Decent production cannot overcome problematic ending.....

Rating: 6/10 (11 June 2013)

Mama is one of the most recent in a spate of decent and atmospheric supernatural horror movies that have been coming out for the last few years. Along with Insidious, it shows that you do not need a ton of gore and violence to make a good horror film.
Mama is the story of Annabel (Jessica Chastain), a rather aimless young woman who has no great plans in life except to bum around the apartment of her boyfriend Jeffrey (Nicolas Coaster-Waldau), an aspiring artist and play bass in a garage punk band.
This all changes when Jeffrey gains custody of his two nieces, who had disappeared in rather lurid circumstances. Jeffrey's twin brother, Lucas (Coster-Waldau again in a dual role) murdered his co-workers and estranged wife, abducting his daughters and disappeared on a mountain road.
Five years later, a pair of professional trackers find the two girls living feral in a deserted cabin with Lucas after Lucas died under mysterious circumstances.
The older Girl, Victoria, was found to have retained her speaking and socialization skills, while the younger girl, Lilly was almost totally animalistic. When questioned about their living conditions, Victoria states that they were cared for by a mysterious entity that they referred to only as "Mama".
The film is told completely from Annabel's point of view and Chastain does a good job portraying her ambivalence in suddenly becoming a defacto Mother while showing her frustrations in her attempt to bond with the girls.
Spanish writer/director Andres Muschietti does a deft job of ratcheting up the tension when Annabel realizes that Victoria and Lilly weren't the only beings that were in the cabin.
All in all, I found this film do be a decent attempt to take a hoary old story (caretaker of children in a haunted house) and update it with emotional realism and gravitas. The feral children scenario is unique and fascinating and when the movie sticks with that theme, it's nearly flawless
Unfortunately, the entire story seems to derail in the last act and becomes a ludicrous concoction of plot holes, overwrought melodrama and morally problematic decisions.
***SPOILERS***
The ending consists of Annabel being faced with a "Sophie's Choice" situation of sacrificing one child or both to the vengeful spirit of Mama. Finally, she basically accepts the situation as a no-win and gives one child over to Mama.
I applaud the filmmaker's gutsy decision and have no problem with such a downbeat ending on principle. I just find the actual EXECUTION of such an ending to be so ham-handed, it left me dissatisfied with a rotten taste in my mouth.
That aside, I think the movie was well worth at least a look. If one can overlook the rather silly ending, I think fans of ghost stories might find it diverting.