Aronofsky's Fallible God

Rating: 8/10 (19 June 2018)

Mother! landed with a giant thud in 2017, at least at the box office. Critics reviewed it generally favorably. Even half the public who saw it rated it positively, though they might not have liked it. And it's easy to see why viewers might be put off by the film. It starts off as a hot, confusing mess. You also might interpret their dislike as a comment on the film's seemingly critical portrayal of major organized religions, given how it depicts God's creation and His imperfectability and stubbornness in going about trying to get it right for all eternity. For that's exactly what this chaotic film is all about. With religion as context, you can make sense of the film from the beginning the very first time you watch it.
Now, as caution, what follows explains the film in the context of a religious interpretation, and doing so tells you what happens in the film. If you haven't yet watched mother! you might want to do so before reading further, or not; the choice is yours.
In the film, the writer (Javier Bardem) represents God. He has written the world into being, the house. Mother (Jennifer Lawrence), who you might regard as mother earth, mother nature, etc., busies herself maintaining God's creation. While she does, she awaits God's further creations. It's been a long time since he as written a poem, producing tension in the house. In his writing room, which is off limits to mother, he has an object, a crystalline artifact; it has great sentimental value, as it seems to represent something that came before.
Eventually, Adam (Ed Harris) and Eve (Michelle Pfeiffer) show up. Adam comes first and the writer invites him in as if an old friend, to the discomfort of mother. Eve follows. There appears to be discord between the two, and they are very bad about obeying mother's house rules, which involve no smoking in the house and no going into the writer's room. They violate both.
In the writer's room, they admire the crystalline object, but through carelessness, they drop and shatter it. Then sets off the destruction of the house, creation, and all those within. For it's now that the house begins filling up with people, the first two of whom are oldest son (Cain, Domhnall Gleeson) and younger brother (Abel, Brian Gleeson). Younger kills older over an inheritance dispute. Mourning, and more people, follow. Eve taunts mother about her not having children. She, in turn, accuses the writer of neglecting her sexually, which he remedies immediately.
The next day, she announces her pregnancy. Overjoyed, the writer finds the inspiration he needs to complete his next great work (the scriptures). People receive these with great joy but read into them what they want to hear. Acrimony ensures in the now overcrowded house. Mother gives birth (son of God). The writer shares the child with the people to mother's great horror. They worship the child but also tear him apart and devour him (communion with God).
Finally, amid unbelievable turmoil and conflict among the people, the house catches first, reducing creation to ashes. The writer comforts a scorched mother and extracts her heart from her (the new crystalline artifact). Mother awakens as she did at the opening. The house and the surrounding grounds are restored. The creation begins again (presumably to devolve in the same fashion as all the preceding times).
mother! has been billed as a horror film, which it isn't. You certainly might find much of what goes on horrifying, as you probably find what happens daily in the world horrifying. But most wanting to watch a horror movie expect to have their socks scared off. mother! isn't that kind of movie, and maybe that's one reason it didn't fare well at the box office. The other reason is that, well, it at first seems confusing and pointless, until you figure out what you are watching. For some, then, it might just be offensive.
However, if the film as a weakness, and it does, it is that the characters aren't the kind audiences can connect with emotionally. Mother and the rest, rather, are archetypes illustrating creation mythology, God's hubris in believing He could create beauty and still give the creatures of his creation free will. Kind of hard to establish a relationship with these folks. Visually and intellectually, though, the film should certainly warrant and reward the attention of questioning and thoughtful viewers.