Surreal freak show that Aronofsky lets rip

Rating: 8/10 (27 November 2017)

This is a surreal freak show of a film. Horror by any other name. Aronofsky creates a stage-play box-film, with a few overarching themes, and lets it rip. This is about creationism and the bible, biology and evolution and art and its inherent function in a society ruled by both and neither simultaneously.
Every scene grips, provokes and prods. Even when it is clearly manipulating it's working on some level. The eponymous Mother would be considered a thankless role for most actresses but Jennifer Lawrence isn't just any actress. She takes it and makes it her own. Without making a show of it she brings out the truth, she takes the audience with her, regardless of whether or not they want to - we just trust her. It's a brilliant performance that should not be overlooked for what helps make this artist's trip work.