Mothers' Instinct

Let me start by saying this: the movie wasn't spectacular, but it certainly wasn't bad either. What I can confidently say is that it was intriguing, unpredictable, and refreshingly different. With two of the most talented actresses of our time sharing the screen, the performances were absolutely top-notch. The cinematography, with its vibrant and colorful 80s setting, was beautifully done and immediately drew me in.

What really stood out for me, though, was the story. It was unique, and the ending felt like a breath of fresh air. It's rare to see a film take that kind of direction these days, and it was a pleasant surprise.

The reason I wouldn't call it spectacular is because I think the story had the potential to be even more engaging. It felt like the director played it a bit safe and could have pushed the boundaries more. That said, the ending leaves room for a possible sequel, so who knows what's next!

Set in a middle class 60's setting which is beautifully done, 2 families who are dear friends both experience unforeseen trauma in their lives which leads to a catastrophic end.

I'm not a grand fan of Hathaway who plays Celine, but this pairing with Chastain who plays Alice is cinematic gold. The story follows the pair through trauma and heartbreak with an ultimate end of a perfect pairing.

The film at first is slow and kind of reminds you of the old slow starting films of the 60's. But it's done so nicely that it's not onerous to follow the story being set. Slowly but surely events unfold and you realise something is happening but you're not sure what.

Eventually 1 mystery is solved but it only opens up another mystery, and then another, and then another.

I'd not say it kept me on the edge of my seat, but it certainly held my attention with ease. I particularly loved the way it made me feel deep sympathy with both star characters, knowing that 1 or perhaps both of them was the 'bad guy'. Then again, perhaps neither of them were and they were being manipulated by someone else... Pitting them against one another was a great move and kept me guessing until the end.

The sets and wardrobe and even the traits of people were absolutely on point for the 60's, and I loved how there was no extraneous noise affecting the main script. No police interviews, no secondary characters poking their noses in, and no grand arguments with threats and shouting. It was all very muted and yet was foreboding in it's quiet, like a great Hitchcock movie, but obviously not near as good.

All in all a great story and a great film with great actors and I give it a solid 7.

I like it. So many unfair bad reviews. It has a great premise and the movie makes you empathize with Alice (Jessica Chastain) and also with Celine (Anne Hathaway). I was wondering all the time who was right and who was wrong. Yes, it's true that the 3rd act is not as interesting as the rest of the movie, that it would have been better to keep it as a movie about trust, tragedy and the consequences of those in relationships.

But the ending takes another path, and is not wrong. It's actually interesting. Anne and Jessica both have amazing scenes together. My god! Those two can say so much with just one look.

It was a pleasant movie.

This movie seemed like a modern take on "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle". It's quite the thriller, though for a while you're never sure if it's meant to be a thriller or drama. It had an unusual pace, which isn't a bad thing, but definitely didn't feel like your typical American movie. Especially the ending.

It's not an easy movie to watch, but it's worth it. It's also a fairly unique story and there should be more movies centered around toxic female friendships. We've all had them, it's time to acknowledge them and make useful stories of them. This is a good start.

Jessica Chastain really came alive in this the most out of everyone and was the most believable, but the others were good too. I'm not sure if I would watch it again now that I know the story, but if it had better dialogue it would be enough to come back for seconds.

The movie universe it so saturated these days that a film with two Oscar winning actresses in the lead roles can come out and almost no one will ever hear about it. It doesn't help that the film has a title that sounds like a Lifetime film and a poster that is unimaginably bland. Seriously? No one could come up with anything better than just the two of them standing side by side?

Which is all a shame because the film is decent. In fairness it's my kind of movie, so I'm probably going to enjoy it more than most. But as far as reasonably grounded domestic thrillers go, this had all the right ingredients. A catastrophic event leading to major consequences with some mystery and darker themes lurking beneath the surface. Sign me up.

The old trope of the annoying child is going to bug a few people. Hollywood has been fixing this a bit more often in recent times, but this film had a big serving of it. However if you simply want to see two pretty good actresses going toe to toe in a surprisingly heavy film then this may be up your alley. 7.5/10.