#TIFF17: “MOTHER!”

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

It has been well over 12 hours since I watched Darren Aronofsky’s mother!, and I am still processing everything that happens within its 115-minute running time. Aronofsky has never been one to make films with easy interpretations, but mother! is far and away his densest movie to date.

The less you know about mother!, the better. But the plot revolves around a woman (Jennifer Lawrence) who lives with a famous poet (Javier Bardem). His house was destroyed, and she is helping to remodel and put it back together. But when unexpected guests arrive, things begin to get strange.

mother! is wrapped in layers of subtext and varying ideologies. It is at times frustrating to watch because Aronofsky is throwing so much at the screen at once, creating a nightmarish fever dream of a movie that goes to some shocking and bizarre places. But what it lacks in coherency, it more than makes up in astounding visuals and exquisite sound design. And at the heart of all the chaos is Lawrence, putting in an incredible performance that needs to be seen to be believed.

Paramount Pictures Canada will screen mother! at TIFF ’17 at the following times:

Sunday, September 10 9:15 p.m. Princess of Wales
Monday, September 11 11:30 a.m. Elgin Theatre
Wednesday, September 13 9:30 a.m. Princess of Wales