Something a bit different

Rating: 8/10 (12 March 2013)

'Mama' tells the story of two little girls who are abandoned in the woods for five years and somehow manage to survive. After being found and put back into society under the care of their uncle and his girlfriend, their carers begin to realise someone had been taking care of them all along.
The film is certainly not the scariest film ever; it won't exactly give anyone nightmares. However, there are a few jumpy scenes – but these aren't anything special, this kind of scare is all too common in horror films these days. The story itself is quite interesting; stories of children being cared for by overly protective ghosts appear frequently in TV shows but not so much in films. The story works quite well in feature film length and it doesn't feel too bloated or drawn out. You can tell this is not your average Hollywood horror film; the suspense that builds up works really well and the unconventional ending shows that there is a lot of Spanish/ European horror influence here that has made 'Mama' so unique.
The acting in this film is extremely well done. Jessica Chastain is fantastic here and has proved her skills yet again, this time playing a bass player in a rock band with an attitude. The two little girls also perform really well here – particularly Isabelle Nelisse who played the younger girl, Lilly.
Overall, 'Mama' is a pretty good film with a few decent scares and a plot that goes against boring convention. It's unpredictable, interesting and different from what we usually get.