mother!: a truly brilliant exercise in art-house horror and metaphorical storytelling

Rating: 10/10 (29 September 2017)

It's safe to say that "mother!", Darren Aronofsky's latest major studio accomplishment, is possibly the most controversial mainstream movie in recent years. It's been dividing audiences and polarizing movie critics in a "love it or hate it" kind of way. That's what's so great about "mother!": you either dig it or you don't. It's that simple.
And if you really don't dig it, I'm thoroughly sorry for you. Why? Because this movie is art in its most beautiful, disturbing and thought-provoking form, open to uncountable allegorical and/or metaphorical readings for you to read as you like. If you don't dig this movie, it's probably because you couldn't read anything into it. And I won't blame you for that.
"mother!" can be quite confusing at times. It's non-linear and there aren't many clear time passages. It's unsettling because you don't always know — actually, almost never knows what's going on. It's only when — if — the allegory finally clicks that you'll be able to piece together what you've already been shown — and boy, you'll be blown away if it really clicks for you.
A modern art-house horror masterpiece, "mother!" is destined to be remembered as one of the most disturbingly allegorical flicks ever made. For that, it holds the title of best movie of the year. Maybe the decade. Heck, maybe even the century. And it's going to be really hard for someone to top it.