XXI has released its newest film which has escaped Salenhanh’s attention so far. The psychological thriller genre film entitled Mothers’ Instinct, directed by Benoît Delhomme, is a remake of the 2018 French-language film by Olivier Masset-Depasse with the same title.
This film was originally a translation of the novel Mothers’ Instinct (Derrière la haine) by Barbara Abel which was released in 2012. Benoît Delhomme, who makes his directorial debut in this film, is not new to the world of cinema.
His experience as a Cinematographer and DOP (Director of Photography) in several big films such as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008), The Theory of Everything (2014), and Eternity’s Gate (2018), cannot be underestimated. And in a media screening held in Jakarta (6/3), it was proven that this film is indeed different from similar films.
Mother’s Instinct (2024) Synopsis
Set in the 1960s, two housewives, Celine (Anne Hathaway) and Alice (Jessica Chastain), are very close friends because their houses are next to each other. They are the same age, with well-established husbands, and both have sons who are the same age and go to school at the same time.
One day, Max, Celine’s son, died after falling from the terrace of his house. This event changes everything, including his relationship with Alice. Celine then tried to approach Theo, who is Alice’s son. She tried to act as a mother would to her child. However, as time went on, Alice’s actions began to worry her, because Theo often played at Celine’s house. What then happened to Celine and Theo?
Mother’s Instinct (2024) Review
The acting and narration are one of the best
This film is the third starring Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway after Interstellar (2014) and Armageddon Time (2022). However, this was their first time sharing a scene. Their acting power is extraordinary, because they can change expressions and gestures quickly when the scene reduces or increases the tension.
This cannot be separated from the narrative which is clever in setting a pace that is not too fast. Through the second half, we will be surprised by what Celine does to Alice. The tempo starts to seem fast and even though the conclusion is very generic and predictable, the process is interesting and Delhomme’s way of building tension in a slow burn way is very good.
Mother’s Instinct Conclusion
In this debut film, Delhomme succeeded in providing something different to the psychological thriller genre which is neatly structured with a surprise at the end of the second half. The acting power shown by these two top Hollywood actresses is truly extraordinary and makes this film on a different level from many similar films.
The visualization is also pleasing to the eye with production design and wardrobe that looks detailed, adapting to the setting in which the film takes place. Mother’s Instinct is different from most thrillers. Even though the conclusion is generic and easy to guess, the process is very interesting. For those of you who love thriller dramas, Salenhanh highly recommends Mother’s Instinct for you to watch. You can watch this film starting today in all XXI cinema networks.