A recurring bad dream

Rating: 7/10 (27 September 2017)

Oh, brother, what to think of Mother!?
Is it a super-secret dark comedy, yet dually so anti-feminist that it turns a full circle by depicting a strong female character who is the core, the center of the world?
Is it about addiction to people and relationships filled only with one-way love and the corresponding one-way abuse and manipulation? Is it a lesson about pursuit of fame and the unexpected consequences of developing a fanatic fan-base?
Jennifer Lawrence ("Mother") suggested Mother! is about the "rape and torment" of Earth with some Biblical references. I, on the other hand, am convinced Mother! is Darren Aronofsky's ("Director") attempt to visualize one of my semi-recurring bad dreams: I sometimes dream I am throwing a party and a large group of strangers arrive unexpectedly, none of whom will leave, all of whom drink and eat everything in sight, perpetually perching atop unbraced sinks despite repeated and heated warnings. I, too, have screamed guttural screams at these interlopers. I am tired, it's time to go, I don't know you, I'm calling the police, I want to kill you all, why won't you leave?
Director likes to beat the drums into a fever-frenzy, and the progression is not so unbelievable if you've dreamed those dreams. The final scenes are supposed to be shocking, I suppose, maybe even gasp-inducing. Few visuals should shock the conscience these days, especially considering there was a trailer for another installment of Saw, and do we even need to mention Human Centipede 3?
Many have mentioned hints of Rosemary's Baby or even Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, but I smelled hints of Antichrist, The Amityville Horror, and Room. If the imagery of The Spectacle can cause destruction and generate evil, it likewise must be able to cause creation and generate good.
I paid five bucks to see Mother!, probably would have spent $6.25 if asked.