Mothers' Instinct Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Mothers' Instinct Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 28, 2024

“Mothers’ Instinct” is a remake of a 2018 French film from director Olivier Masset-Depasse, which was an adaptation of a 2012 novel by author Barabra Abel. Screenwriter Sarah Conradt is tasked with reviving the material for an American remake, and helming duties are handed to Benoit Delhomme. The respected cinematographer (“The Theory of Everything,” “The Scent of Green Papaya”) makes his directorial debut with “Mothers’ Instinct,” facing a creative challenge with familiar material to some, trying to refresh a story that’s largely dependent on maintaining a level of surprise. There’s a lot going on in the feature, which carries the mood of melodrama but slowly turns into something else, and Delhomme has game actresses in Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway, who bring a fine level of itchiness to the movie. The talent brings the endeavor to life, maintaining an appealing atmosphere of disturbing behavior as the story goes to strange places, but not always with confidence.

Alice (Jessica Chastain) is mother to Theo (Eamon O’Connell) and wife to Simon (Anders Danielsen Lie), and she maintains a close friendship with neighbor Celine (Anne Hathaway), who’s mother to Max (Baylen D. Bielitz) and wife to Damian (Josh Charles). The families are close as the 1960s arrive, but tragedy challenges such social and emotional balance when Alice spies Max trying to place a birdhouse on a tree from a great height, unable to reach the boy before he falls to his death. Celine is destroyed, finding a friendship with Theo that helps her to deal with the devastating loss, while Alice tries to figure out how their relationship can be revived as the mourning process carries on. A month later, Celine makes moves to reconnect, but odd behavior starts to confuse Alice, who’s history of mental issues is revived as she feels guilt and paranoia over her status as a mother, unsure what Celine wants from her.

The relationship between Alice and Celine involves a few roles for the duo, who are connected as mothers to boys the same age, and they share experiences as women dealing with husbands and domestic demands. Their neighborly ways create a support system of sorts, finding Alice struggling with her status as a homemaker, caught between her yearning to return to journalism, as she once planned, and Simon’s push to have another child. This open desire to add a baby causes discomfort for Celine, who can no longer conceive, though she very much wants to. The writing explores feelings of suffocation for Alice and purpose for the friends, who maintain suburban order, sustaining the façade of responsibility as they secretly deal with lives that aren’t exactly what they want, locked into position.

Max’s death is a striking moment in “Mothers’ Instinct,” with Alice witnessing the boy teetering on the edge of a balcony, unable to reach him in time (Celine is busy vacuuming). It’s an experience that changes everything for the families, though Alice wonders if normality is possible again, testing communication with the distraught mother, who finds comfort in Theo and his innocence. This relationship makes Alice uneasy, triggering feelings of guilt about the accident, and the story examines her gradual unraveling, with postpartum depression branding her as troubled, preventing her from being taken seriously by loved ones. Delhomme doesn’t craft an especially stylish movie, but he reinforces the period mood through costuming and production design, and he's good with visual storytelling, highlighting the metaphor of a tight, scratchy hedge that divides the property. “Mothers’ Instinct” also delivers on a few moments of tension, including Theo’s desire to retrieve his stuffed bunny from Celine’s possession, choosing the worst time to make his move.

Mothers' Instinct Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation handles the period appearance of "Mothers' Instinct." Color is inviting, with the production focusing on bold primaries for style options, including rich yellows and blues with Jackie Kennedy-esque choices. Greenery is distinct, as suburban yards are somewhat important to the plot. Decorative elements are also bright, with the whiteness of houses appreciable. Interiors offer a warmer sense of living spaces, with softer red lighting. Skin tones are natural. Detail is acceptable, offering a softer sense of skin particulars. Costuming, with its 1960s rigidity, is also decently textured. Exteriors retain depth, with a dimensional sense of neighborhood action. Interiors are also open for inspection. Delineation runs into a little trouble at times, leaning into solidification as evening activity arrives. Some brief, mild moments are banding are also detected.

Mothers' Instinct Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix prioritized dialogue exchanges. The softer emotionality of the performances, and their slip into more heated encounters is nicely balanced and always intelligible. Scoring efforts support with crisp instrumentation, delivering warmer moods of intimacy and slightly harder beats of suspense. Surrounds have some moments with musical mood, offering a wider feel, but the track is largely frontal, with limited sonic goals. Atmospherics are basic, offering some group activity and household movement. Low-end isn't challenged.

Mothers' Instinct Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this release.

Mothers' Instinct Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Again, "Mothers' Instinct" is a melodrama, playing with a heightened sense of conflict as the situation worsens for Alice and Celine. Delhomme pursues a specific tone for the movie, which may not be everyone's cup of tea, but those willing to follow an unusual study of distress are offered alert performances from Chastain and Hathaway, who work well together, exploring female unity and neighborly agitation with skill. They have plenty to play with in the story, which heads into a few areas of suspicion, complicating the central relationship. "Mothers' Instinct" gets a little crazy as it finds its way to a conclusion, but such extremity is actually appealing, creating a turbulent ride of emotions and motivations to bring this twisted study of liberation to a welcome boil.