Mama
Director: Andrés Muschietti
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Isabelle Nélisse, Megan Charpentier, Javier Botet
Inspired by a haunting short story, Mama is a film that reveals the deep and extraordinary power of a mother’s love. When a tragic twist of fate leaves two sisters orphaned and alone in an abandoned house after their parents are killed, they are brought to live with their uncle and his rock-and-roll girlfriend. As they settle into life as a family, the family soon realizes that they are quite not alone.
The bond between mother and child is a very powerful symbol in this film and one which is painted from multiple perspectives.
When we are first introduced to the children in the movie, they have just lost their mother and are fleeing with their father into the snowy woods. Shortly thereafter, the father vanishes under mysterious circumstances and the children, Victoria, and Lilly, are left alone – or are they? As we witness time passing in a haunting, melodic dance, the scribbled pictures on the walls reveal that the children are not quite alone. When they are discovered in the house, five years later, the children have become feral, and they keep referring to a mysterious entity known only as “Mama”.
There are two maternal figures in the film: the ghostly entity known as Mama (Javier Botet) and Annabel (Jessica Chastain) the girlfriend of the children’s Uncle Jeff. When the children are first rescued, “Mama” is the only maternal figure they have known, and although no one else can see her, the bond between Mama and the girls (and especially Lilly) is incredibly powerful. Dr. Dreyfus tells the girls’ Uncle Luke that the girls’ growth was stunted by their abandonment, and while the oldest child, Victoria, has retained much of what she learned before she was lost in the forest, the younger sister, Lilly, remains in her feral state, even when the children go home with their uncle. To cope with the prolonged isolation, the girls created an imaginary guardian to protect them, and love them and be their mother. The girls have named this guardian Mama. For Mama, her connection to the children reflects the pain of a much deeper tragedy: the loss of her own child. Following her untimely death, Mama’s child was stolen from her, and it was only when she found Victoria and Lilly in the cabin that Mama found some measure of peace. Haunted by her lost child, Mama latched onto Victoria and Lilly and became their surrogate mother when they were abandoned by their father. When the children were discovered and taken to live with their uncle, Mama followed them, unable, or perhaps unwilling to severe the bond that she had created with the children because her heart could not endure the pain of losing another child after her own child was taken from her.
When Annabelle first meets the girls, Lilly whispers the word “Mama” when she sees Annabel. Annabel tells the girls not to call her “Mama” …just Annabel. While initially Annabel does not embrace the idea of motherhood, her maternal nature is brought forth when Annabel begins to realize that Mama’s presence is with them in the house, and her jealous attachment to the girls will only be relinquished when the child that was stolen from her has been restored. As she is left alone to face an entity that she can’t see or understand, Annabel must discover her own strength as a mother if she wants to protect the children from Mama’s wrath.
While Mama’s first love is her adopted daughters, she also shares a unique bond with Annabel, as well. While Mama kills off everyone else who comes between Mama and her adopted daughters, and she almost kills their Uncle Luke, the connection between Mama and the girls’ new mother, Annabel, feels different. While Mama’s deepest longing is to be reunited with her missing child, Annabel initially lacks that maternal bond with the girls, and it is only when Uncle Luke is attacked and she is left alone with the children, that Annabel truly becomes their mother and fights to protect them. It is this same maternal bond that connects Annabel with Mama. The bruise on Annabel’s neck is another conduit; this one connecting Mama to Annabel’s dreams, rather than to the lake house. I believe that Mama is using Annabel as a catalyst to communicate what she is really searching for…her missing baby. Mama influences Annabel’s dreams to share the story of her tragic fate with the children’s other mom, and it is Annabel who finally unravels the mystery and restores Mama’s lost child to her.
While Victoria can create a bond with Annabel’s character and eventually chooses to love her over Mama, Lilly, the younger sister, maintains her strong bond with Mama. Victoria’s memories of her old life are illustrated when her uncle restores Victoria’s sight, by giving her back her glasses, and Victoria hugs her uncle tightly, believing him to be her father. While Victoria remembers her uncle and is willing to accept him, Lilly remains hidden beneath the bed, watching the scene play out. When Victoria and Lilly are brought home, Victoria approaches her uncle’s dog, and her memory of this beloved pet is reflected when Victoria calls him by his name – Handsome – but as with the first case of Victoria remembering, Lily remains hidden in a box behind her sister, watching suspiciously. Victoria accepting Annabel as her new parent, rather than Mama, is expressed in two ways. She protects Annabel from Mama when Mama is present in the home, and while at first, Victoria joins her sister when Lilly goes to play with Mama at night, there comes a moment when Lilly calls for Victoria, and Victoria chooses to remain in her bed, rather than play with Mama. Victoria was older when the girls were forced to live in solitude, and so she was able to resurrect the memories of the family she had lost before the girls found Mama. Because Lilly was so much younger when the girls were abandoned, Mama is the only parent she has really known, and thus the bond between Mama and Lilly was much deeper and ultimately that same bond was what allowed them to remain together.
