Mother!

  "Mother!" Please insert warranted expletive here.  I want to start this review by saying I am extremely grateful for the way that Darren Aronofsky's films have continually challenged my ways of thinking, as well as my palate for film.  In that sense, I appreciated this movie very much.  That being said, I can not say that I would recommend this film to anyone.  It was a good film, filled with strong metaphors about religion with Aronofsky's noted challenges towards Christianity.  It was very difficult to watch however because the first half was very slow, followed by a strong second half, which was extremely appalling.  

 "Mother" is a film that follows a writer with no name (often referred to as Him, or The Poet) and his wife as they move to a new home and start a family.  Javier Bardem plays the lead; a caring and passionate man who wants to make his wife happy.  Jennifer Lawrence plays the the role of his wife, and who is essentially to be the mother of his work.  They are visited one day by Ed Harris (Man) who is shortly followed by his wife, Michelle Pfeiffer.  As it turns out, Ed Harris is a huge fan of "Him" and is on his deathbed.  The set-up in plain and functional to serve a purpose.  It seems long, and boring, and most of the time I had no idea what was going on in the beginning.  

  The second half of the movie is a tour-de-force of terror combined with the overwhelming anxiety of the unknown. Harris visits Bardem, and in doing so brings a wealth of family tragedy with him while simultaneously sparking the flame of love between Him and Mother.  After Bardem impregnates his wife, Harris' characters oldest son is accidentally killed in a fight with the younger son, which leads to a impromptu-seeming eulogy at the house. This leads to a revelation of sorts for Him, and he is able to write and publish his great work while Mother endures pregnancy.  

  To be perfectly honest, this movie didn't make any sense until this point.  It was at this point that the film turns, literally, riotous. As if it wasn't enough to be extremely vague about the point or direction on this movie, Aronofsky shotguns the audience with one horrendous event after the next.  I was shocked by the depths of darkness I was presented with.  I always appreciate an engrossed perspective like Aronofsky, but that is the most I can say for this film.  This is not a film I'd ever recommend watching, but if you see it, I definitely want your opinion of the movie. This is a film for critics only, and if Requiem for a Dream wasn't disturbing enough.  Very bold, but hard to watch. Three stars.

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