Mama (2013) - ...Happy Mother's Day!

★★☆☆☆

First off, I don’t think they need 5 years’ time to locate a crashed car and a nearby cabin where Mama lives. 5 days or even 5 hours will sure be enough in such a modern, hi-tech world nowadays. Still, why 5 years? So Mama has enough time to raise the girls to be spooky characters. You might’ve guessed what Mama is. She’s a go-through-wall-not-touch-floor dark spirit with a disfigured face and body. Yes, this is a horror film. Same as many others, there’s a lot of make-no-sense stuff in it, like the characters are always bold enough to go alone in the dark, be constantly frightened and still stay there trying to find out what’s going on. Mama’s not at all scary. She doesn’t earn my sympathy either. She’s nothing but a crazy woman not believing that she should’ve indeed let go.

Jessica Chastain’s Annabel is not convincing in any way. No idea why she insists on playing a good mama to the girls after being seriously threatened by Mama. Her husband that’s the girls’ uncle, even falls into a coma after being pushed downstairs by Mama. Yet she’s not giving them up. Why? Was she hurt before so she’s now doing her best not to repeat the mistakes? Or is it simply because she feels deeply sorry for them? I don’t know. Her story and Mama’s are not completely revealed though. This film is, therefore, not involving after all.

You may feel like there’re good mamas and bad. True! Some mamas are unselfish, caring and kind. Some are like animals torturing and hurting their kids. Believe it or not, it’s in fact your own karma that decides whether or not you have a good mama. Glad that I’ve got a good one. She’s taught me how to be a strong, righteous person even though she’s illiterate, and weak sometimes. I guess that’s all that matters in a world where people tend to believe more in money and status than anything else. So to her and all the good mamas out there, I’m here to say with much respect, happy Mother’s Day!