Moths are an important symbol in this film, and they are illustrated in two ways. The moths are used to signify the presence of Mama, even when the audience cannot see her. When the children’s father is murdered in the cottage when the girls are lost in the snow, there are moths present in the house, and we see a shadowy reflection of Mama as she is protecting the children from their father. When Lilly is playing in her bedroom, we see a moth land beside her on the wall…and while it is clear someone is playing with Lily, that someone is not Annabel or Victoria, and we can sense Mama’s presence because Victoria distracts Annabel when she tries to check on Lilly…almost as if Victoria knows that Mama wouldn’t like Annabel interrupting her special time with Lilly, so she protected Annabel by having her check on the dog. The moths make another appearance when Annabel sees Mama watching Luke and Annabel in their bedroom. When Uncle Luke goes to investigate, the moth lands behind him on the railing of the stairs. This moment is significant because it’s the first time Mama actively shows herself to the adults. The moths make another appearance in Uncle Luke’s hospital room, and this time, their indication of Mama’s presence is bolstered by the word “Mama” being typed repeatedly on the computer screen and Luke has a vision of someone – who he believes to be his dead brother – calling him back to the abandoned cabin where the children were found. In the end, we see one last butterfly land on Victoria’s hand, but unlike the black moths that accompanied Mama and symbolized death, this butterfly symbolizes was blue…which is significant, because Victoria recognizes the butterfly as her sister and blue butterflies symbolize a beautiful transformation…meaning that Mama and Lilly had found peace together in death.
“Mama” is a movie that illustrates the power of a mother’s love and how the strength of that love can both heal and destroy. The casting is exceptional, particularly in the case of Jessica Chastain as Annabel and Javier Botet as Mama. The story, while a bit confusing at times, creates a satisfying combination of suspense that is tinged in sadness, and allows the audience to understand the emotional essence of a truly unique character.
© 2022 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Andrés Muschietti
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Isabelle Nélisse, Megan Charpentier, Javier Botet
Inspired by a haunting short story, Mama is a film that reveals the deep and extraordinary power of a mother’s love. When a tragic twist of fate leaves two sisters orphaned and alone in an abandoned house after their parents are killed, they are brought to live with their uncle and his rock-and-roll girlfriend. As they settle into life as a family, the family soon realizes that they are quite not alone.
The bond between mother and child is a very powerful symbol in this film and one which is painted from multiple perspectives.
When we are first introduced to the children in the movie, they have just lost their mother and are fleeing with their father into the snowy woods. Shortly thereafter, the father vanishes under mysterious circumstances and the children, Victoria, and Lilly, are left alone – or are they? As we witness time passing in a haunting, melodic dance, the scribbled pictures on the walls reveal that the children are not quite alone. When they are discovered in the house, five years later, the children have become feral, and they keep referring to a mysterious entity known only as “Mama”.
There are two maternal figures in the film: the ghostly entity known as Mama (Javier Botet) and Annabel (Jessica Chastain) the girlfriend of the children’s Uncle Jeff. When the children are first rescued, “Mama” is the only maternal figure they have known, and although no one else can see her, the bond between Mama and the girls (and especially Lilly) is incredibly powerful. Dr. Dreyfus tells the girls’ Uncle Luke that the girls’ growth was stunted by their abandonment, and while the oldest child, Victoria, has retained much of what she learned before she was lost in the forest, the younger sister, Lilly, remains in her feral state, even when the children go home with their uncle. To cope with the prolonged isolation, the girls created an imaginary guardian to protect them, and love them and be their mother. The girls have named this guardian Mama. For Mama, her connection to the children reflects the pain of a much deeper tragedy: the loss of her own child. Following her untimely death, Mama’s child was stolen from her, and it was only when she found Victoria and Lilly in the cabin that Mama found some measure of peace. Haunted by her lost child, Mama latched onto Victoria and Lilly and became their surrogate mother when they were abandoned by their father. When the children were discovered and taken to live with their uncle, Mama followed them, unable, or perhaps unwilling to severe the bond that she had created with the children because her heart could not endure the pain of losing another child after her own child was taken from her.
