An unintentionally hilarious embarrassment to cinema

Rating: 1/10 (8 September 2018)

Darren Aronofsky has made quite a name for himself as a director, producer and writer. While he's struck oil a few times in his career ('Requiem for a Dream,' 'Black Swan'), he's also had his share of disappointments ('Noah,' 'The Fountain').
But nothing has prepared us for his 2017 effort 'mother!' - an allegorical tale with more imagery, symbolism and smugness than anything in recent memory. The film is supposed to be commentary on the state of the world and how we humans have destroyed the Earth, and has fairly clear ties to stories from the Bible, which is supposed to make us feel repentant for our actions. Sure, okay, whatever. In reality, 'mother!' is an unintentionally hilarious embarrassment to cinema.
This film is celebrated by some as art, but it's actually trash. Nearly the entire two-hour runtime is dedicated to following Jennifer Lawrence around an old destroyed house that is in a state of disrepair. We either get to see the back of her head or uncomfortably tight close-ups of her face, most of the time with a shocked, disturbed look. The only thing worse is when she says "Stop! Don't do that! Get down from there!" two dozen or so times. Javier Bardem does not do much better in the acting department. The only one who brings their A-game is Michelle Pfeiffer, who embraces the destructive nature of the middle-aged woman she portrays as she makes a mockery of the isolated farmhouse.
A key issue with 'mother!' is how it was mis-marketed. The film was supposed to be a psychological thriller, but there are next to no scenes that really fit this description. In fact, a good two-thirds of the movie are unintentionally funny, with Lawrence's wasted talents opening her up to being the butt of the joke. And amid all of the mass hysteria that the film devolves into, we're subjected to one of the most grotesque scenes ever depicted on screen. Again, some will say this is "cinematic art," but it's not. It's a messy, conflated virus.
'mother!' was rightfully rejected by audiences. Hopefully its spectacular combustion is enough to put Aronofsky in his place so that he can go back to making high-quality films.