Movie Review: "MA" — A psychological horror film

The movie, "Ma" is a psychological horror and thriller film that was released in the year 2019. It was directed by Tate Taylor and stars Octavia Spencer in the lead role.

Summary:

The movie starts with a scene where Erica Thompson and her daughter, Maggie, move to a city with the girl changing to a new school. Then, there is the scene where there is a group of teenagers. Maggie was invited to a party and she joined the circle.

We have Sue Ann, who helped these teenagers buy some alcoholic drinks because no one was ready to sell them to youngsters from 16 years of age.

Sue Ann, also nicknamed "Ma" is a lonely middle-aged woman who befriends a group of teenagers and allows them to party at her house. At first, one would think it was her act of generosity, longing for connection and kindness that made her allow them to party in her house, but I also thought this was harmless, not until the story started revealing a lot of pasts that revolved around Sue Ann, exposing her true intentions. It was later dawned on these teens that they were trapped in a web of manipulation and danger as Ma's behaviour was becoming increasingly erratic and menacing.

The movie centred around revenge, trauma, loneliness, obsession, trust and betrayal.

Sue Ann's mission was a simple one, she was willing to take revenge. It happened that while she was young, she was lured into a dark closet under the pretence of a romantic encounter with Ben Hawkins (Luke Evans). Instead, she was pranked and humiliated publicly in front of her classmates. This experience made her develop resentment toward Ben and his friends, which then extended to their children.

Her actions were driven by the trauma she experienced as a result of that awful moment, and she seeks revenge on those she blames for her suffering, including Maggie's mother, who I think didn't have a hand in it but perhaps was weak to defend her at that time.

Being aware that the teenagers were children of those who destroyed her youth years, she decided to lure them into her house and take her revenge. The teenagers trusted Ma initially, but her betrayal is a shock to them, which also endangers them. This cost the lives of two people; Ma's employer and Ben who humiliated her publicly.

Sue Ann's actions went from seeking friendship to taking revenge on the teenagers who were children of her former bullies. It was this obsession to dominate that led to her dangerous behavior such as stalking the teens and harming their parents. The pain she carried from her teens explores how unresolved trauma can lead to destructive behaviours later in life.

There are lots of lessons to take home from this movie. First, it identifies how trauma and neglect can be transferred from one generation to another. Another is how adults often fail to protect their children from cycles of harm; this can be through ignorance or negligence.

Erica Thompson (Maggie's mother) was struggling on her own as a single mother and couldn't keep all eyes on her daughter, Maggie, and when she realized this, it was almost too late as she attempted to save her daughter from such suffering.

The movie "Ma" depicts how issues like bullying, racism and neglect can leave deep scars, and how not monitoring the actions of youth can make them become obsessed with toxic nature.

The movie isn't just one to overlook and have fun, but it's talking about how pain not resolved at the earliest stage can manifest into something harmful later. I would rate this movie 8/10 for its unique strength, psychological depth and performances of each character making it stand out for me. Octavia Spencer's ability to switch from a kind, generous and lonely woman to an obsessed and unhinged antagonist is mesmerising, making the movie a great one to consider seeing, especially if you are interested in horror stories.

_{All images are screenshots from imdb}