When Annabelle first meets the girls, Lilly whispers the word “Mama” when she sees Annabel. Annabel tells the girls not to call her “Mama” …just Annabel. While initially Annabel does not embrace the idea of motherhood, her maternal nature is brought forth when Annabel begins to realize that Mama’s presence is with them in the house, and her jealous attachment to the girls will only be relinquished when the child that was stolen from her has been restored. As she is left alone to face an entity that she can’t see or understand, Annabel must discover her own strength as a mother if she wants to protect the children from Mama’s wrath.
While Mama’s first love is her adopted daughters, she also shares a unique bond with Annabel, as well. While Mama kills off everyone else who comes between Mama and her adopted daughters, and she almost kills their Uncle Luke, the connection between Mama and the girls’ new mother, Annabel, feels different. While Mama’s deepest longing is to be reunited with her missing child, Annabel initially lacks that maternal bond with the girls, and it is only when Uncle Luke is attacked and she is left alone with the children, that Annabel truly becomes their mother and fights to protect them. It is this same maternal bond that connects Annabel with Mama. The bruise on Annabel’s neck is another conduit; this one connecting Mama to Annabel’s dreams, rather than to the lake house. I believe that Mama is using Annabel as a catalyst to communicate what she is really searching for…her missing baby. Mama influences Annabel’s dreams to share the story of her tragic fate with the children’s other mom, and it is Annabel who finally unravels the mystery and restores Mama’s lost child to her.
While Victoria can create a bond with Annabel’s character and eventually chooses to love her over Mama, Lilly, the younger sister, maintains her strong bond with Mama. Victoria’s memories of her old life are illustrated when her uncle restores Victoria’s sight, by giving her back her glasses, and Victoria hugs her uncle tightly, believing him to be her father. While Victoria remembers her uncle and is willing to accept him, Lilly remains hidden beneath the bed, watching the scene play out. When Victoria and Lilly are brought home, Victoria approaches her uncle’s dog, and her memory of this beloved pet is reflected when Victoria calls him by his name – Handsome – but as with the first case of Victoria remembering, Lily remains hidden in a box behind her sister, watching suspiciously. Victoria accepting Annabel as her new parent, rather than Mama, is expressed in two ways. She protects Annabel from Mama when Mama is present in the home, and while at first, Victoria joins her sister when Lilly goes to play with Mama at night, there comes a moment when Lilly calls for Victoria, and Victoria chooses to remain in her bed, rather than play with Mama. Victoria was older when the girls were forced to live in solitude, and so she was able to resurrect the memories of the family she had lost before the girls found Mama. Because Lilly was so much younger when the girls were abandoned, Mama is the only parent she has really known, and thus the bond between Mama and Lilly was much deeper and ultimately that same bond was what allowed them to remain together.
Moths are an important symbol in this film, and they are illustrated in two ways. The moths are used to signify the presence of Mama, even when the audience cannot see her. When the children’s father is murdered in the cottage when the girls are lost in the snow, there are moths present in the house, and we see a shadowy reflection of Mama as she is protecting the children from their father. When Lilly is playing in her bedroom, we see a moth land beside her on the wall…and while it is clear someone is playing with Lily, that someone is not Annabel or Victoria, and we can sense Mama’s presence because Victoria distracts Annabel when she tries to check on Lilly…almost as if Victoria knows that Mama wouldn’t like Annabel interrupting her special time with Lilly, so she protected Annabel by having her check on the dog. The moths make another appearance when Annabel sees Mama watching Luke and Annabel in their bedroom. When Uncle Luke goes to investigate, the moth lands behind him on the railing of the stairs. This moment is significant because it’s the first time Mama actively shows herself to the adults. The moths make another appearance in Uncle Luke’s hospital room, and this time, their indication of Mama’s presence is bolstered by the word “Mama” being typed repeatedly on the computer screen and Luke has a vision of someone – who he believes to be his dead brother – calling him back to the abandoned cabin where the children were found. In the end, we see one last butterfly land on Victoria’s hand, but unlike the black moths that accompanied Mama and symbolized death, this butterfly symbolizes was blue…which is significant, because Victoria recognizes the butterfly as her sister and blue butterflies symbolize a beautiful transformation…meaning that Mama and Lilly had found peace together in death.
“Mama” is a movie that illustrates the power of a mother’s love and how the strength of that love can both heal and destroy. The casting is exceptional, particularly in the case of Jessica Chastain as Annabel and Javier Botet as Mama. The story, while a bit confusing at times, creates a satisfying combination of suspense that is tinged in sadness, and allows the audience to understand the emotional essence of a truly unique character.
© 2022 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.