Mother’s Instinct (2024)

Mother’s Instinct (2024)

Anne Hathaway & Jessica Chastain were already together in Interstellar (2014)! Without them, we’d have been faced with a simple TV film, but they’re here and they’re convincing. All in all, a remake that will be dispensable for those who loved Duelles (2018), but enjoyable to follow, despite being very predictable for some film buffs.

But still slightly disappointed by this film which could have been even better. It’s the last half-hour that didn’t convince me, although the very end is relatively interesting.

Compared to classic Hitchcock and I can understand that, but let’s not exaggerate. There are certainly some twists and turns, and the story is gripping. I didn’t know where all this was going to lead me. Not necessarily a film I’ll be seeing again (at least not any time soon), but it did grab me.

‘Is this life enough for you?’ is one of the lines I’ll remember. Mother’s Instinct is the perfect demonstration that the combined talent of two excellent actresses can’t always carry a film on its own. And yet, with its fine qualities, this first feature from Belgian cinematographer Benoît Delhomme (and remake of Olivier Masset-Depasse‘s ‘Duelles’, a Franco-Belgian drama) didn’t start too badly, setting up this typical American way of life rather well, with women confined and often stifled in the servitude of this caricatured role of mother/wife drawn by a patriarchal society.

After a while, this film stops thickening the lines of its writing to focus on a tawdry suspense, fuelled by caricatured situations, even. Indeed, I wonder how such an accumulation of ‘coincidences’ could have aroused the suspicions of absolutely nobody!

But then… I wasn’t expecting anything. And I still had a relatively good time, despite the annoying inconsistencies. A must-see!

Spoilers Alert!!!

Those who hated this feature film thought, among other things, that the ending was botched, but I don’t think so. Yes, evil incarnate wins… and once again we ask ourselves: What is the world coming to? This film may seem nauseating, and my advice to those who like hope would be: Skip it!

Here’s one of the most negative reviews I found: “A disgusting ending. I wasted my time watching this horror. Next time, I’ll read the reviews first!”

Except that my review isn’t going to put you off seeing this film. On the contrary!