We round up the reviews for the film starring Anne Hathaway & Jessica Chastain.
The Guardian: ** “The movie ends up with such wild absurdity that it’s difficult to recall the interesting and plausible touches of dysfunction and ambiguity that went into the opening scenes – particularly some business concerning a kid’s toy bunny. But when the curtain rises on the third act, it is time for some very ripe and silly overacting and homicidal machinations which are wince-making in the wrong way. Delhomme provides us with some creamy strings on the soundtrack which signal Hitchcockian dread, but without the wry touch of black humour with which Hitchcock could paradoxically make his thrillers so plausible.”
The Hollywood Reporter: ” The film’s ultimate point seems to be that motherhood and suburbia drive everyone mad, but it’s not quite the progressive message the film seems to think it’s delivering. Or maybe there’s no message intended here and the whole exercise was just an excuse to allow friends Anne and Jessica to play dress-up for a few weeks.”
Telegraph: ** “This thriller about two Sixties neighbours who fall out following a tragedy frustratingly refuses to go for broke.”
Variety: “Nobody here is working without care. There’s as much conviction to Hathaway’s proud black-widow blend of decorum and hostility — evoking, in her best moments, Joan Crawford at her most tragically acidic — as there is to Chastain’s unraveling all-American decency. Their work is matched in determination by Delhomme’s rigid mise-en-scène, drawing our eye past the Easter-egg pastels of the costumes and soft furnishings to hard angles and somber shadows. But “Mothers’ Instinct” doesn’t breathe: It hasn’t the grandeur of great melodrama, nor the savoir-faire of great noir. Like its mismatched heroines, it’s constantly, twitchily figuring itself out, as we sit tight, intrigued, tensely waiting for it to trip.”
Empire: **** “Making his directorial debut, Benoît Delhomme’s experience as a cinematographer pays off handsomely in this 1960s-set drama. Shots are beautifully and mysteriously composed. The exquisite costuming also does valuable storytelling, with colour palettes incisively reflecting the mothers’ emotional states. Everything is gorgeous to behold on the surface, which makes the darkness that lies beneath (and there’s plenty of it) all the more delectable.”
The Independent:*** “A tale of psychologically fractious Sixties housewives that looks beautiful but ultimately feels sterile, despite strong performances from its two leads.”
Evening Standard: ** “Inevitably we do find out that there is historical darkness behind the suburban curtains here, but it feels dashed off and under-explored. That said, it worked just fine in French. The film Duelles from 2018 (itself adapted from 2012 Belgian novel Derriere La Haine (Behind The Hatred) by Barbara Abel was great. Perhaps it is just that this American remake is too… American?”
Mothers’ Instinct is out now in cinemas.