Mother! (Darren Aronofsky, 2017): A Captivating Yet Illogical Story Of An Aspiring Writer And An Inn

There has been so much speculation regarding this film, concerns about casting and performance, and even confusion about the narrative. Spectators of the film seem to come out of the film so confused in regards to what it is even about, with the notion of a narrative that spirals out of control which seems to evolve around the house. Cinema goers may not understand the concept which Aronofsky was going for, but it is essentially art which can be appreciated. The riveting thriller thrives off of the audiences reaction of course, ridden with love, loss of control, and even sacrifice, it yet surprises the spectator at every nook and cranny of the narrative, the incohesive structure grips and captivates the audience, yet everyone is left wondering "what?" or "why?". Even with high standards, the film made $35.4 million, after having a $30 million budget.

At first, it is hard to understand what the film is about and essentially, its purpose. Nevertheless, what is so interesting is how the film only relies on diegetic sound. No non-diegetic sound has been used, which intrigues me. The lack of this certainly increases the intensity of the scenes, making them more eerie and elusive. Furthermore, the camera shot are mostly close ups of The Mother (Jennifer Lawrence) which also helps us gain a connection to the character through her facial expressions, as the continuous close-ups and tracking makes the spectator feel intrusive as the film goes on. Using this type of camera shot alone has made The Mother's experience shared and lessened the personal space between character and spectator.

What does intrigue me the most is how none of the characters are named, or have been given any names for that fact. It is almost as if Aronofsky wanted to draw us in with the characters, but not let us have a connection with any of them. Characterisation has yet still been made to differentiate the type of characters, but they're nameless, just known as "Him" (Javier Bardem), "Man" (Ed Harris) and "Woman" (Michelle Pfeiffer). The lack of names thus means lack of connection. It makes the illogical narrative more illogical in a sense, but that's just a subjective opinion of course.

What the audience seem to forget is that the film is SUPPOSED to be incohesive. The whole point of this text is it's supposed to make you think, hence why it's under the psychological horror/thriller genre. It is an artistic masterpiece from a surreal point of view, however the normal cinema goer will just see it as a load of nonsense that makes no sense, which is honestly a shame. The whole narrative is beautiful, even palpable. The atmosphere of the house is truly mesmerising, as it is the centre of the Mother's world. Jennifer Lawrence preformed beautifully, and she definitely brought out the other characters too. I would love to see another film like this from another director, I do however believe that this genre is not appreciated enough, hence the lack of demand and hype for these films. The whole concept is endearing, and I applaud the next director who has a dabble at this type of work. on the whole though, is it a go to movie? Of course it is. Will you necessarily like it? Depends on your preference.

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