A masterpiece of bleak truths through the scope of a surrealist's nightmare

Rating: 10/10 (19 September 2017)

The amount of hatred for this film's "nonsensical" elements are astonishing. Though the entire film consists primarily of symbolic surrealism, I found the meaning of almost every sequence to be quite straightforward and cohesive.
A woman wants to maintain a tranquil life with her husband, but much like what happens with most relationships at some point, other people start to come into the picture and shake things up. To me, everything that happens in this movie is simply a symbolic progression of that "shaking up". It's really not that complex or abstract. These thematic elements remind me most of my favorite film of all time, Zulawski's POSSESSION, while the woman's descent into madness at times reminds me of another one of my favorites, Polanski's REPULSION. Though the film has some really great influences that it feels like it's wearing on it's sleeve, it certainly does an excellent job of maintaining it's own nightmarish world.
I've gotta say, I never thought after Aronofsky's mainstream acclaim, that he would make a movie like this. I figured he would have gotten all of his furthest-tier bleakness out of his system with Requiem For A Dream, but MOTHER! sits in a category alongside R4AD. Along with movies like Irreversible, it qualifies to place itself on a shelf with some of the most unpleasant movies one could possibly view. For this reason, I think that many people are unable to recognize it's mastery. When a film from the heart is this dark, this heavy, this discomforting, people simply can't accept it. It's too real. It's an effective and purposeful nightmare, but an absolute masterpiece.
The typical elements of filmmaking go without saying. The cinematography and directing are beyond. The whole cast induces discomfort, fear, and anxiety effectively... some more than others. There is no weak cast member. It's a completely claustrophobic film... but that's the point.
This is the best film I have seen come out in 2017. Good Time comes close, but Good Time is literally just a good time in comparison to this. I will definitely watch Good Time more times than I will probably ever watch Mother!, and I will definitely recommend Good Time to more people than I will Mother!, but Mother! is a more masterful film.
Aronofsky has delivered us yet another masterpiece. Requiem For A Dream, The Wrestler, Black Swan, and now.... Mother! He is truly one of the greatest of our generation.