Must watch for the sheer acting brilliance and impeccable direction

Rating: 9/10 (7 October 2017)

A highly symbolic movie. Brilliant work, especially in terms of performances of the lead cast and a very offbeat direction. You would either love it like hell or hate it to the core since there are a lot of metaphors to decode - if you miss it from the beginning, you would pretty much be puzzled for the rest of the movie but if you are able to, then it's a treat to watch. But, definitely to be given a chance - but don't go if you are thinking to watch a movie to cheer yourself up - this one will definitely not do that.
Story (8/10): If I draw the parallels - there is God, there is mother nature earth, Adam, Eve, the forbidden fruit, Jesus and the destruction of nature by humans and even more. So, you got a sense of what to expect in the story. I loved the way the story is written, especially creating a metaphorical reference to a known history - it is a documentary turned into a gripping story. It is a little disturbing at some points but the flow just makes sense. It is quite a predictable story once you get a hang of things.
Acting (9/10): This was one of the strongest departments of the movie with strong performances by the entire lead cast. The movie was largely riding on Jennifer Lawrance's shoulder and she continued to amaze. This is probably one of her best and most intense performances till date. JL was well supported by Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Michelle Pfeiffer looked quite intimidating, rightly so, and gave a tough competition to Jennifer Lawrance. Javier Bardem didn't have as much breadth as JL to show the acting prowess and a vague character sketch didn't help either.
Direction (10/10): The entire movie is shot within a house - but they have made it large enough to have a variety in terms of locations. I loved Darren Aronofsky's direction. Conceptualization of some of the scenes to keep it close to the metaphorical reference is absolutely brilliant and innovative - especially the ones in the latter half. He made it a little too intense to handle, especially the double climax made a movie tad bit longer than necessary. The pacing actually helped in keeping the attention alive.
Overall (9/10): Great movie - must be watched for the sheer acting brilliance and impeccable direction. Loved it!!