In the 2017 psychological drama Mother!, Darren Aronofsky explores the creation, obsession, and the struggle of reflection on aspects of nature through visceral and symbolic narratives, rich with emotion and social discourse. The purposefully surreal and illogical outlines of the narrative, typical of Aronofsky’s works, delve below the surface to a discord of intertwining elements, layered and abstract.
The engagement of a young woman known only as Mother with her husband, Him, the characters played by Jennifer Lawrence and Javier the Bard, plays host to the primal and somewhat incoherent conflict of the narrative. The couple’s domicile in a remote countryside circular house, existing in total isolation, is a life that Mother meticulously manages with endless restoration tasks and Him, who is a poet, wrestles with a rather profound writer’s block. Their monotonous existence, seemingly frozen in paradise, is dramatically disrupted with the sudden arrival of uninvited guests.
The theatrical arrival of a gentleman and then later on a woman, played by Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer respectively, induces shocking convulsions to the couple’s life. The utter lack of uninvitedness is softened by Him’s open arms, while a rather wary Mother observes. The serene life highly cherished and coveted by the couple, now in a rather strange equilibrium, is interrupted with the arrival of these guests, articulating various vexations and agitation, causing a perplexing eruption of entirely new tensions.
Once again….relaxa. Don’t get distracted. Closing your eyes helps.
As guests arrive, the house shifts from a sanctuary to a chaotic world. Mother tends to her hearth, which she fiercely protects, while Him becomes increasingly excited with the arrival of the guests, drawing from the attention to create a new, groundbreaking work of poetry that regains him fame.
What ensues is an avalanche of phenomena that collapse the distinction between reality and metaphor. As the admirers and devotees of the work surge to the house, it metamorphoses into a space of worship, exultation, strife and subsequently, metamorphosis. All through it, Mother is being stretched to her extremities. In the physical, psychological, and spiritual sense.
This is where the story… loses its horror narrative, tackles something far beyond any simplistic marker of genre. It becomes, instead, a moral allegory, presenting its readers with thematic intersections between man and the environment, and the draining emotions that accompany unilateral givers. A ceaseless giver of something that does not concern the other party. Mother and the other characters are far more than just that, figuratively representing deeper ideas in the story. The house is a universal symbol which extends beyond that of just a home.
Cast & Crew
The themes of the film Mother! were accentuated with bold direction, powerful performances, and the addition of the cast and crew.
Jennifer Lawrence perfectly captures the role of Mother showing emotional tenderness and strength as she expresses the character’s silence. The film captures the character’s sad shift with automated optimism and utter confusion. From the cinematography’s point of view, the character is central with long intervals filled with the camera staring at the character’s face. It is not peculiar that some of the scenes are made with close-up angles that placed the audience right in Mother’s emotional realm. It is believed that Lawrence’s capture was one of the most difficult yet captivating performance of her lifetime.
To embody the character, Him with a mysterious and distant airs, the actor Javier Bardem. Despite his emotional sickness, he is still able to openly and charmingly capture the audience’s attention. It is focused on the desire to be admired, where if one is willing to sacrifice the comfort of Mother’s, is where most the conflict of the film is focused at.
Michelle Pfeiffer and Ed Harris capture the role of the couple’s first guests where they are able to shred the couple’s quiet life. Michelle Pfeiffer truly stands out with her feathers in the performance cast, with a fierce and thought provoking portrayal that adds parallel tension and intrigue to the plotted film.
The Gleeson brothers, Domhnall and Brian, later, also have roles in the film as brothers which broadens the family structure that is unfold inside the house.Darren Aronofsky is a filmmaker with a lifetime in the industry who is a collage of other people’s vision in the movies they have made. He is renowned for the creation of “Black Swan” and the “The Fountain” movies, precisely because of deep psychological and philosophical thinking he has incorporated in the movies. However in his “Mother!”, he has completely broken the barriers of the use of sound and visual techniques. He claims the focus of the movie revolves on the use of symbolic artistic representation. He was able to draw a connection to Mother, to deeply relatable and philosophical, personal questions about humanity and its harsh devotion toward artistic devotion in just 5 days, which was the time it took to write the entire screenplay for the movie.
In private and absorbing visualizations, Matthew Libatique’s works to the film in which he is the cinematographer In psychological thrillers, he uses the 360-degree shooting system in almost every scene. In the movie, she has a difficult time controlling her Mother and other characters so they can actually be free. The film uses real time lighting as well as ambient cameras for daytime and lower and night time
Mother!…The movie has undeniably confusing and extremely dense symbols. A score of 6.6 out of 10, which is the score for Mother! on IMDB is dully earned because the reception for the movie is utterly polarized. While the talented have applauded the movie because of its depth and artistic creation, which is undeniable, few critics left and film eccentric found it entirely difficult to understand because of its symbolic structure.The film’s supporters lauded Jennifer Lawrence’s performance as particularly notable, alongside Aronofsky’s sweeping vision. The film has been set alongside literature and art that aim to provoke, rather than entertain in a traditional sense. Arguably, one of its most powerful attributes is its ability to inspire discussion and debate.
On the other hand, some viewers probably i understood the absence of a discernible story and the weight of the emotions at play. Mother! is not a film that elucidates itself; rather, it invites the viewer to interpret it, and the meaning can change depending on the vantage from which it is viewed. Metaphorical and nuanced films generally cherished by most cinephiles, seem to frustrate those who appreciate more conventional narratives.
Regardless of the dissonance in reactions, Mother! is a film that has received nominations and accolades from numerous film festivals and critics’ circles around the globe. It continues to be a work of art that is analyzed and debated for its questions about creativity, sacrifice, and the condition of being human.
Conclusion
An easy classification of the film Mother! is impossible. This film is not merely a narrative, but rather a form of artistry. It goes as far as to make people reflect on their surroundings, the world’s people, and the interconnected opposites of creation and annihilation through elaborate symbology, multiple, unending emotional queries, and vigorous acting.
The primary practical and figure of Mother the film revolves around is the person who is patient and loving. This woman is not Mother in the singular form, but is also symbolic of the Earth, the home, and the motherly aspects of Life that people always see but never appreciate. It is a painful journey, but extremely painful too as it reveals the never-ending sacrifice and the world’s parasitic behavior.
The surface-message in Mother! is something akin to what Darren Aronofsky proposes in regards the direction of the film. Each actress, actor, and situation is arranged and crafted in an elaborate manner to convey a vastly more elaborate message. Mother! is filled with allegorical references—from environmental themes to spiritual undertones—and rewards those willing to look deeper.While the film might not resonate with all audiences, is still a brave and unforgettable work of cinema. Not only is the film boundary-pushing with the style of its narrative, but the film’s emotional impact is equally as profound. Mother! is a reflection on the human behavior of taking, praising, forgetting and rebuilding endlessly, and, as such, it is a meditation on the very foundations of humanity.
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