By Mark Hockley
As a father to an eight month old daughter this story hits close to home. Fortunately, my own experience of a newborn has been very positive, but Mom takes a dark and disturbing look at the psychological and emotional toll becoming a parent can take.
Although this film presents as a horror story, the underlying exploration of post natal depression is prevalent and while effective on many levels, it can be a difficult watch.
The acting is strong with Emily Hampshire as the titular mom giving a convincing, harrowing performance. Less impressive is the musical score, while functional, becomes cliched and lacks nuance. Many of the jump scares are standard fare, falling short of the intended impact.
It’s quite possible that I’m not the best audience for this feature and whether it’s entertaining or not, depends entirely on your own perspective. I found it fairly gruelling to sit through, but maybe that was the intent.
In conclusion, despite introducing what appear to be supernatural elements, this is really the story of a woman’s complete breakdown. In this regard, there are echoes of the far superior The Babadook.
There’s clearly an important social discussion to be had concerning the complexities of becoming a parent, but how much you might actually enjoy this horror tinged examination, is up for debate.
Mom is available now on Digital Platforms from Blue Finch Releasing.
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