'Mama' May Be Clichéd, Contrived & Conventional But It Still Boasts Some Genuinely Unnerving Moments

Rating: Null/10 (24 August 2016)

Marred by our own familiarity with the genre yet managing to be quite effective when the occasion calls for it, Andrés Muschietti's feature-length adaptation of his short film of the same name is consistent in its delivery of old-school scares, and brilliantly keeps its eerie vibe alive for the major portion of its runtime but what brings it down is its overly sentimental & underwhelming ending.
The story of Mama concerns two young girls who were abandoned in a forest cabin and are found 5 years after their disappearance by a rescue party, that was sponsored by their uncle. Kept under psychiatric care for a while, the two girls prepare their return to domestic life under the custody of their uncle & his girlfriend but the young couple soon finds out that their nieces brought someone else with them.
Co-written & directed by Andrés Muschietti, Mama is crafted with care & affection and sets up its premise with an interesting, if far-fetched, prologue. Muschietti's direction is impressive for a first feature but his inexperience also surfaces, for he has no idea of how to handle the origin story of the ghostly figure we encounter in the story and ends up revealing too much, which in turn takes away the mystery and lessens the overall impact.
But Muschietti does exhibit talent when it comes to creating & sustaining a foreboding atmosphere and expertly carves out some truly chilling segments from time to time. The slow, steady & smooth manoeuvring of camera brings a discomforting element into the story while those sudden bursts of startling immediacy delivers the jump scares. Sound is brilliantly carried out & effectively utilised. Editing could've been better while its background score gives it a fairy tale vibe.
Coming to the acting department, the cast comprises of Jessica Chastain, Nicolaj Coaster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nélisse, Daniel Kash & others, with Charpentier & Nélisse stealing the show. Chastain also chips in with a sincere performance, and her chemistry with the two girls is a treat to watch. Both youngsters exhibit a great comfort in each other's company, because of which their relationship feels authentic & highly convincing. Coaster-Waldau doesn't have much to do but does fine with what he's given.
On an overall scale, Mama is clichéd, contrived & conventional but it also boasts some genuinely unnerving moments. It isn't difficult to see why Guillermo del Toro endorsed this chiller, for it has a fairy tale quality to it like his own features, is reliant on its ominous ambiance to deliver the scares, brims with rich themes, and chooses practical effects over CGI. Both its title & tagline hinted that emotions will come into play in this feature at some point but that very sentimentality also turns its final act into a bland affair and concludes the film on an unsatisfying note.
In short, Mama is another addition in the long list of horror films that started on a promising note, took a few turns that were simply uncalled for, and wrapped itself up with a climax that failed to deliver the impact its viewers were hoping for.