Mother! (2017)

Darren Aronofsky’s 2017 film is a home-invasion nightmare that turns out to be a Bible allegory that won’t stop tapping you on the shoulder. The first hour is genuinely tense. Jennifer Lawrence’s character just wants to fix up her house in peace, and the camera stays glued to her face as strangers wander in, ignore her rules and touch everything. Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer are perfect as the guests from nowhere, and Pfeiffer’s nosy questions are the funniest and creepiest part. Javier Bardem plays the poet husband as a man who loves an audience more than his wife. Then the allegory takes over. Once you notice what it’s really about, the suspense drains out, and the last half hour turns into pure chaos that’s more exhausting than meaningful. It made $44.5 million worldwide on a reported $30M. A 5.5 because the craft and the first hour are bold, and the message gets underlined three times in red marker. $29.77 says the next houseguest who asks for a tour of your place gets shown the bathroom and nothing else.

What works: The first hour is tense and unsettling, and Michelle Pfeiffer is a delight as the guest who won’t stop asking questions.

What doesn’t: The allegory is so heavy-handed that once you spot it the suspense disappears, and the finale is more exhausting than meaningful.

Who it’s for: Film buffs who like decoding symbolism and don’t mind a movie that makes them uncomfortable on purpose.