Even by Darren Aronofsky’s own unique standards, mother!, the upcoming home invasion thriller starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem, has been shrouded in secrecy ever since Aronofsky first put pen to paper.
Granted, that radio silence was pierced by the film’s haunting first trailer, in which Lawrence’s Grace struggles to share a roof with two uninvited guests (read: Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer). Things go from bad to worse, too, when our lead begins to uncover a smattering of dark, unsettling secrets linking her husband, Eli (Bardem), with Harris and Pfeiffer’s strangers.
Part home invasion, part thriller, and all very Aronofsky, while speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the esteemed filmmaker drew comparisons between mother! and Black Swan, his Oscar-winning ballad of one ballerina’s descent into full-blown madness. Mind you, there’s no connective tissue between each thriller; rather, Darren Aronofsky is aware that they both exude a similar spirit.
It has home-invasion elements and is definitely a thriller. It is closer to Black Swan in spirit than anything I have done in a while. The best thing about this film will be the surprise of it. It’s an intense journey and it’s definitely the biggest roller coaster in the park. Only get on it if you really want to do the loop-the-loop.
Also starring Kristen Wiig and The Last Jedi‘s Domhnall Gleeson, Bardem is firmly of the belief that a little secrecy in film can go an awful long way, particularly in this age of information overload.
We all know every f—ing thing all the time. That’s good for some things and bad for others. We have to keep this mystery going if we can.
Having retreated from the crowded Halloween corridor, Darren Aronofsky’s mother! will now open opposite the likes of American Assassin and All I See Is You on September 15th. It’s understood Paramount is making a big festival push for Aronofsky’s latest, too, what with spots reserved at both Venice and Toronto to help generate some awards buzz. And with Lawrence, Bardem, and Aronofsky all involved, we’d be foolish to write off the film’s chances of Oscar glory.
