To the naked eye, ‘Mother!’ appears to just be a movie about a newlywed couple living in a Victorian rural home. The husband, played by Javier Bardem, is a poet suffering from writer’s block. His loving wife is played by Jennifer Lawrence, who spends her days renovating their beautiful home. Their tranquil existence is suddenly disturbed by some unexpected visitors: an older couple played by Michelle Pfeiffer and Ed Harris. Their arrival disrupts the couple’s paradise and all hell breaks loose. But what’s really going on? Here are 9 pieces of information to enrich the viewing experience. Warning: may contain spoilers!
- Mother Nature
The clue is really in the title. First and foremost, this film is about Mother Nature. Both Lawrence and director Darren Aronofsky provided the basic premise of the film before its initial release so we wouldn’t all be completely baffled and clueless. Lawrence cites that “it depicts the rape and torture of Mother Earth,” whilst adding “It’s not for everybody. It’s a hard film to watch. But it’s important for people to understand the allegory we intended.” Lawrence’s character can be seen to symbolise this allegorical Mother Nature, as she nurtures their idylllic home only for to be destroyed by humanity.
2. Oh God
Javier Bardem plays a husband who represents God, the man who created Jennifer Lawrence’s Mother Nature. The film’s religious symbolism is a huge focal point as the uninvited guests wreak havoc, linking to the events in the Book of Genesis. Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer’s characters perhaps play Adam and Eve, representing humanity and all our sins as they take advantage of Mother’s hospitality and generosity. The setting of the house has also been linked to the Garden of Eden, amplifying the biblical theme.
3. Darren’s brainchild
The idea for the film was born when Aronofsky was lamenting the state of our planet. The director spoke to Vanity Fair about his inspiration, divulging that it was rooted in “how it must feel to be Mother Nature,” and channeling this into emotions. He whipped up the script for the film in an impressive 5 days.
4. It’s topical
The environmental message of this movie is quite topical as, during the press tour, Hurricane Irma was ravaging the Caribbean and the Florida Keys. Irma’s magnified strength was linked to climate change by meteorologists, as Climate Central claim “climate change makes these bad storms worse.” Lawrence also chimed in on the natural disaster, commenting that we were feeling “Mother Nature’s rage and wrath” in all its glory.
5. Pure gore
This film is definitely not for the faint-hearted. The pinnacle of the horror theme is when the mother has to watch her baby get eaten alive. This seems unnecessarily disturbing and grotesque – however, maybe Aronofsky is trying to stress the environmental message of the destructive nature of humanity. Either way, that particular scene leaves you haunted.
6. J-Law’s hair
Let’s lighten the mood with a nod of appreciation for the mother’s beautiful and majestic art piece of a hairstyle. It’s long, it’s luscious and it’s glowing.
7. The yellow potion
Mother keeps knocking back a peculiar yellow substance that is never explained in the film. The Daily Beast mused that this is a nod to the Yellow Wallpaper, a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman that relates to a female protagonist’s descent into insanity.
8. Kristen Wig
Another mood lightener: Kristen Wig makes a cameo! You’ll never see her the same way again.
9. Confusion
There’s generally a lot going on in this film, what with all the themes, messages and hidden meanings. Interpretations of the film are wide and varied, some saying it’s a nod to the life of an artist and the trials of being a creator. Others argue it’s purely biblical and a direct take on the Book of Genesis. Whatever you think, you’ll feel like you’re in Aronofsky’s dark twisted nightmare, and so it’s okay if it doesn’t all make sense.