Metaphors are Not Movies

Rating: 1/10 (13 July 2018)

(with as much emphasis as possible) OBVIOUSLY this is High Concept.
If it was so smart, it could have been more subtle. Think about it.
I understand the attempts at metaphor. The reason why they don't work is because nothing about this movie resembles anything real. For one thing, in the real world, it's not ALL HORRIBLE. There are nice moments. They contrast this ridiculous depiction of creation. There is beauty. For example, I never believed the relationship between Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem for a second. There is nothing 'true' about this, there is nothing believable about this. If it actually seemed like they loved each other, maybe it might pull me in a little. Maybe it's intentional they don't really love each other, as it shows she's just recycled, but this still doesn't represent humanity, or our experience on earth, where there is some ambiguity about how people love each other, there is some love by degrees. Here there are no degrees. It just doesn't ring true at all. So forced, so painful to watch, because it doesn't seem genuine.
This movie is a nightmare, and intended to be so. Well done by the standards of it resembling a nightmare. In terms of resembling a movie, it's horrible, and you honestly wish you hadn't seen it. It violates you. I'm sure this pleases someone, maybe Aronofsky himself. But I've seen all of his movies and know he's too talented for just that. He must know this is garbage. He must have done it on purpose. Noah was so beautiful, in my opinion, in that it explored what kind of humanity we choose to be. So well acted, so passionately well-done, such a great movie. Aronofsky got ripped for it on all sides. It didn't please anyone but the few who actually have the capacity to think without overwhelming bias. I think Mother! was his answer. It was a giant expletive. It wasn't smart, if there was creative intelligence involved, it failed. There is purpose behind having intelligence, and those who have it and choose to use it must do so with something to achieve. There is function. It's not completely arbitrary, otherwise the value of what intelligence actually is would make no sense.
See Noah, Black Swan, and Requiem for a Dream, they are incredible films.
Please Mr. Aronofsky, keep making movies. But tell a story for an audience again. I know you can do whatever you want, but think about it. When you serve others, you serve yourself.