Mother! (2017)

Last updated:
June 1, 2025

Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! is one of the most polarizing films in modern cinema—a surreal psychological horror that blends religious allegory, environmental commentary, and existential dread. Released in 2017, it’s a film that left audiences divided but undeniably stirred. Here’s a comprehensive look at Mother! including its dense narrative, symbolic depth, and haunting finale.

Table of Contents

Detailed Summary

Opening: A Quiet Country House

The story opens in a remote, beautiful country home where a poet (played by Javier Bardem) lives with his wife (Jennifer Lawrence), referred to only as “Mother.” She is quietly restoring the house after a mysterious fire, while he suffers from writer’s block. Their relationship feels strained—he’s emotionally distant, while she tries to nurture their domestic sanctuary.

Strangers at the Door

Their peace is disrupted when a stranger (Ed Harris) arrives, claiming to be a doctor in need of shelter. Despite Mother’s reluctance, the poet welcomes him. The next day, the doctor’s wife (Michelle Pfeiffer) appears as well. The couple behaves intrusively—snooping, overstepping boundaries, and eventually breaking a treasured family heirloom, much to Mother’s horror. They are symbolic of Adam and Eve, and the broken heirloom parallels the biblical fall from grace.

Chaos Unleashed

The strangers’ two sons arrive next, mirroring Cain and Abel, and a violent altercation ends in one brother murdering the other inside the home. The house, which has always felt like a living organism, begins reacting to the events. Blood soaks into the floorboards. The fragile domestic calm collapses into grief and unease.

Pregnancy and Creation

After the mourners leave, Mother and the poet make love, and she wakes up the next morning pregnant—an act that rejuvenates his creative spirit. He writes a new poem, which is met with global acclaim. Fans begin appearing at the house en masse, fawning over the poet and treating him like a messiah figure. The poet allows them inside, despite Mother’s pleas. The guests start taking over the house, escalating from admiration to cult-like obsession.

Descent into Madness

As more people flood the house, it spirals into nightmarish chaos: a shrine is built, people are baptized in the sink, militarized police storm in, executions take place, sex trafficking, war, and destruction happen all at once in an escalating frenzy of human sin and society’s collapse. Mother, heavily pregnant, can do little but watch in horror.

Movie Ending

The ending of Mother! is intensely symbolic and emotionally brutal.

Mother gives birth in the poet’s study, isolated from the chaos outside. The poet, now seemingly worshipped as a god, demands to show the newborn to his followers. Mother refuses, terrified. Eventually, exhausted, she falls asleep, and the poet takes the baby.

The crowd worships the infant briefly… then in a horrific turn, they kill and eat him. Yes, the baby is torn apart and consumed by the crowd in a grotesque Eucharistic act, symbolizing the consumption of Christ by humanity.

Mother, now utterly broken, lashes out violently, stabbing people in rage. The poet’s followers beat her mercilessly. In a final act of desperation, she crawls to the basement, where she sets the house ablaze using oil from the furnace. Everything and everyone is engulfed in flames.

But the poet remains untouched. He carries Mother’s charred body and asks for one last thing—her love. She gives him her heart, which he transforms into a crystal (the same one that was broken at the beginning). The cycle begins anew. The house is restored, a new woman wakes in the bed, and the story starts over—suggesting an eternal loop of creation, destruction, and rebirth.

Are There Post-Credits Scenes?

No, there are no post-credits scenes in Mother!. The film ends with the final symbolic image of the cycle restarting, and the credits roll without interruption.

Type of Movie

Mother! is a psychological horror / surrealist allegory. It defies conventional genre categorization, blending elements of drama, thriller, religious allegory, and eco-horror. It is not a traditional horror film but deeply unsettling and metaphor-laden.

Cast

Jennifer Lawrence as Mother
Javier Bardem as Him (the poet)
Michelle Pfeiffer as Woman
Ed Harris as Man
Domhnall Gleeson and Brian Gleeson as the sons
Kristen Wiig in a surprising cameo as the poet’s publicist

Film Music and Composer

Mother! has no traditional score. Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson originally worked on music for the film, but Aronofsky decided the movie worked better without any musical score, to heighten tension and realism. Instead, the film relies on sound design—creaking floorboards, heartbeats, and ambient noise—to create its oppressive atmosphere.

Filming Locations

The entire film was shot on a soundstage in Montreal, Canada, where the house was constructed from scratch. The isolated setting of the house plays a crucial symbolic role, acting as both Mother’s sanctuary and a reflection of her psyche. The house decays as she suffers, and it’s ultimately a living character in the film.

Awards and Nominations

Despite mixed reactions, Mother! received attention during awards season:

Nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
Jennifer Lawrence was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actress.
Won several technical awards for set design and cinematography.
However, it was also famously nominated for several Razzie Awards, a controversial decision given its artistic ambition.

Behind the Scenes Insights

Aronofsky wrote the script in just five days, describing it as a fever dream.
Jennifer Lawrence injured a rib during a scene due to intense hyperventilation.
The house was built as a 360-degree set, allowing for seamless camera movement.
Filming was emotionally exhausting—Lawrence took a year off afterward.
Michelle Pfeiffer said the script made her feel “deeply uncomfortable,” which is exactly why she accepted the role.

Inspirations and References

Mother! draws heavily from:

Biblical stories: Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Jesus Christ, the apocalypse.
Environmental allegory: Mother represents Earth, abused and taken for granted.
Aronofsky’s own life: The poet’s ego and worshipers are seen as critiques of celebrity culture and artistic narcissism.

Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes

There are no publicly confirmed alternate endings, though Aronofsky mentioned that earlier drafts were even more violent and abstract. Most of the changes came from trimming surreal segments for pacing, rather than altering the film’s outcome.

Book Adaptations and Differences

Mother! is not based on a book, but its themes draw from religious texts, especially the Bible. Think of it less as a narrative adaptation and more as a visual essay or philosophical parable.

Memorable Scenes and Quotes

Key Scenes

The baby scene—possibly one of the most shocking in modern cinema.
The sink breaking, symbolizing the flood.
Mother’s scream-filled final descent through the crumbling house.

Iconic Quotes

Mother: “You never loved me. You just loved how much I loved you.”
Him: “I am I.”
Mother: “What are you? Who are you?”

Easter Eggs and Hidden Details

The crystal represents the apple from Eden or the spark of creation.
The yellow powder Mother drinks is never explained—possibly a sedative or a placebo representing denial.
Repeated motifs: heartbeats, bleeding floorboards, circular narrative.
The burned mark on the floor reappears each cycle—suggesting trauma never fully fades.

Trivia

The film was booed at the Venice Film Festival and received an F CinemaScore from audiences.
Aronofsky and Lawrence were dating during filming.
The sound design team used actual baby animal sounds to create unnerving effects.
Kristen Wiig’s violent turn was a deliberate subversion of her comedic image.

Why Watch?

If you want a film that challenges you, disturbs you, and stays with you long after the credits roll, Mother! is essential viewing. It’s not for everyone—but for those willing to dive into its symbolic layers, it’s a hauntingly profound experience. Think of it as a cinematic Rorschach test: what you see says more about you than the film itself.

Mother! (2017)