Release Date – 29th March 2024, Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 34 minutes, Director – Benoît Delhomme
After the death of her own son (Baylen D. Bielitz), Celine’s (Anne Hathaway) relationship with best friend and neighbour Alice (Jessica Chastain) becomes fractious amongst feelings of grief, guilt and paranoia
It would be so easy to accuse Mothers’ Instinct of being a slice of forced melodrama. Yet, it’s got to be commended for being effective. As Anne Hathaway’s Celine is thrown into grief after losing her young son, Max (Baylen D. Bielitz), when he falls of the upper storey balcony of their home, the emotion and tragedy really gets across. There’s a real emotional core and push from the scenes delving into the loss which Celine and her husband (Josh Charles) are experiencing. Pushed by that felt by next door neighbour and best friend Alice (Jessica Chastain), alongside her own husband (Anders Danielsen Lie) and son Theo (Eamon Patrick O’Connell), who was best friends with Max.
After trying to shout to Max to get off the balcony bannister, where he was trying to attach a birdhouse to a tree branch, before his fall Alice feels guilty for not having reacted sooner. Does Celine believe that Alice should feel guilty? As the cocktail of grief and guilt begins to mix the pair begin to experience respective paranoia about what the other might be thinking and doing in response, particularly when it comes to Celine’s relationship with Theo.
With the 1960s setting as the thriller plays out there’s a clear Hitchcockian influence. It even comes across in some of director Benoît Delhomme’s style, particularly during driving scenes. Yet, perhaps the most interesting and effective moments that come through in Delhomme’s direction are a few scattered shots which feel as if they’re breaking in to the private lives and conversations of the characters. Like a near-documentary style presentation, as if taken from a camera in the corner of the hoe secretly observing the goings on. While infrequent such shots help to lift up the drama as it unfolds, and brings out the emotional core of a number of instances.
It’s also as the film dives more into its thriller tones and stylings that the structure becomes more noticeable. Instead of feeling entirely fluid it feels as more a set of clear events that almost seem to start and stop. Going from one test of the friendship to another with the effects and responses seen every other test. While things generally work, helped by the performances of Hathaway and Chastain (although perhaps not Chastain’s wig), there is an occasionally staggered feeling to the developments and structure of the narrative which holds back potential tension that the film seems to be aiming for once it has its elements properly built up.
Yet, there’s no denying the effect that the build-up has. While what follows may not be as stirring the emotional response to the opening half hour is strong. It helps to push the remaining hour some way, particularly in the way the performances continue such ideas, and while the tone might change there are still good moments and ideas here and there to make things worthwhile – helped by the overall 94-minute run-time. While the ending might prove somewhat divisive it’s not enough to make or break the film as a whole, and in general Mothers’ Instinct is a likable enough thriller that may not live up to its opening scenes due to some repetition within the noticeable structure but manages to make for solid viewing overall.
While it might not live up to the emotional punches of the opening scenes Mothers’ Instinct is a solid enough thriller helped by its two central performances who form consistency amongst the segmented narrative.
Just A Little Bit Random 