Mother (2017) - Maybe Better Without Us!

★★☆☆☆

Whoa, I just figured I’ve already watched most of Darren Aronofsky’s films like ‘The Wrestler’, ‘Black Swan’, and ‘Noah’ before his latest ‘Mother’. Well, to me ‘The Wrestler’ is the best of all hands down. The rest all seem a bit too dark and bleak to be digested and appreciated. I had no interest checking out ‘Mother’ in the first place, but since there are pretty Lawrence and awesome Javier, and mixed critics saying you’d either love it or hate it, simple as that, so… turned out I’m one of the haters!

For those who have watched ‘Mother’ but still can’t make head nor tail of it, here is mother in the film Jennifer Lawrence’s breakdown, ‘The film is an allegory. It depicts the rape and torment of Mother Earth. I represent Mother Earth; Javier, whose character is a poet, represents a form of God, a creator; Michelle Pfeiffer is an Eve to Ed Harris's Adam, there's Cain and Abel and the setting sometimes resembles the Garden of Eden.’ Now you get it? Nope? If you still don’t, then we join the club. I mean, okay, so what? To be honest I don’t like a film dropping loads of metaphors or allegories or stuff. I don’t turn down a religious film as long as it can strike and move me instead of giving me a headache by presenting so many biblical images. ‘Mother’ is neither frightening nor intriguing. I’m left with no idea at all what the heck is going on there. Some may like it that way but I feel like being cheated!

Speaking of Mother Earth, the truth is, we’ve been depleting her and making her sicker than ever before. And we’re getting serious consequences as sort of her punishment. Still there’re influential people like even some scientists claiming that Mother Earth being sick is nothing but a hoax! That global warming and climate change are not our fault. The whole thing could be just part of a big circle that would heal itself automatically after all. Maybe it is, but I guess no one can be sure that we’d still be around when it goes on turning again! No need to be sad though. Who knows? Maybe there’s a better world without human beings. Mother Earth isn’t supposed to have to always put up with us, is she?