A new Darren Aronofsky film is always an event. The maverick director has just unleashed a teaser for his new film, mother!, and it looks set to make an impact the same way previous movies Black Swan, The Wrestler and Requiem For a Dream did.
A psychological thriller, mother! will presumably see Aronofsky tackling its subject matter in his typically oblique way. As we await the first full official trailer, FANDOM rounds up the teaser’s most unsettling moments.
A Man IN FIRE
So, there’s some dialogue that’s a bit unnerving, some foreboding music that builds in creepiness and shots of Jennifer Lawrence wandering around a house in a nightie ahead of this moment. None of which we’ve included on this list. The teaser saves the most sinister stuff for last. It’s a full 23 seconds into the 30 second teaser before we get the shot of the man who doesn’t seem too bothered about the fact he’s being engulfed in flames.
To be fair, we can only see him from behind so who knows what the expression on his face might reveal.
A Wasp On Its Back
Immediately following the shot of the man caught in an explosion, we get a bizarre shot of a wasp on its back. It’s alive, and seems to be struggling to right itself. It looks like it’s lying on a table or on the floorboards. Beyond that, we know nothing about why it’s here, other than to ramp up the sinister.
The footage quickly switches to a shot of an open-mouther Jennifer Lawrence. She’s either terrified of wasps or something else bad is happening. To be honest, though, we’d totally understand this response to coming face to face with a wasp. Horrifying creatures.
Michelle Pfeiffer Getting Nuzzled
No, your eyes didn’t deceive you. That split-second shot of a woman making out is very definitely Michelle Pfeiffer. In stockings. Getting her neck nuzzled by a bald man whose identity is obscured. Is it Ed Harris? He’s in the film, so perhaps.
Anyway, it’s all happening next to a cardboard box in a room that’s in need of a little TLC. A little like Michelle Pfeiffer. Apparently.
A Lightbulb Smashing
When wouldn’t this put the willies up you? Especially when that lightbulb is RED and in a creepy old cellar. Preceded by another shot of an open-mouthed Jennifer Lawrence.
A Man Hitting Out
The lightbulb shot quickly switches to a flash of a man – who looks a bit like Javier Bardem’s character from No Country For Old Men – striking out at another man. Again, we don’t see the faces of either of these characters since the action is all shown from behind.
It very likely isn’t Javier Bardem in this shot because we see him shouting something inaudible (face on) in the very next shot and his hair is short.
Hopefully, the full trailer will give us a bit more when it lands on August 8. But in the meantime, all this, combined with the discomfiting score, adds up to an intriguing and disconcerting experience.
mother! stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer and Domhnall Gleeson and is set for release on September 15. Here’s the official synopsis:
A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. From filmmaker Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream), mother! stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer in this riveting psychological thriller about love, devotion and sacrifice.