A movie that is more than a movie, and less of itself if you define it.

Rating: 9/10 (24 September 2017)

mother! is the movie that our generation needed. Unlike most movies that have come out recently in an era of havoc and lost communication, this Aronofsky film collects all the barriers and bridges and walls that has been built by humanity (and even film) and burns it down with such an explosive film. Explosive even though it's only in the confines of a home. The brilliancy and sheer madness that is mother! is everything that our generation, and honestly ever generation needs. From the start, the audience is thrown into a fast paced environment that leaves you at almost every second asking the person next to you what happened as the next surprise is thrown at you. All you need to know about this movie is that it's about a husband (Bardem) and his partner (Lawrence) being put through tests and mind games as their home opens up for two unexpected guests (Harris and Phfeiffer). One small incident leads to utter chaos as a ripple effect happens in the span of seconds. And that is all you need to know. The issue before watching this film is the information you have beforehand. If you go in with the expectations that people give you after the movie, there's a possibility the movie will be ruined for you. If you go in the movie expecting a normal invasion kind of a movie it can benefit or ruin your experience. This is a film that deserves to be appreciated but can't be when the reactions are labeling the film as "pretentious" and "meaningless". Close minded people will not understand this movie unlike the directors past works such as Black Swan or Requiem For A Dream (two amazing films). This movie is filled with symbolism and truly brain throbbing moments that take not the wisest minds, but an attempt to understand. When I finished the movie, the people behind me said "I don't get it?" Many reviews miss the point of the movie or they understand it and try to warp what it is. With a film that has almost no score, very limited camera angles and a very A-List main cast, we already have the ingredients to make a winner. In this film, every angle, prop, and line means something. The first Act almost is comedic with an outlandish and almost joking sort of matter that makes you want to scream along with the mother character. In the second Act, we are thrown into the deep water that the movie is without a float. We are drowning with no air and no bottom to sink to. Its a struggle that also feels endless. The first thirty minutes of the film feel like the last act and its not a curse either. You are never knowing when the film is ending and never knowing what is truly going on and you know there is something about to happen. And when the thing happens and you come to the realization of what this movie actually is... it's too late. The world is twisting in misery and utter wildness that you wish you could control but there is no way to. mother! has many questions. What does the title mean? Who are the characters? What are the intentions? Every question you have has an answer, but you have to piece them together. Some questions haven't been answered but they are there. The more you glue the pieces instead of fitting them in, the more you won't understand. To describe this movie in ten words would almost be impossible. The movie is its own living organism that you can't describe in its span. Its a film that is too graphic and extreme to win a mainstream award and too controversial to be loved by the masses. Gutwretching and awful torture and awkward situations to dream like feelings and indescribable nostalgia along with several scenes that make you question the reality of the movie, is how we come to our senses with this film. It wont be an enjoyable ride that you will feel clean and happy afterwards, but it's a film we all need to watch regardless. A tedious and repetitively vile yet beautiful movie we all should suffer. Suffer, one word out of ten to describe this movie.