10 Films That Are Better The Less You Know Going In

4. mother!

Trigger Warning: Infant Mortality

In the modern cinema climate, as all of the air in the room is gradually sucked away by behemoth superhero franchises, the ‘art house’ film is one which very rarely makes it into the public consciousness. One of the more recent exceptions came in the form of Darren Aronofsky’s 2017 psychological nightmare mother! (No it doesn’t have a capital letter, no I don’t know why), and its shocking content which disgusted and enthralled in equal measure.

With little, if any, exposition, the film follows the titular ‘Mother’ and her husband, the writer known only as the grammatically problematic ‘Him’. The writer’s magnum opus leads to hordes of adoring fans descending upon the home and turning it into a Hellscape, culminating in the sudden death and cannibalisation of Mother’s newborn son.

Further research into the film reveals that it is heavily allegorical of the Bible, with Him being God and Mother being the planet, and subsequent viewings with this in mind do make the parallels within the film seem obvious and contrived, an opinion which was shared by many critics at the time. For those with a strong stomach and transgressive tastes, the suddenness with which the film shifts tone in its second half is one which works due to its unexpectedness, and going into it with foreknowledge robs the viewer of that gut wrenching shock as the very mouth of Hell seems to open up.