Episode 8: mother!
Justin:
On our show today we discussed quite a wide range of topics: from climate change to organized religion; from the act of creation to Hollywood stardom. The only thing that can bring together such varied ideas as that is a movie. To that end, Darren Aronofsky’s mother! is a truly special movie that is very likely more hated than it is loved. And I have to say that I’m elated that both myself and my co-host are on the side of the latter, mostly because I don’t like arguing with friends, but also because it pleases me to no end that he fell in love with the same things I did. The first time I saw this movie, I’m positive my jaw never left my lap, as I sat there mouth agape due to the balls-to-the-wall, what-the-ACTUAL-fuck-is-going-on nature of the second half of its two hour runtime. It’s confusing. It’s preposterous. It’s absolutely all over the place. BUT. It’s intentionally all of those things while also being precisely what it means to be, making sure to ever-so-briefly focus on all the nooks and crannies of every scene, giving the audience countless things to look for on subsequent viewings. Sometimes movies that “make you think” can land with a tremendous thud (I’m looking at you, Inception). But other times, like with our previously discussed 2001: A Space Odyssey, the challenging nature of their questions don’t necessarily require direct or single answers. The conversations inspired by movies like these are what matter and the thought processes required to consider what is meant are so much more valuable than, say, BUT DID THE TOP WOBBLE AT THE END? I believe Aronofsky knows this full well and his execution here is sublime. And no matter how long his current hiatus lasts, I hope he knows that we will be VERY ready for whenever he emerges from the fire with whatever heart-shaped diamond he managed to pull out of whatever muse’s chest that led him back to the director’s chair.
