature visual style and daring, visceral storytelling – that’s made him a personal favourite. It seems fitting that his latest film, Mother!, is the most controversial and divisive film of the year.

Mother! follows a woman (Jennifer Lawrence) who’s renovating her house while her author husband (Javier Bardem) contends with writer’s block. One day, they are visited by a stranger, setting in motion events that spiral out of control.

I’m being deliberately vague because you’ll experience Mother! best by knowing as little as possible about its plot and by not having your expectations skewed. If you’ve seen the trailer, it might have already been ruined for you. Indeed, perhaps the only thing worse than a trailer that gives away the whole story is a trailer that mismarkets the film. The marketing would have you believe it’s a home-invasion horror/thriller. But it’s not. It’s really not. It’s a tale heaped with symbols and metaphors with a mainstream cast and wide release disguising its arthouse nature.

Mother! is a gripping thriller that intrigues from the first frame. Mysteries abound and quiet tension gathers until its subtle escalation explodes into a riot of dread and despair. Aronofsky accomplishes this with his trademark handheld camera style glued to Lawrence as we follow her every action and reaction. There’s barely a shot where she’s not in frame, taking us from intimate drama into a claustrophobic nightmare. Good then, that this is Jennifer Lawrence’s best performance since 2013’s American Hustle.

If you’re at all familiar with Aronofsky’s work, you know he made the notorious Requiem for a Dream. Mother! isn’t as challenging, nor as good, but it took me from stomach-tickling discomfort to jaw-clenching panic. It’s not for everyone. Personally, I’m a fan of dark stories that are willing to take risks and go where other films daren’t, and those that evoke such extreme emotional reactions, even – in fact, especially – if those emotions are dreadful. That’s why I loved it.

And here’s why you should watch it. At some point in your life, you’ve complained that all new films are the same. Everything is a remake or reboot, sequel or prequel, sly rehash or blatant rehash. And if you’ve ever said this, then you are demonstrably mistaken. It’s Hollywood blockbusters you mean to complain about (but even then, there’s the occasional Logan or Planet of the Apes prequel trilogy to spice things up). The point is dozens of fresh and creative films are released every year. And if you aren’t watching them, sticking to safe options like whatever Marvel churns out every few months, then you’re telling studios not to make them.

Now, it’s true that supporting independent cinema isn’t always easy. Maybe your local Odeon only shows the biggest films. Maybe you don’t have easy access to an affordable arthouse cinema. Then, there’s the idea that many indie films are snobbish or pretentious. This, of course, is subjective. Some call Detroit an important and relevant exploration of racism and police brutality; I found it enjoyable but somewhat pretentious.

Mother! doesn’t suffer these issues. It’s wide release guarantees it’ll have a spot at your local cinema. And while it carries some hallmarks of independent cinema (deliberate pacing, unexpected plot turns) it isn’t pretentious. Mother! isn’t as impenetrable as, say, Nicholas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives, Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin, or even Aronofsky’s own The Fountain. There’s stuff to sink your teeth into with Mother!. In fact, despite being deeply metaphorical and bound to leave you scratching your head, Mother! is one of the most accessible allegorical films of recent years.

Towards the end of the first act, something major happens that clicked for me and I saw what was going on. From there, everything fell into place. It isn’t subtle, allowing you to read into every moment from then on with greater context. But what I’ve loved is reading countless other interpretations. Some see it as an exploration of anxiety, some believe it’s poking fun at the consequences of fame. Others say it’s all of the above. (Spoilers in those links.) The point is Mother! lends itself extremely well to discussion, dissection, and discovery of new meanings. And at a time when everyone is vying to produce the next “correct” Game of Thrones fan theory, it’s important to re-emphasise the delightful subjectivity of cinema.

The response to Mother! emphasises this subjectivity, too. It earned the rare “F” grade from CinemaScore, which polls audiences on opening night and grades the general response. Critics are polarised with some calling it a masterpiece and others dismissing it as pretentious hogwash. Rex Reed of the Observer went as far as to say it’s the worst film of the century.

Perhaps an F grade was inevitable after audiences accidentally wandered into an arthouse flick expecting Panic Room. The trailers might be to blame but they’re in an unwinnable position. Audiences demand fresh ideas. Studio pumps money into an original story; requires wide release to turn a profit. Marketing department inevitably uses misleading trailers to get bums in seats. Nobody likes it because it wasn’t what they expected. Everyone saves their money for the next Marvel film.

But I’ll say this: No film that made me feel like Mother! did can be called the worst film of the century. It’s a powerful experience that’ll have you thinking for days. Even if you don’t like it, you should see it because it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen. All viewers and critics divided on the film have one thing in common: They can’t stop discussing it. Watch Mother! and make up your own mind. Find your own interpretation. And if you are one of those people who whine about the unoriginality of films today, get out there and support something fresh.

9-9

Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to check out my other reviews, including my breakdowns of every episode of Game of Thrones season 7.

Header image credit: Paramount Pictures