Meredith (Emily Hampshire) and her husband Jared (François Arnaud) have just come home with their new son, Alex. As they attempt to get into a routine, Meredith finds the constant need for attention too much, and her collapsing mental state results in a horrific tragedy. With her family and friends all but deserting her, she descends further into madness.
A disturbing psychological study, Mom is a compelling and difficult film and one that sticks with you long after you’ve seen it. It opens with the camera exploring a dilapidated house accompanied by an oppressive drone, a fleeting glimpse of a young child, and a shocking reveal. It’s a gut-punch moment that puts the viewer on edge from the start. The sound design and visuals amplify the postpartum depression and anxiety Meredith is experiencing. Hampshire is brilliantly disturbing in the lead role, expressing emotions that are not often spoken about. The baby’s incessant screaming brings to mind the child from Eraserhead, while Mom’s first third builds up a disorienting atmosphere in which Meredith questions her reality, if the house is haunted, and even if she is capable of being a mother.
Director Adam O’Brien builds up a terrifying picture of a mother’s struggle to cope with the changes childbirth brings, although we hope the rest is not a familiar situation for people.
MOM screened at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest Glasgow.
