mother! (2017)
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing Darren Aronofsky's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
- Darren Aronofsky originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- Many of the practical effects used in the climax were achieved without any CGI.
mother! is a 2017 American psychological horror film written and directed by Darren Aronofsky. Jennifer Lawrence stars as an unnamed woman renovating a secluded Victorian house she shares with her husband, a celebrated poet played by Javier Bardem, who is suffering from writer's block. When a mysterious stranger, played by Ed Harris, arrives at their door followed by his wife, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, the couple's private world begins to unravel as more and more uninvited guests flood into the house, eventually escalating from mild intrusion into apocalyptic chaos.
Darren Aronofsky constructed mother! as an allegorical interpretation of the Bible, with Bardem as God, Lawrence as Mother Earth, and the escalating house invasion representing humanity's destruction of the natural world. The film's third act, which depicted graphic violence including infanticide, provoked walkouts and earned the film a rare F grade from CinemaScore audiences โ one of only a handful of wide-release films to receive the lowest possible audience rating. mother! earned $44 million worldwide on a $30 million budget. Critical reception was wildly polarized.
