Mother, May I?

Mother, May I, or paraphrasing, Mother, Should I give this a go?

I think so yes, first of all, for our new male lead horror actor, Kyle Gallner, emphasis on male. A lot of new scream queens lately, which of course is a good thing, seeing people embracing this genre and becoming a symbol of it. But we do lack on the male part, we still rely heavily on Tony Todd, Lance Henrikssen, Robert Englund and so on.

But honestly if you remove Mr. Kyle from the equation, I have to say, Mother, May I is overall a little bland. I won't call it generic, it just doesn't offer as much as it promises, yet it does manage to hit some soft spots, just without a real echo to them.

So for a die hard horror fan, yes, for a one time view, this movie should be on your list, with the clarification that it is a psychological war here, with a little bit of mystery, but no horror, or tension or scares.

If this is what you're looking for, you might actually be pleasantly surprised, I hope. A movie in the type of Goodnight Mommy, The Lodge, or It Comes At Night.

Definitely no The Ritual sadly.

So all in all, another piece of the horror puzzle has been found, take it or leave it.

Cheers!

In this movie, we follow a couple, Emmett (Kyle Gallner) and Anya (Holland Roden), as they visit Emmett's recently deceased mother's home. Soon, Anya begins to behave in a way eerily similar to Emmett's mother, who had abandoned him when he was a child, leading to a strained relationship. They originally came to the house to meet with a realtor and sell it, but with Anya's increasingly strange behavior, they now have something much more unsettling to deal with.

The premise had the potential to make for a decent movie, but the execution was dull and uninspired. The film focuses heavily on its characters, and both leads deliver solid performances. Kyle Gallner's involvement convinced me to watch this, as he is the male equivalent of a modern Scream Queen and usually chooses interesting roles. However, not even he could make this movie more engaging.

Labeled as a psychological horror, the film incorporates some psychological elements, but there is little to no actual horror. Instead, it consists mostly of dull conversations that escalate into arguments, leaving many unanswered questions. Even the final conclusion fails to captivate, making the 99-minute runtime feel like a waste. [3,8/10]

Mother, May I? Posits a couple who seem to psychologically tormented each other in efforts to "heal" from their dysfunctional parents and upbringing. This is played out as the male inherits his mother's house. Issues of abandonment, and abuse are explored as the "healing" is attempted.

The film takes an odd twist when the female starts acting like the late mother. This element begins a questioning of is this a supernatural possession instead of a twisted psychological game? Unfortunately, this plot point becomes lost as the interpersonal dynamics between the two main characters continues on their dysfunctional paths. Never mind what the conclusion is as it doesn't matter.

Acting is good even if the main characters are obnoxious and annoying. Production is good for a decent looking film. The overall point though is a trifling yawn.

Emmett (Kyle Gallner) inherits the family home from his estranged late mother. He and his girlfriend Anya (Holland Roden) head off to the remote extensive home to prepare for a quick sale. They have an usual relationship which gets stranger when she seems to take on the personality of his mother.

The writer/director is Laurence Vannicelli. I don't know anything about him or his work. I do like the tone and the simmering tension of this movie. Most of all, I love these two actors. I want this to be great. At last, it simmers, but it never cooks. There is a way to get there, but the story takes a less compelling turn. The ending is somewhat poetic, but has no intensity. This is marginal.

I wouldn't classify this as a horror. This movie is more of a psych drama. Although it's a very decent film, it could of easily been way more intense and interesting had a few more elements added.

I found the setting too "nice" A missed opportunity to convey a n added depth to the story.

Some real good acting takes place, the camera work, lighting (which I could of used a lot more play with light and shadow, but it was, at least, present) sound and editing were competently done.

It had a few eerie moments,it had a few warm and fuzzy moments, it had some uncomfortable moments, but none of it was what I would call surprising or edge of your seat.

The story was above average but the last ten minutes, a few things didn't add up, for me.

Better than a lot, but achingly soooo close to what could of been excellent.

Would still recommend.