Mother! Review: 5 Ups & 4 Downs

4. The Intense, Unsettling Atmosphere

Even Aronofsky's lesser films are absolutely masterworks of mood and atmosphere, and Mother! is no exception.

From the bizarre opening sequence to the slow-build of unease, the director revels in making the audience confused and intrigued all at once, before unleashing a full maelstrom of bats*** insanity as he's done in so many of his previous movies.

The third act in particular sees Aronofsky fully giving himself and the audience over to his more demented instincts, and while they will inevitably be too much for some viewers, it's hard not to at least respect his sheer, full-tilt commitment to such zany images and ideas.

Whether you love or hate the movie, you'll almost certainly come out of it repulsed, which is presumably exactly what the director intended.