mother! (2017)
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A woman's tranquil life in a country home is disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious couple, leading to a series of chaotic events.
The story
In the burned-out remains of a large house, Him, an acclaimed poet struggling with writer's block, transforms the space into a beautiful home in an edenic landscape. His wife, Mother, lives within this sanctuary. Their peaceful existence is disrupted when a stranger named Man and his wife, Woman, arrive at the house. While Him insists on hosting them to fulfill a dying wish, the presence of the guests creates growing tension and frustration for Mother. The arrival of the couple triggers a series of escalating incidents that threaten the stability of their secluded life and the sanctity of their home.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Him, a poet, and his wife, Mother, live in a home transformed by a crystal. The arrival of Man and Woman, and the subsequent arrival of their two sons, leads to violence and the death of the younger son. Following a period of forced intimacy between Him and Mother, she becomes pregnant. As the poet's fame grows, a cult of fans invades the home, causing destruction. During the chaos, Mother goes into labor. After the fans are dispersed by military force, Him takes the newborn baby to the crowd, where it is killed and mutilated. Mother, enraged, sets the house on fire, incinerating the crowd. In the aftermath, Him removes Mother's heart, revealing a new crystal, and the house reverts to its original state as a new Mother awakens.
- First release year
- 2017
- Runtime (minutes)
- 121
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Darren Aronofsky
- Writers
- Darren Aronofsky · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jennifer Lawrence · Mother; Javier Bardem · Him; Ed Harris · Adam; Michelle Pfeiffer · Eve; Domhnall Gleeson; Brian Gleeson; Kristen Wiig
- Genres
- psychological horror; psychological thriller
- Themes
- allegory; biblical allegories; mother earth; creation
- Tone and mood
- psychological freak-out; dream-logic; nightmare
- Premise and plot tags
- pregnancy; poets; fratricide; human sacrifice
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, while audiences gave it a rare 'F' CinemaScore rating.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 76 · scale: 100 · review count: 51
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Awards · nomination · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film features a cover of 'The End of the World' by Patti Smith.; The title's exclamation mark reflects the film's ending.; The film was originally scheduled for a later release date.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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