The most talked-about movie of the 2010s just dropped on Netflix

Jennifer Lawrence’s most daring role meets Darren Aronofsky’s most chaotic vision

Jennifer Lawrence in the film mother!
(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

The wildest movie you’ll find on Netflix right now isn’t new, but it’ll blow your mind

Every so often, a film resurfaces on streaming that reminds you cinema can still be properly unhinged. The latest arrival on Netflix does exactly that, a psychological horror so bold, so bizarre, it divided critics, traumatised audiences, and instantly became one of the most talked-about movies of the last decade.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream) and starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem, it starts simply enough: a couple live in a beautiful, isolated house while she renovates and he, a blocked poet, searches for inspiration.

Then a stranger knocks on the door. Then another. And another. What unfolds after that can only be described as a descent into pure cinematic madness, a relentless spiral of chaos that leaves you speechless and slightly disturbed in the best way possible.

mother! movie (2017) - official trailer - paramount pictures - YouTube mother! movie (2017) - official trailer - paramount pictures - YouTube
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You might think you’re watching a domestic drama. You’re not. Within half an hour, it becomes something far bigger, a feverish allegory about creation, destruction, obsession and humanity’s tendency to ruin everything it touches. It’s part biblical parable, part environmental nightmare, part artistic self-destruction. Aronofsky crams all of that into two claustrophobic hours and somehow makes it feel operatic.

Jennifer Lawrence is extraordinary here, raw, vulnerable, and furious all at once, while Bardem plays the kind of character that makes you uneasy without ever raising his voice. It’s both mesmerising and horrifying to watch them unravel together, seeing two of the best actors in recent years going head-to-head.

It’s intense. It’s divisive. But that’s the point. Films like this don’t come along often, and when they do, they deserve to be seen, ideally in the dark, with your phone on silent, and your jaw on the floor.


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Morgan Truder
Staff Writer

Morgan got his start in writing by talking about his passion for gaming. He worked for sites like VideoGamer and GGRecon, knocking out guides, writing news, and conducting interviews before a brief stint as RealSport101's Managing Editor. He then went on to freelance for Radio Times before joining Shortlist as a staff writer. Morgan is still passionate about gaming and keeping up with the latest trends, but he also loves exploring his other interests, including grimy bars, soppy films, and wavey garms. All of which will undoubtedly come up at some point over a pint.

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