The Introverted Nightmare of Darren Aronofsky

Years ago, when I was a little kid, the children of the neighborhood would troop over to my house, knock on the door, and ask my mother if I could come out to play. She'd go to my bedroom where I'd be curled up with a good book, and she'd say, "Your friends are here." My heart would sink, and I'd dig deeper within the intimate comforts of my bed and tell her: "Tell them I'm not home."

This is to say Darren Aronofsky's mind-fuck of a movie, mother! (2017), was made for me, and for all the agoraphobic, introverted people out there. It's an in-your-face, what-the-hell-is-going-on film that will be remembered in the years to come, the way the divisive enigmas of Repulsion, Last Year in Marienbad, and L'Avventura have been remembered. [Awards Daily has an excellent article on the film and the lost feel for cinematic art.] It's message: hell is other people. Don't watch it: it's probably not for you.