In July, we caught our first glimpse of Darren Aronofsky’s latest film, Mother!. The non-traditional trailer gave very little away about the psychological thriller, though it did promise we’d be in for a wild ride.
The film’s more revealing tease tells us that Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence star as couple whose ostensibly peaceful home life is disturbed by the arrival of another pair, played by Michelle Pfeiffer and Westworld‘s menacing Ed Harris.
W’s Kyle Munzenrieder reports that during its recent Venice Film Festival screening, audience members hurled boos at the film. “It should also be pointed out,” Munzenrieder writes, “that boos in the audience were audibly battling it out with cheers as well,” suggesting that for European audiences booing is hardly considered taboo.
The earliest reviews certainly suggest we’re in for a truly shocking experience. As per Slate, “Darren Aronofsky’s new film Mother! is totally insane,” a sentiment echoed by the Gaurdian: “No Gob Left Unsmacked!” None of that means they weren’t also totally enthralled. In fact, the film’s been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews.
The Black Swan director is no stranger to dividing audiences, so we suspect these stray boos are water off a duck’s back.