It would be oversimplifying his filmography to say that Darren Aronofsky has an “M.O.” as a director, but suffice it to say that he likes to explore the seamy underbellies of generally beloved things. With his upcoming Mother!, he is poised to do for domesticity what he did for ballet (Black Swan) and sport (The Wrestler) by giving his audience a peek behind the proverbial curtain.
Paramount Pictures unveiled the first teaser for the psychological thriller earlier on Monday and the 30-second spot starts off with lead actress Jennifer Lawrence sauntering around an idyllic home, as some pretty disturbing audio plays in the background. Eventually, all of the civility is shattered, as the final 10 seconds or so showcase a flurry of nightmarish images, including an exploding light bulb, an insect writhing in pain, and a man being engulfed in flame.
Since the teaser itself is not all that revealing, here is the quick-and-dirty synopsis (although it does not tell us all that much, either): “A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests come to their home.”
As you can see, details are still scarce, but the creepy poster below should give you a pretty decent idea of what this film is about.
For now, you have to chew on that and the short spot above in lieu of a lengthy, “official” synopsis from Paramount. “What is up with the delay,” you ask? Well, the film is relying on suspense to put butts in theater seats, so the decision to keep everyone waiting is probably very deliberate. While we do hate when these sorts of thrillers give away the farm before premiere day, we also wish we knew a bit more about this one, especially given the Oscar bonafides of its star-studded cast.
Speaking of that cast, Lawrence will be joined on screen by Ed Harris, Kristen Wiig, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Javier Bardem. In addition to being behind the camera, Aronofsky wrote the screenplay for the film. The helmer is no stranger to double duty, as he has scribed and shot several films, including Noah and Requiem for a Dream.
Mother! is set to hit theaters on September 15.