Iconic

Rating: 10/10 (25 February 2020)

Mother! is a rare masterpiece that is intense, frustrating and shocking. Why do so many people hate it?
Firstly, it was misadvertised as a regular Hollywood horror movie. Some people just prefer the regular horror format. Secondly, it is American. Some people prefer their 'intellectual' cinema in another language. Except for some who like the Terrence Malick saccharine version of cinematography. Thirdly, it crosses the line and it offends. Some people cannot tolerate infanticide or blasphemy or closeups of women getting beaten up. Finally, some people just didn't like it. We don't all have to agree in everything.
The story is full of allegories and can be read in a number of different ways. He is the self-absorbed narcissist who needs to be worshipped; she is the ever-giving romantic who needs to create a loving nest. He is a god who does not care how far humans go, as long as they worship him; she is Mother Earth who is ignored and violated. He is full of human weaknesses, she has divine grace and sensitivities. But in the end he always wins and she always loses. He is willing to sacrifice everything, even his own son, and to start again with another woman. It is the eternal story of creation and destruction.
Our history and psyche is full of this darkness.