Sunday, July 28, 2019

I Am Mother

Movie Name: I Am Mother
Year of Release: 2019
Director: Grant Sputore
Starring: Clara Rugaard, Rose Byrne, Hilary Swank, Luke Hawker, Tahlia Sturzaker
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
View Trailer

Synopsis and Review:
Another release hailing from streaming giant Netflix, "I Am Mother" is the feature directorial debut for Grant Sputore, following some work on TV and a short feature. The film takes place in the future, following a global apocalypse which decimated the human population. In a secured bunker, an Android becomes active, and goes about bringing to life a frozen embryo, among many that were saved. The embryo eventually becomes a baby girl, who grows up under the tutelage of the Android, who is addressed as "Mother". Mother educates the young girl, versing her in multiple disciplines, also testing her to validate she is a hard worker and well versed on topics she deems relevant to her human condition. This seemingly tranquil existence is thrown into disarray when a wounded woman shows up at the entrance of the bunker, shocking the young girl, who was until then, under the assumption humanity had entirely perished. She goes against Mother's orders, and allows the woman to come in, which changes their relationship permanently while simultaneously makes her aware there's more to the narrative that she was told since her childhood. 
"I Am Mother" is an interesting digest of multiple dystopian feature films, with influences from James Cameron's "The Terminator", Stanley Kubrick's "2001", Steven Spielberg's "A.I.", among many others. Director Grant Sputore is successful in portraying a claustrophobic existence for the two entities living in the bunker for the most part of the film, showcasing the complicity between them, the idyllic existence that they have created for themselves, all of which is disrupted with the introduction of an external factor. The wrench, in the shape of Hilary Swank, is never more than a one note character, always acting like a persecuted animal, with little to no nuance. The "Mother" entity, the Android, actually has far more interesting shades of humanity than the external disruptive factor. Rose Byrne, who voices Mother, perfectly captures and defines her personality, with a mix of her soothing voice, which is consistent, even when it goes dark. Opening the context of the film to the outside area of the bunker, actually makes the film lose some momentum. What makes it so interesting, and far more successful than for instance Stanley Donen's "Saturn 3", is the environment created in that space (the bunker), where there's no escape, and where the revelations keep escalating. The film is entertaining and well crafted (solid visual effects), featuring a great performance from Clara Rugaard. Worth watching.

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