Movie Review: Mama (2013)

Written by Anthony Sargon

Guillermo del Toro sure knows how to pick his projects. The grand story-teller serves as executive producer of "Mama", a horror film based on a 2008 short film of the same name. Though a little uneven, "Mama" is a consistently creepy and memorable horror fable that delivers where it counts.

The story takes place during the start of the 2008 financial crisis. Jeffrey (Nicolaj Coster-Waldau) has just murdered his business partners as well as his wife, and he plans on killing his two young daughters and committing suicide. While driving on an icy road, Jeffrey loses control of his car as it falls from the side of a mountain. He and the girls survive and run to an abandoned cabin, and as he's about to kill his older daughter, a mysterious shadowy figure breaks his neck and lifts his body away. The girls are left all alone for five years, until Jeffrey's twin brother, Lucas, finally finds them and invites them to live with him and his girlfriend, Annabel (Jessica Chastain). Things aren't exactly normal, however. There are a lot of questions surrounding how the girls survived all these years, and if they were really ever alone to begin with.

There's a lot more to the plot than that, but for the sake of not spoiling anything, this is about as detailed as the synopsis will get. Director Andres Muschietti based "Mama" on his own 2008 short film, and as you watch the movie, it becomes more and more evident why Guillermo del Toro was attracted to the project. This is more than just a horror movie, it's a horror fable. The film is extremely eerie and gets most of its scares by slowly building tension. There's very little gore, as Muschietti relies on mood, vivid imagery, and jump-scares.

The performances in "Mama" are better than what you'd expect from your standard horror fare. Oscar nominated actress Jessica Chastain leads the way as Annabel, and she handles the role with aplomb. Nicolaj Coster-Waldau from "Game of Thrones" fame is solid as Lucas (and Jeffrey), but his character has surprisingly very little to do. Daniel Kash plays Dr. Dreyfuss, the man put in charge of the girls' mental health after they've been found, and he's no slouch either. The true stars of the show, however, are Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nelisse as the two young sisters, Victoria and Lilly.

While "Mama" gets a lot of things right, it does falter from time to time. Some characters are mysteriously underused, while others are inexplicably given too much to do. Dr. Dreyfuss, for example, makes some of the film's most important discoveries, but the audience isn't even sure of his motives for most of the film's duration. The ending is also a little polarizing, and while this reviewer thought it worked well and gave the movie a more fantastical feel, some will find it cheesy and a little forced. Either way, it'll inspire conversation, which is always good.

Anthony's Verdict:

Boasting an eerie mood and great performances, "Mama" sets the bar high for horror movies in 2013.

Numerical Score: 7.5/10

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