Gaslighting At Its Peak—Review Of Mothers’ Instinct (2024)
Seeing star actresses, Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway, on the poster of this recent release Mothers’ Instinct (2024) was like a treat for my weekend. The title piqued my interest and the film is a psychological thriller to boot. I couldn't think of a better way to unwind for the weekend.
Set in 1960s, this American psychological thriller focuses on two families living next door to each other on a suburban neighbourhood. They are close and literally have keys to each other's house. Alice (played by Jessica Chastain) and Celine (played by Anne Hathaway) are mothers to boys of almost the same age and attending the same school. Their relationship is going great when tragedy struck.
Celine's son, Max, stays home due to illness. While Alice is tending her garden outside, she notices Max on the balcony trying to fix the bird house. She tells him to get down and runs inside their house to warn Celine. When the mothers run back to the balcony, Max had slipped and his head was bleeding. This tragedy breaks their harmonious relationship.
Celine starts to behave weirdly, placing Alice on anxiety and fear as to the safety of her son, Theo. What is Celine really up to? Is Alice mentally unstable and seeing things that are not real?
Review
I've followed Anne Hathaway's acting career right from the beginning I think and in recent years, she's diverted from performing in romcoms to psychological thrillers. I think this is where her acting strength lies though I still prefer to see her in romance films. As expected, she and Jessica Chastain showed the stuff they are made of in this spooky and suspenseful film.
The plot is a great one though a remake of a Belgian film of same name based on the adaptation of Barbara Abel's novel titled Derrière La Haine. French film director, Benoît Delhomme, launches us into an outstanding show of every parents’ worst nightmare—the death of their child by negligence—and how the mothers navigate it, one gaslighting the other until she breaks.
The storytelling is even-paced and well executed. There are twists and turns, and creepy moments in this film that kept me hooked to the end. The sequence of events are set out in a manner that grips hearts with tension and suspense as expected in a psychological thriller.
I enjoyed the star leads' performance, especially Jessica Chastain. Her character is sometimes uptight and fearful due to her anxiety but flawless in her role as a mother with a past mental issue. This reflects in her style of parenting—she’s strict with her son, Theo. Her past almost conceals the truth but she trusts her instinct and sees through all the drama. Every gasp, scream and facial reactions are well done and timely as one would expect of a mother in reality.
Anne Hathaway as the more fun and indulgent mother did great as well but the focus was more on Chastain, the director's way of pulling the wool over the eyes of the audience so we don't see what's coming. It was great to see Josh Charles in action as Anne Hathaway's husband though he didn't get much screen time. I missed his acting ever since he was killed off the legal series, The Good Wife. I feel his role wasn't fully explored. The boys, Max and Theo, were also impressive in their roles though Theo was very annoying. I think that means he did a good job.
Two aspects of this film that stands out are the settings and visuals. The set design vividly captures the 1960s era, displaying the suburban middle class world, fashion and lifestyle (did they really smoke a lot in that time?) I enjoy how this set brings the film to life, like the audience is living in that time. I'm glad most of the scenes are shot in day time, allowing for clear and colourful visuals. The night scenes are a little dark yet clear enough to see.
Overall, Mothers’ Instinct is a film worth watching. The acting is brilliant and the storytelling is compelling. The ending is shocking and twisted, quite different from how I expected or wanted it to end. If you enjoy psychodramas, you'll love this one. I'll give it 4 stars out of 5.
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Thumbnail Image, Fair Use
Other images are screenshots from the movie
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Hello @kemmyb. I love psycho dramas as well. I'm always trying to figure out who the villain is and why that person or persons are antagonizing others. You gave an excellent summary of the film, so a nice review of the important points in the film. I just switched to a streaming service from satellite, so I'm sure I can locate it.
When you mention the focus on one of the mothers, I instinctively knew the other may be the culprit. Usually, it's an incident in one's past that triggers the other person to reveal it and truly able to attempt to gaslight. But when children are involved, that add a totally different dimension in trying to protect them from harm.
I also love both actresses and will definitely watch this drama to see how they perform. Thanks for sharing.
Take care and have a good rest of your week.
That's the interesting part that keeps me glued to these types of movies. The intrigue and mystery! Indeed one of the ladies is the culprit and you'll be shocked by how she went about her villainy. 😄 I hope you do watch it. It's a fine movie. Always a pleasure to read your comment. Thanks so much for your visit.
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You're welcome. It was my pleasure to read your film summary review. I'll definitely look for this movie because I'm excited to see how the villain plotted and schemed.
Take care.