Worthy of the Exclamation Point!

Rating: 9/10 (1 October 2017)

Even though Aronofsky has never done a straight-up horror, he sure has made some really scary films such as Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream (read my review here). That is one of the reasons that the trailer, released a few months back, for his latest creation peaked my interest because it looked like his most horror-like effort to date.
One of the things that first came to mind when watching the trailer was Rosemary's Baby, which is one of Aronofsky's favorite movies. However, while mother! does prove to be his most horror-like entry to date, it is far from the jump-scare horror thriller that the trailers have sold it as and even the plot summary provided above is only the tip of the iceberg as to what this movie has in store.
Instead, mother! proves to be something a lot more unconventional, daring, and absolute bonkers!!
If you thought the third act of Black Swan was insane.well Aronofsky somehow manages to top even THAT with unexpected apocalyptic imagery, cannibalism and a very surreal cameo by a certain SNL alumni.
This is art-house horror to the max in which nothing presented through the lens of our protagonist should be taken as objective fact (think Eraserhead, Lost Highway or even 2014's Babadook) and EVERYTHING is a metaphor meant to represent something else.
To me the story is working on two levels.
Level 1 is a relationship drama concerning our protagonists' (Lawrence) increasing frustration with her narcissistic husband's obsession over his art and the outside attention it brings. I can see the significant others of famous artists or celebrities relating very heavily to the drama portrayed on screen. Weirdly enough, in a case of life imitating art, both Lawrence and Aronofsky (twice her age) started dating each other during the production of this movie.
Level 2 is an allegorical presentation of the Bible with Lawrence being "mother nature", Bardem "God", Ed Harris "Adam" and Pfeiffer "Eve". The biblical metaphors only grow in prominence, and even a bit heavy-handed, as the movie progresses to its bombastic third- act. Aronofsky is at Lars Von Trier-level of nihilism, delivering an unflinching portrait of all the worst aspects and atrocities of humanity.
Obviously, there is a lot to un-pack with this film, but even without the multi-leveled allegorical narrative, there is a whole lot more artistic merit that oozes from the screen. Aronofsky keeps the camera very tight and claustrophobic (don't take a drink every time the camera is close to Lawrence face because you WILL become dead drunk), creating a suffocating atmosphere of unease. The cinematography alone does a great job in establishing the geography of the couple's house and making it seem almost like another character.
And even the movie's worst critics have to admit.the performances are incredible across the board. Both Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem are absolutely fantastic in their roles, especially Lawrence in capturing the intense paranoia and agony that her character is going through due to the increasing amount of strange individuals that populate her husband's house. Outside of the two main leads props should also be given to Michelle Pfeiffer; who delivers some really intense and un-nerving words towards Lawrence's character throughout the story.
Even though I really like this movie, I will fully admit (hopefully this isn't going to sound pretentious) that it is not for everybody. Aronofsky is not exactly known for making uplifting films and mother! is no exception. None of the characters are straight-up likable and the narrative deals with very disturbing subject manner (human cruelty, abusive relationships, environmentalism, the divine problem of evil).
Now, this isn't to say art can't be unpleasant, in fact there is an argument to be made that the best art SHOULD make people feel uncomfortable, but this may account for why many of the audience members were turned off. I think another reason for why the movie is currently bombing at the box office is that it was going up against the financial juggernaut that is It (read my review here).
Whether you end up thinking this is a masterpiece or a mess, there is one thing that can be said for surethe movie is NEVER boring or NOT intriguing.