Mother, May I?

Mother, May I is categorized as a horror/thriller. Just the mindset I was in tonight, a good, hopefully scary movie. Well it turned out to be a huge disappointment. It's not a horror movie at all, or I must have missed something, and even as a thriller it didn't do the job. Instead what you get is a boring story, very repetitive and at a slow pace. The acting fron the small cast was just okay, nothing mesmerizing at all. Writer/director Laurence Vannicelli didn't convince me at all. It for sure doesn't want me to watch other movies from Laurence Vannicelli. I really wonder why they would categorize this one as horror.

If you're looking to fashion a double feature, you could definitely pair this film with Run Rabbit Run.

Though, this film is neither as creepy, or well done as that film is.

One thing is for sure...they definitely share some thematic similarities.

With the wife taking on the characteristics of her husband's dead mother here; where the daughter takes on characteristics of her dead sister there.

And both focusing on the psychological toll it takes on the main characters- when they are forced to face a cognitive dissonance breakdown, when their understanding of the world falls apart.

The difference here being that we are looking at the effect it has on both parties, here.

With the mystery at the center of this film being much more confounding.

As two broken people use a shared traumatic experience to heal their underlying mental wounds.

While not a bad film, it doesn't quite live up to the mastery of Run Rabbit Run.

Which you can't help but compare it to (if you've recently watched both, like I have).

To be fair though, this one does have an air of darkly comedic undertones to it.

Despite it's sincerity.

Whereas Run Rabbit Run is a more pure psychological thriller.

Both films are great though!

So make a double feature out of it.

5.5 out of 10.

Mother, May I? Posits a couple who seem to psychologically tormented each other in efforts to "heal" from their dysfunctional parents and upbringing. This is played out as the male inherits his mother's house. Issues of abandonment, and abuse are explored as the "healing" is attempted.

The film takes an odd twist when the female starts acting like the late mother. This element begins a questioning of is this a supernatural possession instead of a twisted psychological game? Unfortunately, this plot point becomes lost as the interpersonal dynamics between the two main characters continues on their dysfunctional paths. Never mind what the conclusion is as it doesn't matter.

Acting is good even if the main characters are obnoxious and annoying. Production is good for a decent looking film. The overall point though is a trifling yawn.

This is another one of those movies that has nothing seriously wrong with it beyond being a 100-minute movie with about 20 minutes of script, tops. Kyle Gellner is a very good actor who singlehandedly achieves some moments of real interest; Chris Mulkey is always a welcome presence, although wasted in a nondescript role. I wasn't familiar with the female lead, and she's decent enough. But the film makes her "possessed" by the male lead's dead mother (or is she really....???) too fast, too soon, and as written/played that character is a trite Mommy Dearest stereotype of haughty, controlling divahood.

There's no real plot, just a premise, and not enough psychological or directorial complexity to make the central ambiguity (is this a supernatural situation, or is the girlfriend just role-playing as part of her "therapy"?) at all interesting once we've grasped it. This is also one of those movies where you wait and wait, hoping that something will finally "happen"...and then it just ends. Pffft. Your time has been wasted, and that of the cast, though this very thin material is handled competently enough.

But should it have been handled at all? Not without extensive rewrites first. This director needs a screenwriting collaborator next time out. He's not a talented enough stylist to make something substantial out of almost nothing.

In this movie, we follow a couple, Emmett (Kyle Gallner) and Anya (Holland Roden), as they visit Emmett's recently deceased mother's home. Soon, Anya begins to behave in a way eerily similar to Emmett's mother, who had abandoned him when he was a child, leading to a strained relationship. They originally came to the house to meet with a realtor and sell it, but with Anya's increasingly strange behavior, they now have something much more unsettling to deal with.

The premise had the potential to make for a decent movie, but the execution was dull and uninspired. The film focuses heavily on its characters, and both leads deliver solid performances. Kyle Gallner's involvement convinced me to watch this, as he is the male equivalent of a modern Scream Queen and usually chooses interesting roles. However, not even he could make this movie more engaging.

Labeled as a psychological horror, the film incorporates some psychological elements, but there is little to no actual horror. Instead, it consists mostly of dull conversations that escalate into arguments, leaving many unanswered questions. Even the final conclusion fails to captivate, making the 99-minute runtime feel like a waste. [3,8/10]