We can’t believe we’re still talking about Darren Aronofsky’s mother! in the big old year of 2021, but there we are.
In the words of its star herself: “Can I please, for the love of God, not think about mother! for one second?”
Despite being largely very, very good (shut up), the Biblical allegory starring Jennifer Lawrence giving the performance of her career (we said shut up) was…not that well-received upon release. Was it because the film’s metaphors for taking care of the planet were too obvious, too preachy, or did it just come out at the unfortunate time that the good ship JLaw was beginning to sink in the sea of public opinion? It’s probably a little bit of all three.
The backlash against the film was indeed something to behold – it became one of the rare few films to receive an F grade on CinemaScore’s audience polling and despite pre-release buzz saying things like ‘it’s the next Exorcist’ the film relatively flopped at the box office – pulling in $44.5 million worldwide – and Jennifer was snubbed for a Best Actress nomination at that year’s Oscars too.
Well, if time has been kind to mother! (which it really has), it’s nice to know that some people are still taking the film’s brutish, bullish allegories to heart. Take one determined critic, who is now apparently determined to contribute as much as possible to the destruction of our planet, purely out of spite for the film’s ecological messages.
Talking at the Egyot’s El Gouna Film Festival (via Variety), director Darren Aronofsky said that following the film’s release, one perturbed critic actually got hold of his personal mobile number and contacted him via text.
According to Darren, this person is apparently on a hell-bent mission to burn and consume as much coal as humanely possible to hurry along the destruction of our planet, just to spite him (and the rest of humanity apparently) because he hated mother! so much (!)
“Out of that, the type of excitement and passion you get from other people that really connect with the film reminds you why you’re doing it,” the director said.
Well, at least they understood those allegories, right?